Winter Weather in Georgia, March 3, 2016

Name: Winter Weather in Georgia, March 3, 2016
Start: 2016-03-03T14:00
End: 2016-03-03T20:00
Location: Georgia

March 3, 2016 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A fast-moving area of low pressure brought a quick burst of snow to the Georgia mountains during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. 5 inch to up to 3 inches in the high elevations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 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.

A fast-moving area of low pressure brought a quick burst of snow to the Georgia mountains during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. Snow was moderate at times and total accumulations ranged from 0.5 inch to up to 3 inches in the high elevations. Since temperatures warmed as high as the 40s prior to the snow developing, roads were not significantly impacted by the snowfall.

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 Mar 3, 12:58 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 12:58 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1258 PM EST THU MAR 3 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...WHILE A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CROSSES THE GULF STATES.
THE LOW MOVES SOUTH OF OUR AREA TONIGHT...THEN OFF THE EAST COAST ON
FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD CROSS THE AREA ON MONDAY...BEFORE A
WEAK COLD FRONT ARRIVES ON SUNDAY. HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWS EARLY NEXT
WEEK.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
AS OF 1255 PM EST...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS THE APPROACHING UPPER
WAVE SHARPENING UP OVER THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY AND WESTERN TN EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON. MOISTURE AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE IS ARRIVING IN THE SW
PART OF THE CWFA...BUT THE BETTER RATES APPEAR TO DEVELOPING FARTHER
S ACROSS N/CENTRAL GA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS COULD LEAVE MUCH OF THE
COLDER PARTS OF THE MOUNTAINS A BIT MOISTURE STARVED THROUGH THE
EVENING. HOWEVER...THE ADVISORY ACCUMULATIONS APPEAR ON TRACK AND
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAIN SECTION COULD NEED TO BE EXTENDED DOWN IN THE
LOWER VALLEYS.

THE SURFACE LOW AHEAD OF THE WAVE WILL TRANSITION QUICKLY TO THE
SOUTHEAST COAST OVERNGHT AND PRECIPITATION WILL END FROM WEST TO
EAST...OUTSIDE OF MTN UPSLOPE AREAS...DURING THE EARLY MORNINGS
HOURS. THE MAIN CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME BANDING OVER
THE NC PIEDMONT AS THE LOW DEEPENS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS FROM 06Z
TO 12Z FRIDAY. IT APPEARS AS IF THIS WILL HAPPEN FAR ENOUGH EAST TO
NOT THREATEN THE I-77 CORRIDOR...BUT THIS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED.

&&

.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
AT 230 AM THURSDAY...ON FRIDAY MORNING AN UPPER TROUGH WILL BE OVER
THE EASTERN CONUS...AND A RIDGE WILL BE OVER THE WEST. A SIGNIFICANT
SHORTWAVE WILL BE MOVING OFF THE CAROLINA COAST ON FRIDAY MORNING.
BY LATE SATURDAY THE TROUGH PROGRESSES THE THE EASTERN SEABOARD...
WHILE THE RIDGE UPSTREAM MOVES OVER THE PLAINS. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE
WILL CROSS THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS ON SATURDAY EVENING.

AT THE SURFACE...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL DEPARTS TO THE EAST IN
FRIDAY AS A DEEP SURFACE LOW MOVES UP THE EAST COAST...ENDING
PRECIPITATION EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS. UNTIL IT DOES SO...LIGHT
PRECIPITATION WILL PERSIST...WITH SNOW POSSIBLE IN NORTHERN PORTIONS
OF THE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. A
COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST ON SATURDAY...BUT MODEL
SOUNDINGS ARE NOT OVERLY SUPPORTIVE OF PRECIPITATION WITH THIS
FEATURE. IF THIS FEATURE CAN PRODUCE PRECIPITATION...IT WOUDL
CHIEFLY BE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...AND COULD CHANGE OVER TO SNOW
SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT AMOUNTS WOULD BE MINIMAL. ANOTHER HIGH PRESSURE
SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE WEST ON SATURDAY NIGHT. MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURES WILL RUN SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL...WITH MINIMUMS NEAR
NORMAL.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
AT 230 AM THURSDAY...ON SUNDAY AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BE OVER THE
PLAINS AND MS RIVER VALLEY...WHILE AN UPPER RIDGE MOVES OFF THE EAST
COAST. A SHORTWAVE WILL BE DEPARTING THE CAROLINA COAST ON SUNDAY.
BY MONDAY THE RIDGE WILL PROGRESS TO THE EASTERN USA...WHILE ANOTHER
TROUGH REACHES THE WEST COAST. SHORTWAVE ENERGY WILL MOVE OVER THE
RIDGE WELL TO OUR NORTH ON MONDAY....WITH ONLY WEEK SHORTWAVE ENERGY
CROSSING THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS ON TUESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY THE
UPPER RIDGE AMPLIFIES ALONG THE EAST COAST....WHILE THE TROUGH
AMPLIFIES FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS TO CENTRAL MEXICO. SHORTWAVE
ENERGY MOVING AROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH WILL AGAIN BE DIRECTED
WELL NORTH OF OUR AREA.

AT THE SURFACE...DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA ON
SUNDAY AND MONDAY. BY TUESDAY THIS FEATURE MOVES OFF THE EAST
COAST...WHILE MOIST GULF INFLOW MOVES UP THE MS RIVER VALLEY. SOME
MODEST ATLANTIC MOISTURE MAY REACH THE SOUTHER APPALACHIANS ON
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...SUPPORTING LIGHT PRECIPITATION. TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL...AS HEIGHTS RISE ALOFT.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AT KCLT...ANTICIPATE THICKENING AND LOWER HIGH CLOUDS AHEAD OF THE
APPROACHING SHORTWAVE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH LOWER VFR CIGS AT THE
ONSET OF RAIN CIRCA 21Z...THEM MVFR AND IFR CIGS THROUGH LATE
EVENING AND EARLY OVERNIGHT BEFORE PRECIP ENDS. THE SURFACE WARM
LAYER APPEARS DEEP ENOUGH TO PERMIT ALL LIQUID AT THIS POINT.
ANTICIPATE LATE NIGHT LIFTING/SCATTERING OF CIGS ON N THEN NW FLOW
BEHIND THE WAVE.

ELSEWHERE...PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD INTO THE REGION FROM THE
SW...WITH KAND TO KAVL AFFECT BY LIGHT RAIN FIRST...SPREADING INTO
KGSP TO KHKY AREAS THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. PROFILES APPEAR WARM
ENOUGH TO SUPPORT MAINLY RAIN THROUGHOUT...BUT WITH A MIX TO SNOW
DEVELOPING AT KAVL FIRST AND POSSIBLY AFFECT KHKY OVERNIGHT.
ANTICIPATE LOWER VFR CIGS BECOMING MVFR THROUGH MID EVENING AND THEN
IFR LATE EVENING THROUGH EARLY OVERNIGHT. SOME LIFTING/SCATTERING IS
LIKELY ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS LATER TONIGHT BEHIND THE WAVE...BUT WITH
CONTINUED MOISTURE ON NW FLOW AT KAVL. LOW END GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE
MAINLY AT KAVL FROM TIME TO TIME.

OUTLOOK...DRYING RETURNS ON FRIDAY AND LASTS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.

CONFIDENCE TABLE...

            18-24Z        00-06Z        06-12Z        12-18Z
KCLT       HIGH 100%     MED   74%     MED   76%     HIGH  96%
KGSP       HIGH  99%     MED   79%     HIGH  83%     HIGH 100%
KAVL       HIGH  91%     HIGH  93%     HIGH  82%     HIGH  93%
KHKY       HIGH 100%     MED   75%     MED   73%     HIGH  96%
KGMU       HIGH  96%     MED   73%     HIGH  84%     HIGH 100%
KAND       HIGH  88%     MED   65%     MED   75%     HIGH  95%

THE PERCENTAGE REFLECTS THE NUMBER OF GUIDANCE MEMBERS AGREEING
WITH THE SCHEDULE TAF ISSUANCE FLIGHT RULE CATEGORY.  COMPLET HOURLY
EXPERIMENTAL AVIATION FORECAST CONSISTENCY TABLES AND ENSEMBLE FORECASTS
ARE AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LINK:

WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GSP/AVIATION

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 AM EST
     FRIDAY FOR NCZ033-048>050-052-059.
SC...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...JAT
NEAR TERM...HG
SHORT TERM...JAT
LONG TERM...JAT
AVIATION...HG

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 3, 3:45 AM EST, 10 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
345 AM EST THU MAR 3 2016

NCZ051-053-058-062>065-501-503-505-040845-
SWAIN-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-
CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-BURKE MOUNTAINS-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-
345 AM EST THU MAR 3 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SNOW AND OR A RAIN SNOW MIX IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY
MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

..FRIDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SATURDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SUNDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..MONDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..TUESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

NCZ033-048>050-052-059-040845-
AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-HAYWOOD-NORTHERN JACKSON-
345 AM EST THU MAR 3 2016

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 AM EST FRIDAY ABOVE 3500 FEET...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

..FRIDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SATURDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SUNDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..MONDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..TUESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-502-504-
506>510-SCZ001>014-019-040845-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-
DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-
UNION-GREATER CALDWELL-GREATER BURKE-EASTERN MCDOWELL-
RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-GREATER RUTHERFORD-POLK MOUNTAINS-EASTERN POLK-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-
GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-
CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
345 AM EST THU MAR 3 2016

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

..FRIDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SATURDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SUNDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..MONDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..TUESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Rabun

When: March 3, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Rabun forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 34.882, -83.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Habersham

When: March 3, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Habersham forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 34.631, -83.531 (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 Georgia in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, March 2016

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: 621395, 621396.