Winter Storm, Elbert
- When
- February 26, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Elbert forecast zone
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.117, -82.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Georgia, February 26, 2004
Precipitation intensified and transitioned to a sleet/snow mixture during the late morning hours across portions of northeast Georgia. By noon, accumulations of 3 to 5 inches had occurred.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
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.
Precipitation intensified and transitioned to a sleet/snow mixture during the late morning hours across portions of northeast Georgia. By noon, accumulations of 3 to 5 inches had occurred. Roads were slick and hazardous for a while, but most of the sleet and snow melted during the afternoon.
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 26, 5:52 AM EST, 8 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 5:52 AM EST, 8 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
552 AM EST THU FEB 26 2004
.DISCUSSION...
WINTER WEATHER EVENT HAS BEGUN ACROSS THE AREA. SLEET/SNOW OCCURRING
IN SC/GA AND PORTIONS OF THE NC MTNS...WHILE DRY AIR OVER THE CLT
METRO AREA NORTH INTO THE FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT IS PREVENTING THE
PRECIP FROM REACHING THE GROUND. EXPECT THE ATMOS TO MOISTEN AND
COOL AS PRECIPITATION CONTINUES TO SPREAD NORTH.
MDLS COMING INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT REGARDING THE NEXT 24 HRS. AS
UPPER LOW MOVES EAST...AREA OF STRONG H5 DIFFLUENCE MOVES OVER THE
AREA. THIS DIFFLUENCE REMAINS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA AS THE LOW ONLY
SLOWLY MOVES EAST. TRACK OF THE H7 LOW PUTS THE AXIS OF
FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING...AND RESULTING DEFORMATION ZONE...ACROSS
THE CWFA DURING THE AFTERNOON.
THE LOW LEVELS RESPOND WITH STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT AND ELY UPSLOPE
ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. EVAPORATIVE COOLING EARLY...THEN
DYNAMICAL COOLING TAKES OVER. RESULT IS PROLONGED PERIOD OF SNOW
ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. THICKNESSES AND FCST SOUNDINGS SHOW A WARM
NOSE DEVELOPING ALONG THE SRN TIER THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER THIS NOSE
BARELY GOES ABOVE ZERO. THIS INDICATES SLEET MIXING IN WHICH COULD
UNDERCUT SNOW TOTALS...BUT STILL CREATES WARNING CONDITIONS.
HAVE BUMPED UP SNOW TOTALS ACROSS I-4O CORRIDOR...FOOTHILLS AND SRN
MTNS OF NC WHERE UPSLOPE AND DEFORMATION ZONE WILL ENHANCE HEAVY
SNOW. ALSO THESE AREAS LEAST LIKELY TO SEE SLEET. TOTALS FOR THE CLT
METRO AREA AND SOUTH WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON SLEET MIX. HOWEVER
4 TO 6 NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. 3 TO 6 ACROSS NRN UPSTATE. ADDED
UNION SC TO WARNING...BUT LEFT REMAINDER OF ADV AREA THE SAME. THESE
AREAS COULD BE UPGRADED TO A WARNING LATER IF IT LOOKS LIKE MORE
SLEET THAN SNOW WOULD FALL.
SNOW QUICKLY TAPERS OFF AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. BUT SOME SCT SNOW
COULD LINGER EARLY FRI.
HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF THE COAST SUNDAY AND RETURN FLOW SHOULD KEEP
TEMPS ABOVE NORMAL FOR MONDAY. STRONG LOW MOVES INTO THE GREAT LAKES
REGION MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS WARM UPPER RIDGE EXITS EAST COAST.
ATTENDANT COLD FRONT CROSSES THE CAROLINAS MONDAY EVENING...HOWEVER
THICKNESS VALUES IN WEAK CANADIAN AIRMASS LOOK TO MODIFY AS THEY MIX
INTO THE SOUTHEAST.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GSP 36 30 37 27 / 99 90 30 10
AND 36 30 38 28 / 99 70 20 10
CLT 36 30 37 26 / 99 99 40 10
HKY 36 29 37 25 / 99 99 40 10
AVL 35 27 36 23 / 99 80 30 10
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR
GAZ010-017-018-026-028.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR GAZ029.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR
NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082.
SC...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SCZ001>010-013-014.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SCZ011-012-019.
&&
RWHHazardous weather outlook, Feb 26, 5:55 AM EST, 5 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 555 AM EST THU FEB 26 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-261300- ABBEVILLE SC-ALEXANDER NC-ANDERSON SC-AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-BURKE NC- CABARRUS NC-CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER SC- CLEVELAND NC-DAVIE NC-ELBERT GA-FRANKLIN GA-GASTON NC-GRAHAM NC- GREATER GREENVILLE SC-GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-GREENWOOD SC-HABERSHAM GA-HART GA-HAYWOOD NC- HENDERSON NC-IREDELL NC-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC- MCDOWELL NC-MECKLENBURG NC-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-POLK NC-RABUN GA-ROWAN NC- RUTHERFORD NC-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA- SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-UNION SC-UNION NC-YANCEY NC-YORK SC- 555 AM EST THU FEB 26 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR MOST OF THE AREA. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ELBERT THROUGH LAURENS COUNTIES REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT. PLEASE SEE CAEWSWGSP FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. RWH
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Heavy Snow in South Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Georgia, February 26, 2004
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, February 26 to 29, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 26, 2004
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 26, 2004
More
Every storm in Georgia in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, February 2004
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: 5388181.