Ice Storm in Georgia, December 4 to 5, 2002

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1106 AM EST WED DEC 4 2002

SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM UNDERWAY. ALL SNOW IN THE NRN MTNS WITH UP
TO 3 INCHES REPORTED. WILL UP SNOW TOTALS THERE AND I-40 CORRIDOR
WHERE AIR IS COLDEST AND SNOW WILL LAST THE LONGEST. WET BULBS BELOW
FREEZING XCPT NEAR THE SC/GA BORDER. WILL LEAVE WARNING AS IS GIVEN
DAMAGING ICE ACCUMULATIONS STILL POSSIBLE. HAVE REWORDED A FEW ZONES
TO ACCOMMODATE EXPECTED P-TYPE. MORE SNOW NORTH...MORE FREEZING RAIN
SOUTH. ADDED BREEZY WINDS TO SOME LOCATIONS. WORDED TEMPS STEADY AS
LITTLE MOVEMENT EXPECTED.

.GSP...
GA...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT ALL ZONES.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT ALL ZONES.
SC...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT ALL ZONES.

RWH

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-041315-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
617 AM EST WED DEC 4 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...

A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL BE SPREADING SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING
RAIN INTO THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT AND A WINTER STORM WARNING IS
IN EFFECT. FOR FURTHER DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WSWGSP
ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO RELAY REPORTS OF SNOW AND ICE TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

LINGERING ICING CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE INTO THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE
THE TEMPERATURE WARMS TO ABOVE FREEZING BY MIDDAY.

55

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-041745-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1057 AM EST WED DEC 4 2002

...WINTRY WEATHER SPREADING ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

A MIXTURE OF SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING RAIN WAS BECOMING HEAVIER
ACROSS THE AREA DURING LATE MORNING.  SEVERAL COUNTIES...MAINLY IN
THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...WERE ALREADY REPORTING
AN INCH OR A LITTLE MORE OF SNOW ACCUMULATION.  THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION RECENTLY REPORTED 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW AROUND AVERY
COUNTY. OTHER AREAS WERE REPORTING A MIX OF SLEET...SNOW...AND SOME
RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN.

ROADS WERE ALREADY HAZARDOUS IN MANY MOUNTAIN AREAS...WITH MANY
ACCIDENTS REPORTED AROUND MORGANTON...NEWLAND AND BANNER
ELK...BUNCOMBE COUNTY. VEHICLES WERE REPORTED STRANDED AND ABANDONED
IN SOME AREAS. COUNTIES IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
MOUNTAINS REPORTED MAINLY RAIN AND SLEET...WITH SNOW AT THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.

IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...MAINLY SLEET AND
RAIN WAS REPORTED...WITH SNOW IN RABUN COUNTY GEORGIA.  ICING WILL
BEGIN FIRST ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES IN THESE AREAS.

THE LATEST FORECAST UPDATE ON SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE
ISSUED AROUND 1115 AM EST.

JONES

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-042030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
143 PM EST WED DEC 4 2002

...CONDITIONS ALREADY HAZARDOUS IN MANY AREAS...

SNOW HAS BEEN FALLING ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS SINCE
EARLY MORNING...AND HAS RESULTED IN ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM AN
INCH OR SO IN SOME VALLEYS...TO 3 TO 5 INCHES IN SOME LOCATIONS.
THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS REPORTED SO FAR BY SPOTTERS AND COUNTY
OFFICIALS WERE AROUND FLETCHER...LEICESTER...AND NEWLAND.
CONSIDERABLE ACCUMULATIONS WERE ALSO REPORTED AROUND
CASHIERS...HIGHLANDS...AND NANTAHALA.

SOME DEEP MOUNTAIN VALLEYS IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
MOUNTAINS...AND IN THE MOUNTAINS OF EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WERE
STILL REPORTING MAINLY RAIN...SOME OF WHICH WAS FREEZING.  SIMILAR
CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED IN THE GEORGIA PIEDMONT AND THE LOWER
PIEDMONT IN SOUTH CAROLINA...AROUND ELBERTON...ABBEVILLE...AND
GREENWOOD.

SNOW WAS FALLING ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT IN NORTH
CAROLINA...WHERE AN INCH WAS REPORTED.  IN FACT...SOME AREAS NEAR
THE MOUNTAINS HAD 2 TO 3 INCHES.  NUMEROUS AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS WERE
REPORTED...AND POLK COUNTY RECENTLY REPORTED THAT SOME ROADS WERE
CLOSED.

ALONG THE INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR IN UPSTATE SOUTH
CAROLINA...FREEZING RAIN WAS WIDESPREAD...WITH ACCUMULATIONS
BECOMING SIGNIFICANT ON TREES AND POWER LINES.  ICY BRIDGES WERE
REPORTED IN SOME COUNTIES.

JONES

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-042145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
259 PM EST WED DEC 4 2002

...MAJOR WINTER STORM AFFECTING THE AREA...

CONDITIONS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA WERE
GETTING WORSE RAPIDLY...BECAUSE OF ICING FROM FREEZING RAIN. DAMAGE
HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED IN GREENVILLE...ANDERSON...AND ABBEVILLE
COUNTIES.  THE WEIGHT OF ACCUMULATED ICE HAS CAUSED TREES AND POWER
LINES TO FALL.  WITH DAMAGE STARTING THIS EARLY...AND MUCH MORE
FREEZING RAIN TO FOLLOW...THIS COULD BECOME ONE OF THE WORST ICE
STORMS IN SEVERAL YEARS FOR THE AREA. IN ADDITION...ROADS AND
BRIDGES WILL BEGIN TO ICE UP MORE QUICKLY. HAZARDOUS DRIVING
CONDITIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA BORDER.

IN NORTH CAROLINA...MORE SNOW HAS BEEN REPORTED. SOME AREAS ALONG
THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS /LAKE LURE...JONAS RIDGE...OLD
FORT/ HAVE REPORTED 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ALREADY.  AREAS WELL
EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS HAVE HAD AN INCH OR SO...WITH SOME SLEET AND
FREEZING RAIN MIXED IN.

IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...THE PRECIPITATION WAS MAINLY
SNOW...WITH PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN MIXED IN.  ACCUMULATIONS VARY
WIDELY...FROM 3 TO 5 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...TO AN INCH OR
MORE IN THE VALLEYS.

JONES