Virginia, 2002

Winter Storm in Virginia, January 2 to 3, 2002

January 2 to 3, 2002 · NWS AKQ · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

A winter storm produced 8 to as much as 12 inches of snow across southcentral and southeast Virginia. Some specific higher snow totals included: City of Hampton 12", Prince George in Prince George county 11-12", Skippers in Greensville county 12", Dinwiddie in Dinwiddie county 11", Lunenburg in Lunenburg county 11", City of Norfolk 7-9", and Lawrenceville in Brunswick county 11".

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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
18

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 AKQ wrote it up.

A winter storm produced 8 to as much as 12 inches of snow across southcentral and southeast Virginia. Some specific higher snow totals included: City of Hampton 12", Prince George in Prince George county 11-12", Skippers in Greensville county 12", Dinwiddie in Dinwiddie county 11", Lunenburg in Lunenburg county 11", City of Norfolk 7-9", and Lawrenceville in Brunswick county 11". Local law enforcement agencies reported numerous accidents. Most, if not all schools in the area, were closed Thursday, January 3rd and Friday, January 4th due to very slippery road conditions.

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 Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 2, 9:10 PM EST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 9:10 PM EST, 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD, VA
910 PM EST WED JAN 2 2002

LATEST RDR/RDR TRENDS/SFC OBS SHOWING SNOW ADVANCING NNE
INTO OUR NE NC CNTIES/SE VA CNTIES NR THE BORDER.  BANDS
OF HEAVIER PCPN EXTENDED FM JUST N OF FAY TO GSB EWRD TO
N OF HSE.  THIS HVIER PCPN WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NNE
INTO/ACRS SCNTRL/SE VA/NE NC OVRNGT.  FEEL FCST AMTS LUK
GUD AND WILL LEAVE ALONE BASED ON CURRENT RDR TRENDS/PCPN
MOVEMENT.  BUT...WILL CLEAN UP WORDING FOR OVRNGT SINCE
PCPN ALREADY STARTING ALONG AND S OF THE BORDER.

.AKQ...
MD...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY FOR MDZ022>025.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR OVERNIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR
     NCZ012>017-030>032.
     GLW ATLC CSTL WTRS NC/VA BRDR TO CURRITUCK BCH LGT.
VA...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR OVERNIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR
     VAZ065-066-079>081-084-086>098-100.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY FOR
     VAZ060>063-067>074-076>078-082-083-085-099.
     GLW ATLC CSTL WTRS CAPE CHARLES LGT TO NC/VA BRDR.

GINGRICH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Brunswick

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Brunswick forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.765, -77.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Chesapeake

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Chesapeake forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.688, -76.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dinwiddie / Petersburg

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Dinwiddie / Petersburg forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.076, -77.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greensville / Emporia

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Greensville / Emporia forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.681, -77.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Isle of Wight

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Isle of Wight forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Lunenburg

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Lunenburg forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.946, -78.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mecklenburg

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Mecklenburg forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.680, -78.363 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Newport News

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Newport News forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Norfolk / Hampton / Portsmouth

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Norfolk / Hampton / Portsmouth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Nottoway

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Nottoway forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.143, -78.051 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Prince Edward

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Prince Edward forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.224, -78.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Prince George / Hopewell

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Prince George / Hopewell forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.240, -77.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southampton / Franklin

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Southampton / Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.699, -77.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Suffolk

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Surry

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Surry forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.117, -76.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sussex

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Sussex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.922, -77.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Virginia Beach

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Virginia Beach forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.738, -76.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, York / Poquoson

When
January 2, 10:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 PM EST
Where
York / Poquoson forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, 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: 5279182, 5279183, 5279184, 5279185, 5279186, 5279187, 5279188, 5279189, 5279190, 5279191, 5279192, 5279193, 5279194, 5279195, 5279196, 5279197, 5279198, 5279199.