North Carolina, 2002

High Wind in North Carolina, February 4, 2002

February 4, 2002 · NWS GSP · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

High winds, mostly in the form of gusts rather than sustained winds, blew down a number of trees and some power lines during the afternoon and early evening. A number of brush fires were reported around the Charlotte metro area.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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.

High winds, mostly in the form of gusts rather than sustained winds, blew down a number of trees and some power lines during the afternoon and early evening. A number of brush fires were reported around the Charlotte metro area. Some trees blocked roads and some fell on structures. In Statesville, a limb fell on a power line, which in turn caused a house fire. In Cleveland, a sign was blown out of a fast food resteraunt. In Rowan, a roof was blown off of an abandoned mobile home.

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 4, 10:12 AM EST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 10:12 AM EST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
ISSUED BY NWS COLUMBIA SC
1012 AM EST MON FEB 4 2002

GOING FORECAST FOR SNOW SHWRS IN NRN TIER OF CWA LOOKS OK PER
CURRENT REPORTS OUT OF THAT AREA. WINDS BEGINNING TO PICK UP PER
REPORTS AS WELL. TEMPS FOR THIS AFTN MAY HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED UP
SLIGHTLY BASED ON CURRENT READINGS. ALTHOUGH STRONG CAA THIS AFTN
WILL KEEP TEMPS FROM RISING MUCH IF AT ALL. WILL LEAVE ALL CURRENT
WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES AS IS.

FCSTID = 04

.GSP...
GA...WIND ADVISORY FOR MONDAY FOR RABUN-HABERSHAM COUNTIES.
     WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES ALL OTHER ZONES.
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR MONDAY FOR ALL MOUNTAIN ZONES TODAY.
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR CALDWELL-BURKE-MCDOWELL-POLK AND
     RUTHERFORD COUNTIES.
     WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES ALL OTHER ZONES.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY AVERY-MADISON-MITCHELL-YANCEY.
SC...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR MOUNTAIN ZONES.
     WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES ALL OTHER ZONES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Caldwell

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Caldwell forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Alexander

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Alexander forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Iredell

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Iredell forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.807, -80.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Davie

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Davie forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.929, -80.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McDowell

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
McDowell forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Burke

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Burke forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Catawba

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Catawba forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rowan

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Rowan forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.640, -80.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Polk

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Rutherford

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Rutherford forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Cleveland

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Cleveland forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.334, -81.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lincoln

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.486, -81.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Gaston

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Gaston forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.294, -81.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mecklenburg

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Mecklenburg forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.247, -80.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Cabarrus

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Cabarrus forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.387, -80.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Union

When
February 4, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Union forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.988, -80.531 (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

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 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: 5283279, 5283280, 5283281, 5283282, 5283283, 5283284, 5283285, 5283286, 5283287, 5283288, 5283289, 5283290, 5283291, 5283292, 5283293, 5283294.