Virginia, 1996

Winter Storm in Virginia, February 16 to 17, 1996

February 16 to 17, 1996 · NWS AKQ · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

A STORM TRACKED NORTHEAST FROM WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA THURSDAY NIGHT TO OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST FRIDAY MORNING, THEN MOVED NORTH TO OFF THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST BY FRIDAY NIGHT.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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 AKQ wrote it up.

A STORM TRACKED NORTHEAST FROM WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA THURSDAY NIGHT TO OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST FRIDAY MORNING, THEN MOVED NORTH TO OFF THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST BY FRIDAY NIGHT. IT SPREAD HEAVY SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF VIRGINIA FROM THE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Mecklenburg

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Mecklenburg forecast zone
Coordinates
36.680, -78.363 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lunenburg

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Lunenburg forecast zone
Coordinates
36.946, -78.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northumberland

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Northumberland forecast zone
Coordinates
37.882, -76.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lancaster

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Lancaster forecast zone
Coordinates
37.702, -76.420 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brunswick

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Brunswick forecast zone
Coordinates
36.765, -77.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dinwiddie

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Dinwiddie forecast zone
Coordinates
37.076, -77.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Prince George

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Prince George forecast zone
Coordinates
37.240, -77.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Charles City

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Charles City forecast zone
Coordinates
37.354, -77.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, New Kent

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
New Kent forecast zone
Coordinates
37.505, -76.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gloucester

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Gloucester forecast zone
Coordinates
37.401, -76.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Middlesex

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Middlesex forecast zone
Coordinates
37.597, -76.578 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mathews

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Mathews forecast zone
Coordinates
37.417, -76.271 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greensville

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Greensville forecast zone
Coordinates
36.681, -77.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sussex

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
36.922, -77.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Surry

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Surry forecast zone
Coordinates
37.117, -76.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, James City

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
James City forecast zone
Coordinates
37.292, -76.740 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, York

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
York forecast zone

Winter Storm, Southampton

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Southampton forecast zone
Coordinates
36.699, -77.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Isle of Wight

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Isle of Wight forecast zone

Winter Storm, Newport News

When
February 16, 3:00 AM EST to February 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Newport News forecast zone

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5582305, 5582306, 5582307, 5582308, 5582309, 5582310, 5582311, 5582312, 5582313, 5582314, 5582315, 5582316, 5582317, 5582318, 5582319, 5582320, 5582321, 5582322, 5582323, 5582324.