South Carolina, 2001

Sleet in South Carolina, March 20, 2001

March 20, 2001 · NWS GSP · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

4 sleet, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 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 Mar 20, 3:00 AM EST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 3:00 AM EST, 2 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
300 AM EST TUE MAR 20 2001

MAJOR FEATURES OF THE NEXT 24HRS ARE THE INCREDIBLE WARM ADVECTION
IN LOW TO MID LEVELS AND THE STRONG FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE
UPPER JET DIVERGENCE AND MODERATE DIFFERENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION.
HEAVY SNOW IS STILL THE PRIMARY CONCERN IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.  HAVE
RESERVATIONS WITH REGARD TO DURATION.  STRONG DYNAMIC COOLING WHICH
CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTE TO EARLY HEAVY SNOW MIGHT NOT BE BE SUSTAINABLE
GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WARM ADVECTION.  THIS WOULD PRECLUDE HIGH
SNOW AMOUNTS BELOW ABOUT 3000 FEET.  FURTHERMORE...THE PRECIP MIGHT
TURN TO RAIN BEFORE THE UPPER END OF POTENTIAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS CAN
BE REALIZED.  NONETHELESS...WILL UPGRADE ENTIRE WATCH AREA TO WINTER
STORM WARNING.  06Z GSO SOUNDING REMAINS QUITE WARM.  EVAPORATIVE
COOLING WILL SURELY BRING THICKNESS DOWN BUT IF WARM ADVECTION KICKS
IN BEFORE PRECIP ARRIVES...COULD SEE SIGNIFICANT WARM NOSE IN THE NW
PIEDMONT WHICH WOULD LEAD TO SLEET/FREEZING RAIN LATER TODAY RATHER
THAN SNOW.  STRONG EASTERLY FLOW AROUND 850MB ANYWHERE FROM 45  TO
75KTS...DEPENDING ON MODEL.  EXPECT TO SEE SOME OF THAT AT THE
SURFACE.  WILL ISSUE WIND ADVISORY FOR ALL ZONES NOT IN WINTER STORM
WARNING AND WILL GO WITH HIGH WIND WARNING COUPLED WITH STORM
WARNING.  AND FINALLY...POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS IS PRETTY GOOD
IN SOUTHERN ZONES AND WILL MENTION FROM ELBERT TO CHESTER COUNTIES.

PROLONGED RAIN EVENT MIGHT CAUSE SOME FLOODING BUT DO NOT ANTICIPATE
WIDESPREAD FLOOD THREAT.  RIVERS VERY LOW AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO
HANDLE 3-4 INCHES OF RAIN BUT THIS MUCH COULD CAUSE LOCAL PROBLEMS.
WILL LEAVE FLOOD WATCH ASSESSMENT TO DAY SHIFT.              DELGADO

.GSP...
GA...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR GAZ010-017.
     HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT GAZ010-017
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT GAZ018-026-028-029.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY/TONIGHT NCZ033>035-048>056-058>
     059-062>067.
     HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY/TONIGHT NCZ033-048>053-058>059-062>065.
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY/TONIGHT NCZ036-037-057-069>072-082.
SC...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY/TONIGHT SCZ001>003.
     HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY/TONIGHT SCZ001>003.
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY/TONIGHT SCZ004014-019.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 19, 11:25 PM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Mar 20, 4:06 AM EST, 54 minutes before
GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ036-037-057-068>072-082-SCZ004>014-019-201600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
406 AM EST TUE MAR 20 2001

...HEAVY RAINFALL TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT SOUTH AND EAST OF THE
MOUNTAINS...

THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES TODAY
WILL BRING A VARIETY OF WEATHER CONCERNS TO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS
AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.  ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TOCCOA
GEORGIA...TO GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA...TO SHELBY AND STATESVILLE
NORTH CAROLINA...ONE OF THE PRIMARY CONCERNS WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL.

BY EARLY TONIGHT...A NUMBER OF PLACES IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
MAY HAVE RAINFALL OF 2 TO 3 INCHES...WITH SOME LOCALLY HEAVIER
AMOUNTS.  MUCH OF THIS RAINFALL WILL OCCUR OVER A LONG TIME
PERIOD...REDUCING THE THREAT OF FLOODING SOMEWHAT.  HOWEVER...SOME
THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR IN THE PIEDMONT...WHICH COULD CAUSE
RAINFALL RATES TO APPROACH EXCESSIVE LEVELS.

SOME FLOOD PRONE AREAS...SUCH AS THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA...PARTS OF
GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG...AND AREAS FROM GREENWOOD SOUTH
CAROLINA...TO UNION SOUTH CAROLINA...AND MONROE NORTH
CAROLINA...COULD HAVE URBAN FLOOD PROBLEMS BY THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

ALONG WITH THE GUSTY WINDS WHICH WILL OCCUR TODAY...THE HEAVY RAIN
COULD LOOSEN WEAKENED TREES...CAUSING THEM TO FALL ACROSS ROADWAYS.

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT FLOOD WATCHES OR WARNINGS CWOULD BECOME NECESSARY
LATER TODAY.

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 sleet. Local standard time, as filed.

Sleet, Anderson

When
March 20, 5:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Anderson forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.519, -82.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sleet, Laurens

When
March 20, 5:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Laurens forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.484, -82.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sleet, Southern Oconee

When
March 20, 5:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Oconee forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC

Sleet, Southern Pickens

When
March 20, 5:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Pickens forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC

What these are

Sleet
Sleet accumulating half an inch or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Carolina in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, March 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5237805, 5237806, 5237807, 5237808.