Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 5, 2004

Name: Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 5, 2004
Start: 2004-02-05T13:00
End: 2004-02-05T16:00
Location: North Carolina

February 5, 2004 · NWS GSP · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Light freezing rain developed during the afternoon across portions of the southern mountains. Light ice accretion occurred mainly on elevated surfaces, although a few slick spots developed on roads near Highlands and Cashiers.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 4

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.

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 5, 11:25 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 11:25 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 5, 6:48 AM EST, 6 hours 12 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
648 AM EST THU FEB 5 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-051308-
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-
648 AM EST THU FEB 5 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS THIS
MORNING AND SPREAD EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THE
MOUNTAIN PRECIPITATION MAY BEGIN AS FREEZING RAIN AND
SLEET...HOWEVER...BY AROUND NOON TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE ABOVE
FREEZING. SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON...REACHING 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. PLEASE SEE
THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CAESPSGSP...FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN TONIGHT AND WILL LIFT MOISTURE OVER THE
EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS ENHANCING RAINFALL. A COLD FRONT
WILL MOVE SLOWLY FROM THE TENNESSEE/NORTH CAROLINA BORDER FRIDAY
MORNING TO THE PIEDMONT FRIDAY EVENING. HEAVY RAIN AND EMBEDDED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...LEAVING 1 TO 3
INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN ITS WAKE. A FLOOD
WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA AND ADJACENT
FOOTHILLS...EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...AND THE NORTHERN UPSTATE FOR
TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING...CAEFFAGSP. SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD
PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO EAST OF INTERSTATE 85.
AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BRING COOL MOIST AIR
TO THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS WILL BEGIN
FRIDAY NIGHT AND WILL LINGER THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. PLEASE SEE THE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CAESPSGSP...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT WINDS...SEVER THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...AND SNOWFALL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

NED

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 5, 11:44 AM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Haywood

When: February 5, 1:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Haywood forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Macon

When: February 5, 1:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Macon forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.150, -83.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southern Jackson

When: February 5, 1:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.287, -83.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Transylvania

When: February 5, 1:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Transylvania forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.202, -82.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5388393, 5388394, 5388395, 5388396.