Virginia, 2001

Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 22, 2001

February 22, 2001 · NWS RLX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A quick 2 to 5 inches of snow fell just before dawn, before diminishing to spotty light rain and drizzle. Breaks Interstate Park measured an accumulation of 5 inches at dawn, before the snow started to settle and melt during the day.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 quick 2 to 5 inches of snow fell just before dawn, before diminishing to spotty light rain and drizzle. Breaks Interstate Park measured an accumulation of 5 inches at dawn, before the snow started to settle and melt during the day.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 3:46 AM EST, 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 3:46 AM EST, 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
346 AM EST THU FEB 22 2001

SATELLITE AND SURFACE MAP TELL THE STORY.  SYSTEM STRUGGLING TO
THROW MOISTURE INTO THE COLD...INITIALLY DRY AIRMASS.  MID LEVEL
ONLY TURNING TO ABOUT 240 DEGS.  ADVISORIES WILL BE LIMITED S OF
HTS-CRW-EKN. NO WARNINGS FOR SYSTEM LASTING ABOUT 4-6 HOURS.
BACK EDGE OF MID LEVEL SHOULD REACH CRW BETWEEN 15-16Z.

NO OTHER BIG CHANGES IN ZONES INTO THE WEEKEND.

.RLX...
WV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS MRNG FOR WVZ024>025-033.
     FOR MIXTURE OF SNOW...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY INTO EARLY AFTN FOR WVZ034>036.
     FOR SNOW/SLEET.

VA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS MRNG FOR ZONES VAZ003>004
     FOR MIXTURE OF SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING RAIN.

KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END / BATTY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Buchanan

When
February 22, 4:00 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
Where
Buchanan forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.267, -82.036 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dickenson

When
February 22, 4:00 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
Where
Dickenson forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.126, -82.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, February 2001

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: 5228941, 5228942.