Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 15 to 16, 1998

Warm moist air overrunning shallow polar surface air produced a variety of winter weather, starting around daybreak on the 15th and continuing just after midnight on the 16th. Precipitation began as a mix of sleet and snow but quickly changed to rain and freezing rain across much of the state.The combination of quick action by Virginia Department of Transportation road crews, and the still above freezing subsoil temperatures, kept most main arteries and secondary roads free from accumulation. However, in the ice storm area, free standing structures such as trees, power poles/wires, and exposed bridges received between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of ice accretion. A small section of higher elevation areas along and just west of the Blue Ridge received the most icing. In these areas, spotty power outages were noted, and several large limbs and small trees snapped under the weight of the ice. In forested areas of the northern Shenandoah Valley, specifically between 500 and 1000 feet above sea level, hundreds of trees sustained limb damage. Portions of the following counties were hit hardest: western Loudoun (VAZ042), Clarke (VAZ031), northern Warren (VAZ030), northern Shenandoah (VAZ027), and Frederick (VAZ028). Other pockets of substantial ice accretion likely occurred in Page, eastern Rockingham, and eastern Augusta Cos (VAZ025>026; 029).Power outages were rather scattered. In Clarke and Frederick Cos (VAZ028-031), three transformers blew due to ice accretion; several lines fell from the combination of fallen tree limbs and the weight of the ice. An estimated 200 Allegheny Power customers lost electricity.In the winter weather area, mixed precipitation quickly changed to rain during the late morning and early afternoon hours, but not before causing a minor build up of ice, along with early morning light coatings on area roadways.