West Virginia, 1997

Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 8, 1997

February 8, 1997 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A winter storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow across all of eastern West Virginia on the 8th. Highest totals were observed at locations above 2000 feet in the Potomac Highlands.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
8

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 winter storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow across all of eastern West Virginia on the 8th. Highest totals were observed at locations above 2000 feet in the Potomac Highlands. Antecedent warm weather, combined with air temperatures at or just above freezing during the event, allowed roads to remain generally wet. However, icy spots developed late that afternoon and evening as temperatures fell well below freezing. The snow, which clung to everything, was aesthetically pleasing. {However, the weight of the snow snapped numerous tree limbs and knocked others onto utility lines...wait for clips?} Otherwise, public impact was minimal since the storm occurred on a Saturday.The storm resulted from the interaction of the subtropical jet stream, which provided a strong energy impulse to aid in lifting relatively warm humid air, with the polar jet stream, which provided enough low-level cold air to maintain wet snow rather than rain.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Pendleton

When
February 8, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Pendleton forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Morgan

When
February 8, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Coordinates
39.560, -78.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Berkeley

When
February 8, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Berkeley forecast zone
Coordinates
39.464, -78.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When
February 8, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates
39.308, -77.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grant

When
February 8, 2:00 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Grant forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Hardy

When
February 8, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Hardy forecast zone
Coordinates
39.008, -78.858 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mineral

When
February 8, 3:00 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Mineral forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Hampshire

When
February 8, 3:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Hampshire forecast zone
Coordinates
39.317, -78.614 (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 West Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, February 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5591026, 5591027, 5591028, 5591029, 5591030, 5591031, 5591032, 5591033.