Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 8 to 9, 1999

Name: Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 8 to 9, 1999
Start: 1999-01-08T02:00
End: 1999-01-09T04:00
Location: Virginia

January 8 to 9, 1999 · NWS LWX · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

An area of low pressure over Ohio brought a variety of precipitation to Northern Virginia. Precipitation started off as snow during the early morning hours of the 8th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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: 22

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.

An area of low pressure over Ohio brought a variety of precipitation to Northern Virginia. Precipitation started off as snow during the early morning hours of the 8th. By early afternoon warm air moved into the middle levels of the atmosphere turning the precipitation into freezing rain. The freezing rain continued through early morning on the 9th, when temperatures finally rose above freezing at the surface. Snowfall amounts included 9 to 10 inches in Highland County, 4 to 6 inches west of a line from Augusta County to Loudoun County and in Fauquier County, and 1 to 4 inches elsewhere. Ice accumulations on top of the snowfall ranged from a trace to 1/3 of an inch. The aftermath of the snow and ice included school closings and many car accidents. Over 200 traffic accidents occurred in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area leading to 27 injuries. The most serious accident occurred on the Dulles Toll Road where a jackknifed tractor trailer closed the road for an hour. Most metropolitan area schools were closed on the 8th. Interstates 66 and 81 across Northern Virginia were referred to as "treacherous" by law enforcement during the storm. Officials responded to 50 accidents along I-81 in Augusta County, mostly between mile markers 213-205 near Staunton. U.S. Route 29 was closed just south of Warrenton in Fauquier County because of a jackknifed tractor trailer and in Culpeper County due to several accidents. Snowfall up to 10 inches in Highland County made driving difficult, especially near Monterey.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm, 11 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Frederick

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Frederick forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shenandoah

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Shenandoah forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Warren

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fauquier

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Page

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Page forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rappahannock

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Rappahannock forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rockingham

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Rockingham forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.481, -78.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Madison

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Augusta

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Augusta forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.109, -78.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Highland

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Highland forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Clarke

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Clarke forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Loudoun

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Weather, Fairfax

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Fairfax forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Arlington

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Arlington forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Prince William

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Prince William forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Weather, Stafford

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Stafford forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.421, -77.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Culpeper

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Culpeper forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Orange

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Orange forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Spotsylvania

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Spotsylvania forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.244, -77.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Greene

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Albemarle

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Albemarle forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Nelson

When: January 8, 2:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.787, -78.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, January 1999

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: 5679772, 5679773, 5679774, 5679775, 5679776, 5679777, 5679778, 5679779, 5679780, 5679781, 5679782, 5679783, 5679784, 5679785, 5679786, 5679787, 5679788, 5679789, 5679790, 5679791, 5679792, 5679793.