High Wind in North Carolina, February 16 to 17, 2001

Name: High Wind in North Carolina, February 16 to 17, 2001
Start: 2001-02-16T22:00
End: 2001-02-17T06:00
Location: North Carolina

February 16 to 17, 2001 · NWS GSP · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong cold front crossed the region on the 16th, accompanied by gusty winds. Persistent high gradient winds following the frontal passage resulted in downed trees and power lines.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

A strong cold front crossed the region on the 16th, accompanied by gusty winds. Persistent high gradient winds following the frontal passage resulted in downed trees and power lines. Some of the resulting power outages were long-lived, and there was even some structural damage reported.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 5:40 PM EST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 5:40 PM EST, 4 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
540 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

UPDATED ZONES FOR TORNADO WATCH.                  DELGADO

FCSTID = 11
GSP   51  52  26  47 /  90   0   0   0
AND   52  53  26  48 /  90   0   0   0
CLT   51  52  25  47 /  90   0   0   0
HKY   46  50  23  44 /  90   0   0   0
AVL   40  42  21  41 /  90  10   0   0

.GSP...
GA...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR GAZ010-017-018-*026-028-029.
NC...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR NCZ051>053-058-059-062>068.
SC...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR SCZ001>008-010>012-019.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 16, 9:27 PM EST, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
927 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

810 PM     IVA                       SC   WIND DAMAGE
02/16/01   ANDERSON                       ROOF OF MOBILE HOME BLOWN
                                          OFF

JONES

Local storm report, Feb 16, 9:53 PM EST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
953 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

907 PM     LIBERTY                   SC   WIND DAMAGE
02/16/01   PICKENS                        COUNTY COMMS RELAYED
                                          REPORT OF LARGE TREES
                                          BLOWN D7OWN.  NO
                                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OR
                                          INJURIES KNOWN

JONES

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cabarrus

When: February 16, 10:00 PM EST to February 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Cabarrus forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.387, -80.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Henderson

When: February 16, 10:00 PM EST to February 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Henderson forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.336, -82.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Polk

When: February 16, 10:00 PM EST to February 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

High Wind, Transylvania

When: February 16, 10:00 PM EST to February 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Transylvania forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.202, -82.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, February 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5232487, 5232488, 5232489, 5232490.