West Virginia, 1998

Cold in West Virginia, March 11 to 13, 1998

March 11 to 13, 1998 · NWS LWX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A series of cold fronts ushered in only the second arctic air mass of the winter of 1997/98. The unseasonably cold air, arriving on the heels of a mild and wet February, may have caused minor damage to peach crops in eastern West Virginia orchards.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 LWX wrote it up.

A series of cold fronts ushered in only the second arctic air mass of the winter of 1997/98. The unseasonably cold air, arriving on the heels of a mild and wet February, may have caused minor damage to peach crops in eastern West Virginia orchards. The combination of mild and moist conditions earlier in the winter not only led to accelerated bud growth, but may have decreased the resistance of fruit trees to the hard freeze.Temperatures on the 11th were generally in the upper teens to lower 20s, but readings were well down in the teens on the 12th and 13th.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Grant

When
March 11, 7:00 AM EST to March 13, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Grant forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Mineral

When
March 11, 7:00 AM EST to March 13, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Mineral forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Hampshire

When
March 11, 7:00 AM EST to March 13, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Hampshire forecast zone
Coordinates
39.317, -78.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Morgan

When
March 11, 7:00 AM EST to March 13, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Coordinates
39.560, -78.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Berkeley

When
March 11, 7:00 AM EST to March 13, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Berkeley forecast zone
Coordinates
39.464, -78.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson

When
March 11, 7:00 AM EST to March 13, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates
39.308, -77.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or 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, March 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: 5633273, 5633274, 5633275, 5633276, 5633277, 5633278.