North Carolina, 2003

Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 6 to 7, 2003

February 6 to 7, 2003 · NWS GSP · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A mixture of sleet and snow began at around sunset on the 6th across the northwest piedmont and northern foothills of North Carolina. The precipitation began to intensify during late evening, and by early morning on the 7th, total snow and sleet accumulations of 3 to 4 inches were common across the area.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 mixture of sleet and snow began at around sunset on the 6th across the northwest piedmont and northern foothills of North Carolina. The precipitation began to intensify during late evening, and by early morning on the 7th, total snow and sleet accumulations of 3 to 4 inches were common across the area.

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 6, 10:05 PM EST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 6, 10:05 PM EST, 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1005 PM EST THU FEB 6 2003

UPDATED WSW/ZFP ALREADY SENT. NO CHANGES TO GOING WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES...OUTSIDE OF SOME UPWARD TWEAKS IN TOTAL ACCUMS.
HAVE TRENDED ZFP WORDING AS PCPN WINDING DOWN DURING THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS AS DRY SLOT WORKS IN AND LLVL DOWNGLIDE DEVELOPS
FROM 06Z ONWARD. PLEASE REFER TO PNSGSP FOR LATEST WX CONDS AND
ACCUMS FROM SPOTTERS AND COUNTY COMMS.

FCSTID = 55
GSP   33  50  29  48 / 100  10   0   0
AND   34  50  29  48 / 100  10   0   0
CLT   33  50  27  47 / 100  10   0   0
HKY   30  47  27  43 / 100  10   0   0
AVL   29  41  20  40 / 100  10  10   0

.GSP...
GA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT GAZ010-017.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY NCZ033-048>052-058.
     WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TONIGHT NCZ034-053>055-059-062>065.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT NCZ035>037-056-057-066-067.
SC...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT SCZ001>003.
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 6, 5:00 AM EST, 18 hours before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-061200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
500 AM EST THU FEB 6 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH
CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WHERE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW ARE
EXPECTED. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF
NORTH CAROLINA...WHERE AN INCH OF SNOW IS EXPECTED...AND FREEZING
RAIN IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT. THE REST OF THE AREA CAN EXPECT SNOW MIXED
WITH RAIN TODAY...WITH LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION...CHANGING TO RAIN
TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FRIDAY FOR THE TENNESSEE
BORDER COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINAS FROM AVERY COUNTY TO GRAHAM
COUNTY...WHERE AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE. SCATTERED
SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

07

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Davie

When
February 6, 11:00 PM EST to February 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Davie forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.929, -80.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Caldwell

When
February 6, 11:00 PM EST to February 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Caldwell forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Alexander

When
February 6, 11:00 PM EST to February 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Alexander forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, McDowell

When
February 6, 11:00 PM EST to February 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where
McDowell forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Burke

When
February 6, 11:00 PM EST to February 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Burke forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

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

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: 5344795, 5344796, 5344797, 5344798, 5344799.