Virginia, 1997

Winter Storm in Virginia, December 29 to 30, 1997

December 29 to 30, 1997 · NWS AKQ · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Low pressure tracked from the southeast United States to just off the North Carolina coast during Monday afternoon and night, December 29th. It spread 2 to 3 inches of snow across portions of the piedmont of central and southcentral Virginia.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
7

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.

Low pressure tracked from the southeast United States to just off the North Carolina coast during Monday afternoon and night, December 29th. It spread 2 to 3 inches of snow across portions of the piedmont of central and southcentral Virginia.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Cumberland

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Coordinates
37.512, -78.245 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fluvanna

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Fluvanna forecast zone
Coordinates
37.842, -78.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Goochland

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Goochland forecast zone
Coordinates
37.722, -77.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lunenburg

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Lunenburg forecast zone
Coordinates
36.946, -78.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mecklenburg

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Mecklenburg forecast zone
Coordinates
36.680, -78.363 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Louisa

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Louisa forecast zone

Winter Storm, Prince Edward

When
December 29, 12:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Prince Edward forecast zone
Coordinates
37.224, -78.441 (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.

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: 5625099, 5625100, 5625101, 5625102, 5625103, 5625104, 5625105.