Ice Storm, Alleghany
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Alleghany forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.791, -80.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Virginia, January 15, 1998
Freezing rain and freezing drizzle on the 15th resulted in ice buildup on trees in excess of one quarter inch in portions of Patrick, Henry, Floyd, Pulaski, Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke, Botetourt, Alleghany, Campbell, and Pittsylvania Counties. The weight of the ice broke off tree limbs and knocked down power lines.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 RNK wrote it up.
Freezing rain and freezing drizzle on the 15th resulted in ice buildup on trees in excess of one quarter inch in portions of Patrick, Henry, Floyd, Pulaski, Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke, Botetourt, Alleghany, Campbell, and Pittsylvania Counties. The weight of the ice broke off tree limbs and knocked down power lines. In Martinsville, a large ice covered tree severely damaged a car when the tree fell on it.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Floyd
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Floyd forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.932, -80.362 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Giles
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Giles forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.314, -80.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Henry
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 36.689, -79.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Montgomery
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.174, -80.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Patrick
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Patrick forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.678, -80.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pulaski
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.098, -80.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Roanoke
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Roanoke forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.258, -80.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Botetourt
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Botetourt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.557, -79.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Campbell
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Campbell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.310, -79.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pittsylvania
- When
- January 15, 3:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.704, -79.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Utah, January 15 to 18, 1998
- Flooding in California, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Winter Storm in New York, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Winter Storm in New York, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 15 to 16, 1998
- Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, January 15, 1998
- Winter Storm in Oregon, January 15, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 15, 1998
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, January 1998
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: 5631139, 5631140, 5631141, 5631142, 5631143, 5631144, 5631145, 5631146, 5631147, 5631148, 5631149.