Ice Storm, Alexander
- When
- February 27, 2:00 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 27, 2003
A light freezing rain developed during the early morning hours across Alexander County, and by early afternoon, ice accumulation of around one quarter inch resulted in some fallen utility poles near Taylorsville. In Rowan County, fallen trees and power lines resulted in numerous power outages.
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 GSP wrote it up.
A light freezing rain developed during the early morning hours across Alexander County, and by early afternoon, ice accumulation of around one quarter inch resulted in some fallen utility poles near Taylorsville. In Rowan County, fallen trees and power lines resulted in numerous power outages.
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 27, 11:45 AM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 27, 11:45 AM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1145 AM EST THU FEB 27 2003 BUSY MORNING WITH BOTH ICING AND FLOODING CONCERNS. AS FOR THE ICE...HAVE CANCELLED THE ADVISORY ACROSS THE FRENCH BROAD VALLEY...THE SRN NC FOOTHILLS...THE UPSTATE AND UNION CO SC. WL DOWNGRADE THE WARNING TO AN ADVISORY OVER MCDOWELL CO. WL KEEP THE WARNING IN PLACE ELSEWHERE AS ICING IS STILL BEING REPORTED MOST AREAS N OF I-40. THUS FAR...ONLY DAVIE COUNTY HAS REALLY HAD ICE STORM TYPE OF CONDITIONS W/A THICK GLAZE OF ICE AND TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. HOWEVER...POCKETS OF DAMAGE ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE WARNING AREA AS RAIN IS STILL FALLING. AS WINDS INCREASE LATER TDA AS SFC LOW DEEPENS OFF THE COAST...EXPECT INCREASING REPORTS OF TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN THIS AREA. MORNING HAND ANALYSIS SHOWED STRONG H5 AND H3 UPPER DIFFLUENCE SPREADING INTO THE CWA FROM THE WEST (H5 WINDS AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE BETWEEN FFC AND BNA). THIS AS RESULTED IN STRENGTHENING LLVL FLOW AND DEEP OMEGA...AS IS EVIDENCED BY IMPRESSIVE UPGLIDE ON THE ETA I295 SFC THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING RIGHT ALONG THE I85 CORRIDOR. STRONG LLVL ASCENT HAS RESULTED IN A NICE FRONTAL RAINBAND ACROSS THE UPSTATE AND NE GA. FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED IN LAURENS COUNTY. SINCE THE ETA/S STRONGEST LLVL CONVERGENCE HAS NOT EVEN BEEN REALIZED YET...HAVE HOISTED FFA FOR THE UPSTATE NE GA...AND THE FAR SRN NC PIEDMONT...INCLUDING CHARLOTTE FOR THIS AFTN THROUGH MIDNIGHT. FCSTID = 14 GSP 35 36 53 35 / 100 40 10 10 AND 37 38 55 36 / 100 30 10 10 CLT 33 35 52 34 / 100 30 10 10 HKY 31 32 49 32 / 100 50 10 10 AVL 34 34 48 30 / 100 50 10 10 .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026...GAZ028>029. NC...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTN FOR ZONES NCZ034>037...NCZ055>057. FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ071...NCZ082. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN FOR ZONES NCZ033...NCZ049>050...NCZ054. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN FOR ZONES NCZ068>072. SC...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019. MCAVOY
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 27, 4:50 AM EST, 9 hours 10 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-271200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 450 AM EST THU FEB 27 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT WHERE 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE. THERE IS A CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN OVER THE NORTH AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...PLUS THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA FROM GREENVILLE TO YORK COUNTIES. ACCUMULATIONS IN THESE OTHER AREAS IS EXPECTED TO BE BELOW 1/4 INCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. RB
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Rowan
- When
- February 27, 2:00 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST
- Where
- Rowan forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.640, -80.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- 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
- Flash Flooding in South Carolina, February 27, 2003
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 27, 2003
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 27, 2003
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Maryland, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Delaware, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Arizona, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Arizona, February 27, 2003
- Winter Storm in New Mexico, February 27 to 28, 2003
- Winter Weather in Utah, February 27 to 28, 2003
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5344828, 5344829.