Virginia, 1997

Heavy Snow in Virginia, December 27, 1997

December 27, 1997 · NWS RNK · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

Moderate to occasionally heavy snow developed in southwestern Virginia during the early morning hours on the 27th and continued well into the evening hours. Snow accumulations were mostly from 4 to 7 inches.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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 RNK wrote it up.

Moderate to occasionally heavy snow developed in southwestern Virginia during the early morning hours on the 27th and continued well into the evening hours. Snow accumulations were mostly from 4 to 7 inches. Hazardous road conditions resulted in numerous traffic accidents.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Tazewell

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Tazewell forecast zone
Coordinates
37.125, -81.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alleghany / Clifton Forge / Covington

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Alleghany / Clifton Forge / Covington forecast zone
Coordinates
37.791, -80.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Amherst

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Amherst forecast zone
Coordinates
37.605, -79.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bath

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Bath forecast zone
Coordinates
38.059, -79.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bland

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Bland forecast zone
Coordinates
37.134, -81.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Craig

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Craig forecast zone
Coordinates
37.481, -80.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Floyd

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Floyd forecast zone
Coordinates
36.932, -80.362 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Giles

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Giles forecast zone
Coordinates
37.314, -80.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Montgomery

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Coordinates
37.174, -80.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Rockbridge / Buena Vista / Lexington

When
December 27, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Rockbridge / Buena Vista / Lexington forecast zone
Coordinates
37.774, -79.418 (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

More

Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, December 1997

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: 5626912, 5626913, 5626914, 5626915, 5626916, 5626917, 5626918, 5626919, 5626920, 5626921.