Heavy Snow in Ohio, January 6 to 7, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Ohio, January 6 to 7, 2002
Start: 2002-01-06T07:00
End: 2002-01-07T07:00
Location: Ohio

January 6 to 7, 2002 · NWS RLX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Snow depths of 2 to 4 inches were common.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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.

Snow depths of 2 to 4 inches were common.

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 Jan 6, 3:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 3:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
330 AM EST SUN JAN 6 2002

TODAY THROUGH MONDAY...
WINTER STORM IS SHAPING UP AS SFC LOW CONTINUES TO DEEPEN IN
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI ATTM.  MAIN PRECIP SHIELD EXTENDING INTO
CENTRAL TENNESSEE AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.  PRECIP TYPE CHANGED OVER TO
SNOW AT KPAH LAST HR AS WET BULB PROCESSES LIKELY OCCURRING.  MODELS
CONTINUE TO AGREE ON TRACK OF SYSTEM...TAKING SFC LOW THROUGH
CENTRAL GA INTO CAROLINAS AND THEN UP EAST COAST.  BEST LIFT OCCURS
AROUND 18Z WITH BULLSEYE CENTERED OVER SOUTHERN MTNS OF WVA.  TIMING
OF PRECIPITATION IS ON TRACK AS KLEX REPORTED MIXED PRECIP AT 07Z.
THINK SNOW WILL FIRST FALL OVER SOUTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY COUNTIES AND THEN MAKES ITS WAY INTO CENTRAL CWA AND MTNS.
MODEL QPF STILL ON TRACK TO GIVE MTNS 4-8 INCHES...2-5 INCHES WEST
OF MTNS.  WILL UPGRADE WATCH TO WARNING AND BREAK OFF POCAHONTAS
COUNTY TO MENTION HIGHER TOTALS (5 TO 10 INCHES) DUE TO THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.  HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO INCREASE CLARKSBURG GROUP TOTALS
TO MATCH CRW AS UPSLOPE SNOW TONIGHT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO PUT THEM IN
3-5 RANGE.

SYSTEM ACCELERATES AS IT MOVES THROUGH AND WILL PULL OUT OVERNIGHT
LEAVING SNOW SHOWERS IN ITS WAKE.  ADDITIONAL LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS
ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT.  SHSN WILL DIMINISH DURING DAY MONDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS INTO REGION.  TEMPS LOOK PRETTY GOOD FOR TODAY WITH
HIGHS OCCURRING EARLY AND REMAINING NEARLY STEADY OR SLOWLY FALLING
THIS AFTERNOON.  FWC LOOKS TO WARM AND WILL CUT A COUPLE OF
DEGREES.  WILL LOWER TEMPS A BIT ON MONDAY AS SNOW PACK...CLOUDS...
AND CAA SHOULD PROVIDE FOR COOLER TEMPS THAN TODAY.  WILL AGAIN CUT
MOS A TAD.

MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...
A WARMING TREND TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY BEFORE ANOTHER COLD FRONT
DROPS THROUGH THE AREA BY THURSDAY MORNING.  SHOWERS AHEAD OF THE
COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLLOWED BY SNOW SHOWERS THURSDAY INTO
FRIDAY WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES.  NOT MUCH MOISTURE TO WORK WITH ON
THIS SYSTEM...SO AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT.

THANKS TO JKL...ILN...AND PIT FOR LOCAL COORDINATION AND ALL OTHERS
ON MEET-ME CONFERENCE CALL.

.RLX...
WV...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES
WVZ033>038...WVZ047.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ZONE WVZ046.

VA...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES
VAZ003>004.

WV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES
WVZ005>011-013>020-024>032-039-040

KY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES
KYZ101>103-105.

OH...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES
OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087.

.END/HC/JMV

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Athens

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Athens forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.334, -82.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Gallia

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Gallia forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.825, -82.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lawrence

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.599, -82.537 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Meigs

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Meigs forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.082, -82.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Morgan

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Morgan forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.620, -81.853 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Perry

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.737, -82.236 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Vinton

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Vinton forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.251, -82.485 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington

When: January 6, 7:00 AM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.455, -81.495 (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

Every storm in Ohio in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, January 2002

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: 5276688, 5276689, 5276690, 5276691, 5276692, 5276693, 5276694, 5276695.