Virginia, 2001

Winter Storm in Virginia, March 20 to 21, 2001

March 20 to 21, 2001 · NWS MRX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A low pressure system passing to the south and east of the southern Appalachians and Tennessee Valley dropped snow of varying depth. Snow generally fell above 2000 feet, with the heaviest snows above 3000-4000 feet.

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

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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 MRX wrote it up.

A low pressure system passing to the south and east of the southern Appalachians and Tennessee Valley dropped snow of varying depth. Snow generally fell above 2000 feet, with the heaviest snows above 3000-4000 feet. At elevations between 2000-3000 feet, amounts were: none in Lee County, 1 inch in Washington County, 2 inches in Scott County, 2-5 inches in Russell County, and 3-6 inches in Wise County. Between 3000-4000 feet, amounts were: 1 inch in Washington County, 2 inches in Lee County, 2-5 inches in Russell County, 6 inches in Scott County, and 9-15 inches in Wise County.

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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 20, 3:46 AM EST, 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 3:46 AM EST, 44 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
346 AM EST TUE MAR 20 2001

SFC TROUGH EXTENDED INTO E TN VLY THIS EVENING WITH WEDGING RIDGE E
OF APPALACHIAN SPINE. DPS IN THE TEENS TO THE EAST WITH UPPER 30S W
OF TROUGH. EARLY TODAY...FEATURE OVER MRX MOVE LITTLE WHILE SFC LOW
MOVES FM GLFMEX TO S GA. PRES GRAD PACKS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER S PART
OF MRX CWA. 50 KT E WNDS AT 850 MB ACROSS CWA MTNS. 850 MB TEMPS 0
TO -3C ALONG MTNS MUCH OF FIRST PERIOD. MID/UPR LOW SLIDES ALONG N
GLF CST BECOMING INCREASINGLY VERTICALLY STACKED WITH SFC LOW.
VEERING WIND PROFILE VERY IMPRESSIVE. MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND
ISENTROPIC LIFT POINTS TO BULGING PWS AND HIGH QPF. ALL THIS IS
POISED UNDER VERY GOOD UPPER DIFFLUENCE WITH SLOW MOVING SYSTEM.
AIRMASS INITIALLY DRY BUT LIQUID AMOUNTS FROM TWO INCHES S PART TO
ONE INCH NEAR I40 IN MTNS SEEMS REASONABLE. AMOUNTS TAPER TO NEAR ONE
HALF INCH N PART. OVERALL VALLEY AMOUNTS WILL LIKEY BE LESS DUE TO
FAIRLY STRONG DOWNSLOPING FLOW.

MORE COMPREHENSIVE AFD LATER WHEN PRODUCTS ARE CAUGHT UP.

FCSTID = 17
CHA   43  40  56  38 / 100 100  50  10
TYS   43  40  52  35 / 100  90  40  10
TRI   45  37  47  34 / 100 100  70  30
OQT   43  40  52  35 / 100  90  40  10

.MRX...
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ060>061.
  ...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ060>061.
  ...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ060>061.

TN...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY FOR MNTS E TN.
  ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY FOR NE TN VALLEYS ZONES.
  ...WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR NE TN AND TN MTNS.
  ...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR MTN ZONES OF MONROE AND POLK COUNTIES.

VA...WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SW VA ZONES.
  ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY FOR SW VA ZONES.

SON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lee

When
March 20, 4:30 AM EST to March 21, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
Coordinates
36.705, -83.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Russell

When
March 20, 4:30 AM EST to March 21, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Russell forecast zone
Reported by
METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
Coordinates
36.934, -82.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Scott

When
March 20, 4:30 AM EST to March 21, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Reported by
METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
Coordinates
36.714, -82.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington / Bristol

When
March 20, 4:30 AM EST to March 21, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Washington / Bristol forecast zone
Reported by
METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
Coordinates
36.661, -82.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wise / Norton

When
March 20, 4:30 AM EST to March 21, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Wise / Norton forecast zone
Reported by
METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
Coordinates
36.954, -82.625 (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

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, March 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: 5233622, 5233623, 5233624, 5233625, 5233626.