Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Virginia, February 4 to 5, 1998

A powerful nor'easter, laden with deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, produced a prolonged period of mixed snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain across the northwest corner of Virginia. As had been the case with previous events, snow totals varied greatly with elevation. In most of the lower terrain, between 4 and 6 inches accumulated. Local high spots, such as Harrisonburg (VAZ026) and Waynesboro (VAZ025) received between 6 and 8 inches. Elevations above 2000 feet in the Shenandoah Mountains received between 8 and 16 inches of snow.One person perished from a heart attack while shoveling snow in Harrisonburg (VAZ026). The combination of heavy wet snow, and rain falling on top of it, caused a 50 by 80 foot area of roof to collapse at a food storage and distribution center in Lynnhurst (VAZ025). Considerable damage was sustained at a home in Waynesboro when a tree, weighed down by snow and ice, fell onto the roof causing a partial collapse. In Highland Co (VAZ021), 50 roads were closed due to blowing and drifting snow; some of the drifts were as high as 6 feet. The weight of the snow caused isolated power outages.The snow changed to a cold rain in lower elevations after noon on the 4th. The combination of wet snow, an old snow pack, and moderate rains produced local street flooding in Waynesboro and Staunton (VAZ025). There were scattered power outages as well - in Augusta Co (VAZ025), a reported 6000 customers were without power; 3000 were due to a failed substation in Dayton.Substantial ice accretion occurred at elevations above 2000 feet as surface temperatures remained just below freezing during moderate to heavy rains. The ice was 5 inches thick in some spots. The amount of ice accretion rivaled some of the fiercest storms in the past ten years, including those of the winter of 1993/94. Shenandoah National Park officials closed Skyline Drive for at least one week after the storm. In fact, park officials, employees, and volunteers spent the remainder of February clearing trees and debris. Damage was estimated to be $607 thousand in the Park alone. As of mid-April, there were still hundreds of trees to remove. Tens of thousands of trees and large limbs succumbed to the weight of the ice; the road itself was under at least 10 inches of ice and sleet. Power outages, though affecting relatively few customers in the high terrain, were widespread in those areas.Other problems were noted farther north, in Clarke, Frederick, and Loudoun Cos (VAZ028-031-042). In northwestern Loudoun Co, over one hundred trees needed to be removed from local roadways; school buses were delayed in the same areas. Between 150 and 175 customers were without power in higher terrain areas of northwest Loudoun Co. In Nelson Co (VAZ036), the Wintergreen ski and recreational resort area was closed on the 5th due to ice accretion.