Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in North Carolina, December 4 to 5, 2002

Name: Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in North Carolina, December 4 to 5, 2002
Start: 2002-12-04T14:00
End: 2002-12-05T08:00
Location: North Carolina

December 4 to 5, 2002 · NWS GSP · 19 events in 11 counties and zones

Snow began during the early afternoon across the North Carolina foothills and northwest piedmont, and had accumulated to 3 to 5 inches by late evening. A transition to sleet and then freezing rain occurred during the late evening, and ice accumulated to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: $100 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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.

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 Dec 4, 11:06 AM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 4, 11:06 AM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes before

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

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 4, 6:17 AM EST, 7 hours 43 minutes before

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 4, 10:57 AM EST, 3 hours 3 minutes before

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

Special weather statement, Dec 4, 1:43 PM EST, 17 minutes before

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

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 ice storm, 8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Caldwell

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Caldwell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Heavy Snow, Alexander

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Iredell

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Iredell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.807, -80.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Davie

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Davie forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.929, -80.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Burke

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Burke forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Heavy Snow, Catawba

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Catawba forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Rowan

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Rowan forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.640, -80.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McDowell

When: December 4, 2:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: McDowell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Caldwell

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Caldwell forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Alexander

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Property damage: $8.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Iredell

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Iredell forecast zone
Property damage: $10 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.807, -80.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Davie

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Davie forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.929, -80.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Burke

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Burke forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Catawba

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Catawba forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Rowan

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Rowan forecast zone
Property damage: $10 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.640, -80.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Polk

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Rutherford

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Rutherford forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Lincoln

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.486, -81.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, McDowell

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: McDowell forecast zone
Property damage: $9.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, December 2002

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: 5326399, 5326400, 5326401, 5326402, 5326403, 5326404, 5326405, 5326406, 5326407, 5326408, 5326409, 5326410, 5326411, 5326412, 5326413, 5326414, 5326415, 5326416, 5326417.