Winter Storm, Grayson
- When
- March 3, 12:30 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Grayson forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.657, -81.225 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Virginia, March 3, 1999
Rain during the morning of the 3rd changed to sleet late in morning and to snow during the early afternoon. Snow accumulated from 5 to 10 inches by late evening with as much as a foot in the higher elevations.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
Rain during the morning of the 3rd changed to sleet late in morning and to snow during the early afternoon. Snow accumulated from 5 to 10 inches by late evening with as much as a foot in the higher elevations. Strong winds caused blowing and drifting of the snow with visibility reduced to near zero at times. Motorists were stranded on Interstate Route 77 for several hours. Students on seven school buses were stranded for 5 to 6 hours on I-77 and were not home until 9 pm. Numerous automobile accidents occurred on snow covered roads.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Smyth
- When
- March 3, 12:30 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Smyth forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.844, -81.537 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Carroll
- When
- March 3, 12:30 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.697, -80.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wythe
- When
- March 3, 12:30 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Wythe forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.917, -81.079 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Tazewell
- When
- March 3, 12:30 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Tazewell forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 37.125, -81.561 (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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Virginia, March 3, 1999
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 3, 1999
- Avalanche in Alaska, March 3 to 4, 1999
- Strong Wind in North Carolina, March 3, 1999
- Tornado in Florida, March 3, 1999
- Storm Surge in Washington, March 3, 1999
- High Wind in North Carolina, March 3, 1999
- High Wind in North Carolina, March 3, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 3, 1999
- High Wind in North Carolina, March 3, 1999
- Damaging Winds in Florida, March 3, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, March 3, 1999
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, March 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: 5692657, 5692658, 5692659, 5692660, 5692661.