High Wind, Ashe
- When
- January 8, 1:30 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ashe forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 36.434, -81.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in North Carolina, January 8, 2003
High winds during the morning of the 8th downed trees and some power lines. A house near Sparta had shingles blown off the roof.
Where it happened
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.
- 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
- $2,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
High winds during the morning of the 8th downed trees and some power lines. A house near Sparta had shingles blown off the roof.
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 Jan 7, 9:55 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 9:55 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA 955 PM EST TUE JAN 7 2003 UPDATED ZONES FOR MINOR CHANGE IN WORDING WITH THE TEMPS. WINDS ARE PICKING UP. HIGH WIND WARNING AND ADV LOOKS ON TRACK. .RNK... NC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR ZONES NCZ001>003...NCZ018>019. VA...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR ZONES VAZ015>017...VAZ032>035. WIND ADVISORY FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR ZONES VAZ009>014...VAZ018>020...VAZ022>024. WV...NONE. JDS
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 7, 5:27 AM EST, 20 hours 3 minutes before
NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059- WVZ042>045-081100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 527 AM EST TUE JAN 7 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA... WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WBCNPWRNK FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Alleghany
- When
- January 8, 1:30 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Alleghany forecast zone
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph) estimated sustained
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 36.491, -81.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Watauga
- When
- January 8, 1:30 AM EST
- Where
- Watauga forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 36.231, -81.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in Utah, January 8, 2003
- High Wind in Virginia, January 8, 2003
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 8, 2003
- High Wind in Virginia, January 8 to 9, 2003
- High Wind and Strong Wind in West Virginia, January 8 to 9, 2003
- Winter Weather in New York, January 8 to 9, 2003
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 8, 2003
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Maryland, January 8 to 9, 2003
- Strong Wind in West Virginia, January 8, 2003
- Flooding in California, January 8, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 8, 2003
- Dense Fog in Colorado, January 8, 2003
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, January 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: 5339113, 5339114, 5339115.