Ice Storm, Alexander
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 9, 2005
As freezing rain began to taper off across the northern foothills during the pre-dawn hours, ice accretion became significant enough to cause scattered damage to trees and power lines across the area. A few power outages 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
- 2
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.
As freezing rain began to taper off across the northern foothills during the pre-dawn hours, ice accretion became significant enough to cause scattered damage to trees and power lines across the area. A few power outages occurred.
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 Dec 9, 3:15 AM EST, 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 9, 3:15 AM EST, 45 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 8, 5:59 AM EST, 22 hours 1 minute before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 559 AM EST THU DEC 8 2005 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082- SCZ001>014-019-091100- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-CALDWELL- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD- BUNCOMBE-MCDOWELL-BURKE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON- MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-POLK-RUTHERFORD- CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS- GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG- CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER- GREENWOOD- 559 AM EST THU DEC 8 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINTER PRECIPITATION WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS TODAY AND WILL REMAIN OVERNIGHT. THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD FALL AS RAIN. HOWEVER...MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AND AREAS ALONG AND JUST EAST OF THE ESCARPMENT FROM BREVARD TO NEWLAND MAY SEE ICE ACCUMULATIONS AROUND A HALF INCH. PORTIONS OF HENDERSON...MITCHELL...AND AVERY COUNTIES MAY SEE DAMAGING ICE ACCUMULATIONS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE THE ICE STORM WARNINGS AND FREEZING RAIN ADVISORIES /WSWGSP/. IN ADDITION...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS SHOULD DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND SHOULD REMAIN INTO FRIDAY MORNING. WIND SPEEDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH WIND GUST TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THE WEIGHT OF THE ICE IN COMBINATION WITH GUSTY WINDS WILL INCREASE THE CHANCES FOR POWER LINE AND TREE DAMAGE. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT /SPSGSP/ ADDRESSES THIS SITUATION IN GREATER DETAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SNOW SHOWERS MAY DEVELOP OVER THE TENNESSEE BORDER COUNTIES SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS OF WINTER WEATHER MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Dec 8, 10:41 PM EST, 5 hours 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1041 PM EST THU DEC 8 2005 NCZ033>037-048>050-053>057-065>070-SCZ003-006>008-090945- ALEXANDER-AVERY-BUNCOMBE-BURKE NC-CALDWELL-CATAWBA-CHEROKEE SC- CLEVELAND-DAVIE-GASTON-GREATER GREENVILLE-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS- HENDERSON-IREDELL-LINCOLN NC-MADISON NC-MCDOWELL-MITCHELL NC-POLK NC- ROWAN-RUTHERFORD-SPARTANBURG-YANCEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ASHEVILLE...GAFFNEY...GASTONIA... GREENVILLE...HENDERSONVILLE...HICKORY...LINCOLNTON...MARION... MOCKSVILLE...MORGANTON...NEWLAND...RUTHERFORDTON...SALISBURY... SHELBY...SPARTANBURG...SPRUCE PINE...STATESVILLE...TRYON 1041 PM EST THU DEC 8 2005 ...FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF WINTER WEATHER REPORTS FROM COUNTY COMMUNICATION CENTERS... IN NORTH CAROLINA... NORTHERN MOUNTAINS... SECONDARY ROADS ARE ICY IN AVERY COUNTY...WITH A FEW SLICK SPOTS ON ROADS IN MITCHELL COUNTY. OTHERWISE...LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION IS OCCURRING ON TREES AND OTHER ELEVATED SURFACES. NORTHERN FOOTHILLS... SECONDARY ROADS ARE BECOMING ICY...MAINLY IN CALDWELL AND ALEXANDER COUNTIES. OTHERWISE...LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS CONTINUE ON ELEVATED SURFACES. CENTRAL/SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS/SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS... A FEW SLICK SPOTS ARE BEING REPORTED ON HENDERSON AND RUTHERFORD COUNTY ROADS. OTHERWISE...LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION IS OCCURRING ON ELEVATED SURFACES IN HENDERSON AND BUNCOMBE COUNTIES... AND IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF MADISON COUNTY. BUNCOMBE COUNTY REPORTS ONE TREE DOWN. WESTERN PIEDMONT... SOME LIGHT ICE HAS ACCUMULATED ON ELEVATED SURFACES IN NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTY. OTHERWISE...PRECIPITATION HAS MAINLY FALLEN AS RAIN. IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA... SOME LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION HAS OCCURRED ON ELEVATED SURFACES NORTH OF I-85...MAINLY IN AREAS FROM GREENVILLE TO GAFFNEY. LANE
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, McDowell
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- McDowell forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
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
- Flood and High Wind in Massachusetts, December 9, 2005
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Rhode Island, December 9, 2005
- Winter Weather in Vermont, December 9, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 9, 2005
- Winter Weather in New York, December 9, 2005
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 9, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 9, 2005
- Winter Storm in Vermont, December 9, 2005
- Winter Storm in Vermont, December 9, 2005
- Winter Weather in Virginia, December 9, 2005
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, December 9, 2005
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 9, 2005
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, December 2005
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: 5488649, 5488650.