Virginia, 1997

Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, December 29 to 30, 1997

December 29 to 30, 1997 · NWS LWX · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

A fast-moving and rapidly deepening low pressure system raced from the South Carolina coast to east of New Jersey in eight hours. An area of moderate to occasionally heavy snow developed over western North Carolina and raced through western Virginia during the afternoon and early evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
18

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 fast-moving and rapidly deepening low pressure system raced from the South Carolina coast to east of New Jersey in eight hours. An area of moderate to occasionally heavy snow developed over western North Carolina and raced through western Virginia during the afternoon and early evening. Accumulations ranged from 4 to 8 inches between the Blue Ridge and the Shenandoah Mountain range; between 8 and 14 inches in Highland County. Higher elevations throughout western Virginia received generally between 10 and 16 inches of snow.Blowing and drifting snow on the 30th created some travel headaches, but problems were minimal since the storm occurred during a period of low traffic between the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Accidents were few and far between, due to a combination of advanced warning and event time (a Monday evening).East of the Blue Ridge, a mix of snow and sleet accumulated between 1 and 4 inches, with values increasing with elevation. Minor travel problems were noted through the morning of the 30th. In the interior suburbs of Washington, DC, accumulations were generally an inch or less.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm, 7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Highland

When
December 29, 6:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Highland forecast zone

Winter Weather, Albemarle

When
December 29, 7:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Albemarle forecast zone
Coordinates
38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Greene

When
December 29, 7:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Coordinates
38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Madison

When
December 29, 7:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Coordinates
38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Orange

When
December 29, 7:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Orange forecast zone
Coordinates
38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Fairfax

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Fairfax forecast zone
Coordinates
38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Augusta

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Augusta forecast zone
Coordinates
38.109, -78.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rockingham

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Rockingham forecast zone
Coordinates
38.481, -78.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shenandoah

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Shenandoah forecast zone
Coordinates
38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nelson

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Nelson forecast zone
Coordinates
37.787, -78.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Frederick

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Coordinates
39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Loudoun

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Loudoun forecast zone

Winter Weather, Prince William

When
December 29, 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Prince William forecast zone

Winter Storm, Page

When
December 29, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Page forecast zone
Coordinates
38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Warren

When
December 29, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Coordinates
38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rappahannock

When
December 29, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Rappahannock forecast zone
Coordinates
38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fauquier

When
December 29, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Fauquier forecast zone

Winter Storm, Clarke

When
December 29, 10:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Clarke forecast zone
Coordinates
39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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

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: 5625715, 5625726, 5625727, 5625728, 5625729, 5625212, 5625716, 5625717, 5625718, 5625719, 5625720, 5625730, 5625731, 5625721, 5625722, 5625723, 5625724, 5625725.