Heavy Snow, Highland
- When
- February 16, 8:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Highland forecast zone
Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 16, 1996
S. coast to develop a classic nor'easter, which moved from northeast South Carolina to off the Virginia Capes during the day on the 16th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
- 14
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 LWX wrote it up.
A strong "Alberta Clipper", diving southeast from the upper midwest into the deep south, linked up with subtropical moisture lurking along the southeast U.S. coast to develop a classic nor'easter, which moved from northeast South Carolina to off the Virginia Capes during the day on the 16th. As the area of low pressure intensified, it wrapped Atlantic moisture well to the west, where modified arctic air was pouring in from southern Canada.The result was a thin band of heavy snow which extended from southwest Virginia through the upper eastern shore of Maryland. The heaviest snow fell from the immediate southern suburbs of Washington, DC, through the northern neck. In these areas, 7 to 10 inches fell. Over the central Shenandoah Valley and the western highlands, 4 to 7 inches fell.The snowfall toppled several seasonal records across the region. This storm brought winter of 1995/96 snow totals to generally 4 to 6 feet. The all-time record at Dulles International Airport (VAZ042) was shattered, as the seasonal total of 53.4 inches bested the previous record (set during the winter of 1966/67) by a whopping 9 inches, with still one full month of winter remaining.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Augusta
- When
- February 16, 9:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Augusta forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.109, -78.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Nelson
- When
- February 16, 9:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Nelson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.787, -78.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Albemarle
- When
- February 16, 9:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Albemarle forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Orange
- When
- February 16, 9:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Orange forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Fauquier
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Fauquier forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Loudoun
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Loudoun forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Culpeper
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
- Where
- Culpeper forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Prince William
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Prince William forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Fairfax
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfax forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Arlington
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Arlington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Stafford
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Stafford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.421, -77.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Spotsylvania
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Spotsylvania forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.244, -77.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, King George
- When
- February 16, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- King George forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.274, -77.156 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Alabama, February 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in Vermont, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Virginia, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Jersey, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Virginia, February 16 to 17, 1996
- High Wind in Florida, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Maryland, February 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 16 to 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, February 1996
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5541581, 5541582, 5541583, 5541584, 5541585, 5541586, 5541587, 5541588, 5541589, 5541590, 5541591, 5541592, 5541593, 5541594.