Extreme Cold in Georgia, December 23 to 24, 2022

Name: Extreme Cold in Georgia, December 23 to 24, 2022
Start: 2022-12-23T07:00
End: 2022-12-24T10:00
Location: Georgia

December 23 to 24, 2022 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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.

An arctic cold front swept across the northeast Georgia mountains during the morning of the 23rd and introduced the coldest air mass in more than 5 years. Valley temperatures in the single digits and lower teens combined with 10 to 20 mph winds to produce wind chill values in the 0 to -20 range throughout the 23rd and especially during the morning of Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, air temperatures around or below 0 across the high elevations resulted in wind chill values as low as -40 above 3500 feet. While winds abated throughout Christmas Eve into Christmas Day, the cold weather persisted, and even some valley locations saw air temperatures remained below freezing for the better part of four days. There were numerous reports of frozen and burst pipes along with mostly minor damage to infrastructure throughout the area.

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 23, 6:43 AM EST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 6:43 AM EST, 17 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 23, 4:24 AM EST, 2 hours 36 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ036-037-056-057-068>072-082-SCZ008>014-019-
104>109-240930-
Stephens-Franklin-Hart-Elbert-Iredell-Davie-Catawba-Rowan-Cleveland-
Lincoln-Gaston-Mecklenburg-Cabarrus-Union NC-Cherokee-York-Anderson-
Abbeville-Laurens-Union SC-Chester-Greenwood-Greater Oconee-
Greater Pickens-Central Greenville-Southern Greenville-
Northern Spartanburg-Southern Spartanburg-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 PM
EST SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, piedmont
North Carolina and upstate South 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.

   Wind Advisory.
   Wind Chill Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

NCZ051-052-058-059-062-063-240930-
Swain-Haywood-Graham-Northern Jackson-Macon-Southern Jackson-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST SATURDAY...
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING
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.

   Wind Chill Warning.
   Wind Advisory.
   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

NCZ033-049-050-053-240930-
Avery-Yancey-Mitchell-Buncombe-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST SATURDAY...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING
ABOVE 3500 FEET...
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM EST
SATURDAY...

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.

   High Wind Warning.
   Wind Chill Warning.
   Winter Weather Advisory.
   Wind Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

NCZ048-240930-
Madison-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST SATURDAY...
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM EST SATURDAY...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING
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.

   Wind Chill Warning.
   Wind Advisory.
   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

GAZ017-NCZ035-065-502-504-506>510-SCZ101>103-240930-
Habersham-Alexander-Henderson-Greater Caldwell-Greater Burke-
Eastern McDowell-Rutherford Mountains-Greater Rutherford-
Polk Mountains-Eastern Polk-Oconee Mountains-Pickens Mountains-
Greenville Mountains-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, piedmont
North Carolina, western North Carolina and upstate South 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.

   Wind Advisory.
   Wind Chill Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

NCZ501-503-505-240930-
Caldwell Mountains-Burke Mountains-McDowell Mountains-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST SATURDAY...
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM EST
SATURDAY...

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.

   High Wind Warning.
   Wind Chill Warning.
   Wind Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

GAZ010-NCZ064-240930-
Rabun-Transylvania-
424 AM EST Fri Dec 23 2022

...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST SATURDAY...
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia and 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.

   Wind Chill Warning.
   Wind Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 23, 4:08 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 23, 4:39 AM EST, 2 hours 21 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 23, 6:48 AM EST, 12 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

2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Rabun

When: December 23, 7:00 AM EST to December 24, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Rabun forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 34.882, -83.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Habersham

When: December 23, 7:00 AM EST to December 24, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Habersham forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 34.631, -83.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Georgia in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, December 2022

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: 1071101, 1071102.