Heavy Snow in Virginia, January 27 to 28, 1998

Name: Heavy Snow in Virginia, January 27 to 28, 1998
Start: 1998-01-27T09:30
End: 1998-01-28T08:30
Location: Virginia

January 27 to 28, 1998 · NWS RNK · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Heavy wet snow developed during the morning hours on the 27th and continued until the morning hours on the 28th. The snow mixed with sleet and rain at times during the evening hours on the 27th.

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: 6

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.

Heavy wet snow developed during the morning hours on the 27th and continued until the morning hours on the 28th. The snow mixed with sleet and rain at times during the evening hours on the 27th. Snowfall amounts were mainly from 8 to 20 inches with maximum snow depths mainly from 4 to 12 inches. The heavy wet snow closed schools, businesses, and church services and stranded people in homes and vehicles. There were numerous traffic accidents, some with injuries indirectly attributed to the storm. The weight of the snow knocked down utility lines, trees, and tree limbs, resulting in thousands of people without power.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Alleghany

When: January 27, 9:30 AM EST to January 28, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Alleghany forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.791, -80.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bath

When: January 27, 9:30 AM EST to January 28, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Bath forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.059, -79.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Botetourt

When: January 27, 9:30 AM EST to January 28, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Botetourt forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.557, -79.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Craig

When: January 27, 9:30 AM EST to January 28, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Craig forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.481, -80.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Roanoke

When: January 27, 9:30 AM EST to January 28, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Roanoke forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.258, -80.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Rockbridge

When: January 27, 9:30 AM EST to January 28, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Rockbridge forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.774, -79.418 (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

Every storm in Virginia in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5630980, 5630981, 5630982, 5630983, 5630984, 5630985.