High winds developed ahead of a cold front and blew down numerous trees and power lines across the mountains of extreme northeast Georgia.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
High winds developed ahead of a cold front and blew down numerous trees and power lines across the mountains of extreme northeast Georgia.
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 Oct 14, 2:51 PM EST, 2 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 351 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003 .DISCUSSION... COLD FRONT IS NEARING THE NORTH CAROLINA LINE AT THIS HOUR. PREFRONTAL CONVECTION MOVING INTO THE INTERIOR MOUNTAINS FROM THE TENNESSEE LINE...WITH A SECONDARY LINE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS. BREAKS IN THE OVERCAST CLOUD COVER BECAME MORE NUMEROUS THIS AFTERNOON...AND SOME LOCATIONS HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID 70S. MESOSCALE ANALYSIS DEPICTS CAPES 500 TO 1000 J/KG AND LIFTED INDICES JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW ZERO. VAD WIND PROFILE AND FORECAST SOUNDINGS STILL SHOW POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS TO BE BROUGHT DOWN TO THE SURFACE THIS EVENING WITH ANY CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS. MODELS STILL SUGGEST THE FRONT AND MAIN PRECIP BAND WILL BE TO THE EASTERN PARTS OF OUR FORECAST AREA BY 00Z...SO WE HAVE CHANCE POPS THIS EVENING IN THE WEST AND LIKELY POPS FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS FOR THE INTERSTATE 77 CORRIDOR. IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT AND STRONG FORCING PROVIDED BY POTENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS...WILL BE STRONG SUBSIDENCE PER 85H/70H Q-VECTORS COINCIDENT WITH 40 TO 50 KT JET CORE AT 85H. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW CORE OF 70 TO 90 KT WINDS NOT FAR ABOVE WHAT WOULD REPRESENT HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF OUR FORECAST AREA. THROWING IN COLD ADVECTION AND TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT...AND FACT THAT TREES STILL HAVE ABUNDANT LEAF COVER TO INCREASE SURFACE AREA...WE WILL BLANKET ALL OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AND THE NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS WITH A HIGH WIND WARNING. GUSTS TO OVER 60 MPH CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE FOOTHILL PART OF THE HIGH WIND WARNING WILL BE TO COVER THE RIDGETOPS NEAR 6000 FEET FROM JONAS RIDGE TO LITTLE SWITZERLAND...AND WE WILL TRY TO MAKE THAT CLEAR IN THE ACCOMPANYING STATEMENT. WILL ALSO INCLUDE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA MOUNTAINS...AND THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS PROGD ON BOTH ETA AND GFS TO HUG THE WESTERN FACING SLOPES IN THE FACE OF THE STIFF CORE OF UPSLOPE WINDS. CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED RESIDUAL SHOWER BUT WE HAVE ELIMINATED POPS BY MIDNIGHT FOR ALL LOCATIONS. MODELS HAVE WARMED MID LEVEL THICKNESSES SO DOES NOT APPEAR FLURRIES POSSIBLE NOW AS IN MODEL RUNS YESTERDAY. COLD ADVECTION CUTS OFF EARLY WEDNESDAY...THEN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. GRADIENT WEAKENS AND ALTHOUGH THE DAY SHOULD BE BREEZY...WE EXPECT WIND SPEEDS BELOW ADVISORY OR WARNING CRITERIA FOR THE DAYLIGHT HOURS. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS HIGH WESTERN FACING SLOPE AREAS BUT DOES DECREASE DURING THE DAY. MODELS BRING ANOTHER VORT INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION LATE IN THE AFTERNOON...SO WE BUMPED UP SKY COVER FOR THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT. BY WEDNESDAY EVENING...HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE REGION AND A GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING NIGHT APPEARS IN STORE. TEMPERATURES WILL TUMBLE TO BELOW FREEZING IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...AND COULD ALSO AFFECT VALLEY LOCATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA...AND WILL ADDRESS IN STATEMENT. WE WERE INITIALLY CONCERNED WITH FROST POTENTIAL FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...BUT WITH RATHER LARGE DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS...WE WILL LEAVE THAT OUT FOR NOW. WARM ADVECTION KICKS INTO GEAR THURSDAY IN PROGRESSIVE PATTERN...WITH RIDGE MOVING OFF THE COAST OVERNIGHT. MODELS CONTINUE A PROGRESSIVE PATTERN...WITH CLIPPER-TYPE SYSTEM POISED TO CROSS THE APPALACHIANS AS FRIDAY ENDS. WE WILL INTRODUCE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BURRUS FRI NGHT THROUGH TUE...IN THIS MORNING/S PREEPD HPC FAVORED THE GFS OVER MOST OF THE OTHER GLOBAL MODELS. THE 00 AND 12 UTC RUNS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT...LENDING CREDENCE TO THIS IDEA. IN PARTICULAR...THEY BOTH DEVELOP A STRONG...NEARLY CUT OFF LOW AT THE BASE OF THE TROF AS IT CROSSES THE CAROLINAS SAT. THE NEW RUN KEEPS DEFORMATION ZONE PCPN OVER THE CWA MOST OF THE DAY ON SAT. HOWEVER...MOST OFFICES IN THE CLUSTER GONE DRY DURING THE DAY. I WL INTRODUCE POPS ACROSS THE CWA FRI NGHT...BUT WL WAIT ANOTHER RUN BEFORE GOING INTO SAT. HAVE GONE A LITTLE UNDER ENSEMBLE MOS NUMBERS...AND QUITE A BIT BELOW HPC NUMBERS...SAT NGHT THROUGH MON. WOULD EXPECT GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING BOTH NIGHTS...WITH TEMPS FALLING INTO THE 30S MANY AREAS SAT NGHT AND POSSIBLY EVEN SUNDAY. TROF FLATTENS EARLY NEXT WEEK AS HGHTS BEGIN TO FALL THE WEST. THUS HAVE GONE A LITTLE WARMER AND INCREASED CLOUDS. MCAVOY && FCST ID = 44 .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GSP 46 73 42 72 / 20 00 00 00 AND 48 74 44 72 / 20 00 00 00 CLT 47 74 43 71 / 20 00 00 00 HKY 44 70 40 70 / 20 10 00 00 AVL 42 66 36 67 / 20 00 00 10 && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS. WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. NC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS. WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS. WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES PIEDMONT. SC...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS. WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. &&
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-141145- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 550 AM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT IN THE REST OF THE MOUNTAINS...AND THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-151000- FREEZE OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 412 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003 ...FREEZING TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS THURSDAY MORNING... HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO AROUND FREEZING IN MANY OF THE SHELTERED MOUNTAIN VALLEYS...AND INTO THE UPPER 20S AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THE COUNTIES OF AVERY... MITCHELL... YANCEY... MADISON... AND BUNCOMBE HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED A FREEZE. WIDESPREAD FREEZING TEMPERATURES HAVE NOT YET AFFECTED THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AND A FREEZE WATCH OR WARNING MAY NEED TO BE ISSUED FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL FREEZE EVENT. MCAVOY
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, October 2003
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: 5372326, 5372327.