Winter Storm, Watauga
- When
- December 18, 7:30 AM EST to December 20, 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Watauga forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.231, -81.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in North Carolina, December 18 to 20, 2003
Snow developed during the morning of the 18th and continued into the morning of the 20th. Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches occurred with local amounts up to 20 inches.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 RNK wrote it up.
Snow developed during the morning of the 18th and continued into the morning of the 20th. Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches occurred with local amounts up to 20 inches.
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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 6:00 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 6:00 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 18, 6:19 AM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 619 AM EST THU DEC 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA... WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT... HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/RNK(LOWER CASE). NCZ001-018-VAZ015-191100- ASHE NC-GRAYSON VA-WATAUGA NC- 619 AM EST THU DEC 18 2003 .DAY ONE... A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON FRIDAY FOR 3 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW. SNOW WILL DEVELOP TODAY AND CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY WITH THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 3500 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS PLEASE PHONE IN YOUR SNOWFALL REPORTS. VAZ007-WVZ042-043-045-191100- GREENBRIER WV-MERCER WV-SUMMERS WV-TAZEWELL VA- 619 AM EST THU DEC 18 2003 .DAY ONE... A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON FRIDAY FOR 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS MAY FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF LEWISBURG FROM FLAT TOP TO QUINWOOD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS PLEASE PHONE IN YOUR SNOWFALL REPORTS. NCZ002-VAZ009>012-019-020-WVZ044-191100- ALLEGHANY VA-ALLEGHANY NC-BATH VA-BLAND VA-GILES VA-MONROE WV- SMYTH VA-WYTHE VA- 619 AM EST THU DEC 18 2003 .DAY ONE... A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON FRIDAY FOR 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW. THE HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 3000 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS PLEASE PHONE IN YOUR SNOWFALL REPORTS. NCZ003>006-019-020-VAZ013-014-016>018-022>024-032>035-043>047-058- 059-191100- AMHERST VA-APPOMATTOX VA-BEDFORD VA-BOTETOURT VA-BUCKINGHAM VA- CAMPBELL VA-CARROLL VA-CASWELL NC-CHARLOTTE VA-CRAIG VA-FLOYD VA- FRANKLIN VA-HALIFAX VA-HENRY VA-MONTGOMERY VA-PATRICK VA- PITTSYLVANIA VA-PULASKI VA-ROANOKE VA-ROCKBRIDGE VA-ROCKINGHAM NC- STOKES NC-SURRY NC-WILKES NC-YADKIN NC- 619 AM EST THU DEC 18 2003 .DAY ONE... LIGHT SNOW MAY RESULT IN A DUSTING TO AS MUCH AS 2 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION BETWEEN NOON TODAY AND NOON FRIDAY. THE HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS PLEASE PHONE IN YOUR SNOWFALL REPORTS. 11
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Ashe
- When
- December 18, 8:00 AM EST to December 20, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Ashe forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.434, -81.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 18, 2003
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 18, 2003
- Winter Storm in Vermont, December 18, 2003
- Winter Storm in New York, December 18, 2003
- Winter Storm in Vermont, December 18, 2003
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 18, 2003
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, December 18 to 20, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, December 18 to 20, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, December 18 to 19, 2003
- High Wind in Maine, December 18, 2003
- High Wind in Maine, December 18, 2003
- Winter Weather in New York, December 18, 2003
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, December 2003
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5330800, 5330799.