12 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 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 Raleigh, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 10:00 AM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1000 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 UPDATE TO HEADLINE THE TORNADO WATCH AND TWEAK THIS AFTERNOONS WORDING. REMAINDER UNCHANGED. .RAH...TORNADO WATCH FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH 400 PM. MLM
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-221220- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 523 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TODAY...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .HAZARDOUS WEATHER DETAILS... WIDESPREAD SHOWERS ALONG WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TODAY...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE IS A RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE GREATEST OVER THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS WHERE THERE IS A MODERATE RISK...ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM ALBEMARLE...CARTHAGE...SANFORD...LILLINGTON...TO SMITHFIELD TO ROCKY MOUNT WILSON. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THESE WINDS MAY GUSTS AS HIGH AS 55 TO 65 MPH...DOWNING TREE LIMBS AND POWERLINES AND POSSIBLY SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE. ADDITIONALLY SOME OF THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY LEAD TO SOME LOCALIZED AND URBAN FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TODAY...POSSIBLY STARTING AS EARLY 11 AM IN THE TRIAD REGION. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT THREATENING WEATHER OF ANY KIND TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. RA
NCZ021-022-038-221700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1027 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM... ...VERY HEAVY SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING LATE THIS MORNING IN THE TRIAD AREA... THUNDERSTORMS AND VERY HEAVY SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 85 THROUGH NOON. THIS INCLUDES THE TRIAD AREA. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING THE PAST HOUR SOUTHWEST OF HIGH POINT IN THE THOMASVILLE AND LEXINGTON AREAS. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL RANGE UP TO AN INCH PER HOUR THROUGH NOON TODAY. FLOODING WILL THUS BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS... INCLUDING WINSTON SALEM...GREENSBORO...HIGH POINT... THOMASVILLE AND LEXINGTON. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.
NCZ007>010-022>026-038>042-073>077-083>086-088-221715- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1100 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM... AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT 30 MPH AND AFFECT ASHEBORO...ANSONVILLE...WINSTON SALEM...GREENSBORO... PITTSBORO...SEAGROVE...AND ROXBORO BY NOON. WINDS GUSTS OF TO 40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. VERY HEAVY SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN THE TRIAD AREA AS WELL AS ACROSS FORSYTH AND DAVIDSON COUNTIES. SEVERAL INCHES OF WATER ARE ALREADY BEING REPORTED ON ROADS ACROSS THE AREA. FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS... INCLUDING WINSTON SALEM...GREENSBORO...HIGH POINT... THOMASVILLE AND LEXINGTON. JO
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 160 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:06 UTC.
12 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down, and a barn was damaged near New London.
Trees were blown down.
Extensive damage was reported near the intersection of U.S. 64 and N.C. 42 in Asheboro. 73 homes and 16 buisnesses sustained damage. Several buildings had roofs blown back, a steeple was blown off a church, and mobile homes were overturned.
Highway 64 was flooded near Lexington.
Residences were flooded.
Trees were blown down south of highway 49.
Trees were blown down along highway 87.
Trees were blown down
Several roads were flooded in western portions of the county.
Numerous trees were blown down, some blocking roads.
Trees were blown down.
Trees were blown down.
Trees were blown down.
Large trees were blown down across a road near the Franklin County line.
Trees were blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 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: 5340775, 5340776, 5340777, 5340787, 5340788, 5340778, 5340780, 5340779, 5340789, 5340781, 5340782, 5340783, 5340784, 5340785, 5340786.