Ice Storm in Georgia, January 25 to 26, 2004

Name: Ice Storm in Georgia, January 25 to 26, 2004
Start: 2004-01-25T18:00
End: 2004-01-26T06:00
Location: Georgia

January 25 to 26, 2004 · NWS GSP · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Freezing rain developed across extreme northeast Georgia during the early evening and persisted for much of the overnight hours. The freezing rain mixed with sleet at times.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

Freezing rain developed across extreme northeast Georgia during the early evening and persisted for much of the overnight hours. The freezing rain mixed with sleet at times. By the morning of the 26th, up to 1/2 inch of ice and sleet had accumulated. Widespread power outages resulted, especially in Rabun County, where thousands were without power for several hours. Numerous injuries also occurred as a result of falls.

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 Jan 25, 4:40 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 25, 4:40 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
440 PM EST SUN JAN 25 2004

.DISCUSSION...
WL UPGRADE ALL OF NE GA TO A WINTER STORM WARNING. REPORTS OF TREES
DOWN AND POWER OUTAGES ARE STARTING TO COME IN. WITH HEAVY WARM
CONVEYOR BELT PCPN TO CONTINUE FOR A FEW MORE HOURS...AND
TEMPERATURES STILL FALLING...IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.
&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT
     GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT
     NCZ033>036-048>050-052>057-064>072-082.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NCZ059-062-063.
     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6PM MONDAY
     NCZ033>037-054>057-066>072-082.
SC...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON MONDAY
     SCZ001>010-012>014.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MONDAY SCZ011-019.
&&

MCAVOY

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 25, 6:13 AM EST, 11 hours 47 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
613 AM EST SUN JAN 25 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-251306-
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-
613 AM EST SUN JAN 25 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
PRECIPITATION WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST
GEORGIA THIS MORNING. A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH
THIS EVENING...WITH THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS
OF SLEET AND ICE ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. A
WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT FOR THE AREA TO
THE EAST AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM WAYNESVILLE TO BREVARD...
WESTMINSTER...ANDERSON...AND LAURENS. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR JACKON AND MACON COUNTIES IN NORTH
CAROLINA...RABUN...HABERSHAM...AND STEPHENS COUNTIES IN GEORGIA...AND
ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA.  FOR MORE
INFORMATION...SEE THE WSWGSP ISSUED AT 418 AM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

MOORE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Rabun

When: January 25, 6:00 PM EST to January 26, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Rabun forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.882, -83.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Habersham

When: January 25, 6:00 PM EST to January 26, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Habersham forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.631, -83.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Stephens

When: January 25, 6:00 PM EST to January 26, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Stephens forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.554, -83.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Franklin

When: January 25, 6:00 PM EST to January 26, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.375, -83.229 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Hart

When: January 25, 6:00 PM EST to January 26, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Hart forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.351, -82.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Elbert

When: January 25, 6:00 PM EST to January 26, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Elbert forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.117, -82.840 (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

Every storm in Georgia in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, January 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: 5383153, 5383154, 5383155, 5383156, 5383157, 5383158.