Virginia, 2001

Winter Storm in Virginia, March 5 to 6, 2001

March 5 to 6, 2001 · NWS MRX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An upper level disturbance passing over the southern Appalachians caused heavy snow shower activity over southwest Virginia. Amounts averaged 1-3 inches in the lower elevations to 3-6 inches across the higher terrain.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

An upper level disturbance passing over the southern Appalachians caused heavy snow shower activity over southwest Virginia. Amounts averaged 1-3 inches in the lower elevations to 3-6 inches across the higher terrain.

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 5, 9:00 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 9:00 PM EST, 2 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
900 PM EST MON MAR 5 2001

-SN/-SHSN EVENT PROGRESSING AS FORECAST ALTHOUGH PRECIP DEVELOPED A
LITTLE QUICKER THAN MENTIONED IN ZONES AND WILL HAVE TO CLEAN UP
TIMING WORDING A BIT. 18Z MESOETA AND RUC STILL INDICATES VORT ENERGY
ROTATING ARND ERN LAKES UPR LOW. INSTABILITY PRESENT WITH MESOETA
SHOWING ARND 200 J/KG CAPE ACROSS ADVISORY REGION AND SHOWERY
NATURE OF PRECIP EVIDENT FM AREA RADARS. CALLS TO MUCH OF THE
AFFECTED REGION INDICATED MOSTLY FLURRIES WERE OCCURRING WITH NO
ACCUMULATION IN VALLEY LOCATIONS. SMALL ACCUMULATIONS WERE REPORTED
IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN THANKS TO OROGRAPHICS. BELIEVE THIS TREND
WILL CONTINUE WITH ACCUMULATION ARND 1 INCH OR LESS IN THE
SNOW ADVISORY AREA AND WILL LET ADVISORY RIDE. TEMPS GENERALLY LOOK
GOOD BUT WILL OPEN UP RANGE A BIT FOR NRN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU
COUNTIES WHERE LOWER MINS WILL OCCUR.

.MRX...
NC...NONEy.
TN...SNOW ADVISORY FOR MONDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES TNZ018...TNZ041...
TNZ043...TNZ045...TNZ047...TNZ074.

VA...SNOW ADVISORY FOR MONDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES VAZ001>002.

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 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 12:00 PM 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 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 12:00 PM 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 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 12:00 PM 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 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 12:00 PM 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 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 12:00 PM 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: 5233629, 5233630, 5233631, 5233742, 5233743.