Heavy Snow in Virginia, December 19 to 20, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Virginia, December 19 to 20, 2003
Start: 2003-12-19T20:00
End: 2003-12-20T10:00
Location: Virginia

December 19 to 20, 2003 · NWS MRX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

4 heavy snow, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 4

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 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 Dec 19, 8:00 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 19, 8:00 PM EST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
800 PM EST FRI DEC 19 2003

SHOW SHOWERS CONTINUING THIS EVENING OVER THE AREA...MAINLY ACROSS
NORTHERN ZONES AND ALONG THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS.  SNOW EXPECTED TO
TAPPER OFF OVERNIGHT ACROSS MOST VALLEY LOCATIONS.  HOWEVER...
SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER OVER THE FAR NORTHERN ZONES AS
WELL AS THE MOUNTAINS OF EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TENNESSEE INTO
SATURDAY.  VARIOUS WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND SNOW ADVISORIES ARE IN
PLACE THROUGH TONIGHT.  HAVE UPDATED ZONE PACKAGE TO ADJUST PRECIP
WORDING AND CHANCES.  NO ADDITIONAL UPDATES EXPECTED.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA, TN   25  42  23  53 /  20  10   0   0
KNOXVILLE, TN     23  36  19  48 /  30  10   0   0
BRISTOL, TN       21  30  17  46 /  60  20   0   0
OAK RIDGE, TN     23  37  20  48 /  30  10   0   0
&&

.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...NONE.
TN...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 400 AM EST SATURDAY FOR ZONES
TNZ018...TNZ041...TNZ043...TNZ045...TNZ047...TNZ072...TNZ074.

SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 400 AM EST SATURDAY FOR ZONES
TNZ012>017...036>040...042...044...046...067>071...073.

VA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 400 AM EST SATURDAY FOR ZONES
VAZ002...VAZ006.

SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 400 AM EST SATURDAY FOR ZONES
VAZ001...VAZ005...VAZ008.

&&

MJB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Lee

When: December 19, 8:00 PM EST to December 20, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.705, -83.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

4-6 inches of snow

Heavy Snow, Russell

When: December 19, 8:00 PM EST to December 20, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Russell forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.934, -82.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington / Bristol

When: December 19, 8:00 PM EST to December 20, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Washington / Bristol forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.661, -82.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wise / Norton

When: December 19, 8:00 PM EST to December 20, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Wise / Norton forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.954, -82.625 (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 Virginia in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, December 2003

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: 5328113, 5328216, 5328217, 5328218.