Winter Storm in West Virginia, February 3 to 6, 1998

A slow moving coastal storm in conjunction with easterly winds aloft, caused several periods of wet snow, sleet, and rain. The snow fell mostly from the 3rd into the 4th and again late on the 5th into the 6th. Tri State Airport near Kenova and Ceredo reported a snow depth of 13 inches, Branchland of Lincoln County, Delbarton of Mingo County, Pineville, and Mullens all reported 8 inches on the ground. Hamlin of Lincoln County had 6 inches. Downtown Huntington reported 4 to 8 inches. No snow was on the ground prior to this event for these western lowlands. Over the southern mountains around Oak Hill and Beckley, the deep snow pack from the late January storm had settled and melted down into the 4 to 8 inch range prior to this new storm. By late Friday morning on the 6th, the snow depth had increased 10 to 12 inches, reaching depths of 14 to 20 inches. The water content of the total snow pack reached around 4 inches in the Beckley vicinity. This caused a renewed outbreak of collapsed buildings, and a near panic, in Fayette and Raleigh Counties on the 5th and 6th. A few structures had collapsed earlier, after the late January storm. Some of the headlines in the local newspapers included "underseige", "what's next', and "the sky is falling". During the predawn hours of the 6th, a large section of roof and 2 cinder block walls collapsed at a Krogers supermarket store on Harpers Road in Beckley. Luckily, only 4 people were in the store. They were injured, but none of the injuries were life threatening. Also on the 6th, the roofs of 2 furniture stores, one in Beckley the other in Oak Hil, both collapsed. In Beckley, about 120 structures received some damage from the late January and early February storms. That included 10 businesses that suffered a total loss or had major damage. Some building were condemned. In Fayette County, 28 buildings suffered roof cave-ins. This included homes, trailer, churches, businesses, and outbuildings. Much of the damage from this early February storm over the southern mountains of West Virginia can be indirectly related back to the heavier snow storm of late January.