West Virginia, 1998

Ice Storm in West Virginia, December 23 to 24, 1998

December 23 to 24, 1998 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A quarter to a third of an inch of ice was common from freezing rain. 40 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 RLX wrote it up.

A quarter to a third of an inch of ice was common from freezing rain. The water equivalent of the precipitation was 0.20 to 0.40 inches. Power outages occurred in the community of War. Small branches were broken off trees.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Nicholas

When
December 23, 1:00 PM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Nicholas forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Raleigh

When
December 23, 1:00 PM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Raleigh forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Wyoming

When
December 23, 1:00 PM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.610, -81.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, McDowell

When
December 23, 1:00 PM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
Where
McDowell forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.379, -81.654 (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

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, December 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5677096, 5677097, 5677098, 5677099.