Winter Storm in Virginia, December 4 to 5, 2003

Name: Winter Storm in Virginia, December 4 to 5, 2003
Start: 2003-12-04T19:00
End: 2003-12-05T10:00
Location: Virginia

December 4 to 5, 2003 · NWS LWX · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

The first in a pair of low pressure systems tracked from southwest to northeast Virginia late on the 4th through midday on the 5th. This system produced 5 to 10 inches of snow across North Virginia.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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 LWX wrote it up.

The first in a pair of low pressure systems tracked from southwest to northeast Virginia late on the 4th through midday on the 5th. This system produced 5 to 10 inches of snow across North Virginia. As a result the roads were treacherous in many places because this was the first snow storm of the season. Numerous automobile accidents were reported. One fatality was documented in Winchester due to injuries from an automobile accident. However, several minor/non-life threatening injuries were also reported across Northern Virginia.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 4, 4:10 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 4, 4:10 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

TODAY-TONIGHT

...FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON...

MODELS HAVE TRENDED TOWARD A COLDER (WHITER) SOLUTION FOR TONIGHT.

COASTAL LOW BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE OFF THE NC COAST THIS AFTERNOON.
PRECIP SHIELD WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA FROM THE SW THIS
EVENING. ALREADY SNOWING AT CHO AND EXPECT -SN THERE TO CONTINUE
THRU ABT 10PM WHERE ENOUGH WARM AIR WILL MOVE IN ALOFT TO CHANGE
PRECIP OVER TO FZRA. MODEL QPF HIGH ENOUGH THAT THERE COULD BE A
QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE OF ACCUMULATION. UPGRADED THAT AREA TO A
WARNING.  FURTHER NORTH INTO DC/BALT AND AREAS WEST...GOOD CONSENSUS
BETWEEN MODELS THAT PRECIP WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW. MODEL
SOUNDINGS SHOW AN ISOTHERMAL LAYER FROM THE SFC THRU H7 MBS FOR DCA
ENTIRELY BLO FREEZING. THUS EXPECTING SNOW FOR THE DISTRICT.
EXPECTING VERY LIGHT SNOW TO DEVELOP THERE AFTER 6PM THIS EVENING
THEN BECOME HEAVIER AFTER 10 PM. FCST QPF CLOSE TO WARNING CRITERIA
(4.5 INS) BUT GIVEN ROAD TEMPS IN THE MID 30S SOME OF THAT SNOW WILL
GO INTO MELTING. MAINLY 2-3 INS IN THE DISTRICT. WEST AND NORTH OF
THE BELTWAY THINKING MAINLY 3-5 INS OF SNOW WILL WORK OUT BUT
CONSENSUS HERE AT THE OFFICE WAS TO GO FOR A WARNING. MODELS PUSH
ENHANCED MOISTURE AND LIFT NORTH OF THE AREA BY 15Z FRI. SNOW WILL
TAPER OFF TO SOME DRIZZLE OR FREEZING DRIZZLE BY MIDDAY GIVEN NO
MOISTURE ABV -12C AND WEAK LIFT. MORE SNOW FRI NIGHT. SEE BELOW.

.LONGER TERM...
THE SECOND PUNCH COMES IN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. THERE ARE
STILL VERY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MODELS FOR THIS TIME
FRAME. ETA SCENARIO WOULD GIVE US LESS SNOW WHILE THE GFS WOULD GIVE
US ANOTHER ROUND OF ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS. FOR NOW WILL TREND
TOWARD THE GFS WHICH IS THE COOLER/WETTER SOLUTIONS (RAISING POPS
AND GOING MORE WITH SNOW) AND LEAVING WINTER STORM WATCHES UP FOR
MOST OF THE CWA FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. UPR DIVGNC INCREASES
FRIDAY NIGHT/SAT AS AREA IN FVRBL LFQ OF UPR JET ROUNDING BEND OF
UPR LOW. THE CSTL LOW SHOULD FINALLY STRENGTHEN AND HELP BRING
COLDER AIR DWN AND MAKE THE MAIN PCPN TYPE ALL SNW FOR THE REGION.
WL LV LINGERING CHC POPS INTO SAT NGT...BUT REMOVE PCPN OUT SUN
MRNG. WL CONTINUE TREND OF DRY WX SUN THROUGH TUE. THEN THE NEXT
SYSTEM AND CHC OF PCPN COME IN ON WED AND THUR.

ND/ROSA

.LWX...
DC...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 700 PM EST FRIDAY UNTIL 700 PM EST
SATURDAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.

MD...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONES MDZ003>006.

WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 700 PM EST FRIDAY UNTIL 700 PM EST SATURDAY
FOR ZONES MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONES
MDZ002....MDZ007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014.

VA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONES
VAZ021...VAZ025>031...VAZ036>037....VAZ040>042.

WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 700 PM EST FRIDAY UNTIL 700 PM EST SATURDAY
FOR ZONES VAZ021...VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>054.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONES VAZ038>039...
VAZ050>054.

WV...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONES WVZ050>055.

WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 700 PM EST FRIDAY UNTIL 700 PM EST SATURDAY
FOR ZONE WVZ048>055.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST FRIDAY FOR ZONES WVZ048>049.

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 4, 11:34 AM EST, 7 hours 26 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1134 AM EST THU DEC 4 2003

DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042-
050>057-WVZ048>055-051000-
ALBEMARLE VA-ALLEGANY MD-ANNE ARUNDEL MD-
ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-AUGUSTA VA-BERKELEY WV-
CALVERT MD-CARROLL MD-CHARLES MD-CLARKE VA-CULPEPER VA-
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-FAUQUIER VA-FREDERICK VA-
FREDERICK MD-GRANT WV-GREENE VA-HAMPSHIRE WV-HARDY WV-HARFORD MD-
HIGHLAND VA-HOWARD MD-JEFFERSON WV-KING GEORGE VA-LOUDOUN VA-
MADISON VA-MINERAL WV-MONTGOMERY MD-MORGAN WV-NELSON VA-
NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PAGE VA-PENDLETON WV-
PRINCE GEORGES MD-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-
RAPPAHANNOCK VA-ROCKINGHAM VA-SHENANDOAH VA-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD-
SPOTSYLVANIA VA-ST. MARYS MD-STAFFORD VA-WARREN VA-WASHINGTON MD-

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY AND EAST OF GARRETT COUNTY...THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...NORTHERN
VIRGINIA...THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SHENANDOAH VALLEY...AND THE
EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...
SNOW AND SLEET WILL MOVE UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST TODAY. A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA FOR 1 TO 3
INCHES OF SNOW TODAY.

PRECIPITATION WILL OVERSPREAD THE REST OF THE REGION LATE TODAY AND
THE FIRST HALF OF TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE
SHENANDOAH VALLEY WITH SNOW IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. A MIX OF
SNOW...SLEET AND RAIN IS EXPECTED FOR THE BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON
AREAS AND POINTS SOUTHEAST TONIGHT.

FOR THE MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN THE BLUE RIDGE AND THE CITIES... THERE
WILL LIKELY BE A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET OVERNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
A STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE REGION FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY...POSSIBLY INTO SUNDAY.

FRIDAY... FREEZING RAIN WILL LINGER INTO THE MORNING IN THE WEST.
THEN ONLY LIGHT PRECIPITATION... MAINLY RAIN... FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

THEN...FROM FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY AND POSSIBLY INTO EARLY
SUNDAY...SOME MIX OF SNOW AND RAIN IS EXPECTED. THE BEST CHANCES FOR
SNOW WILL BE NORTH AND WEST OF THE BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON CORRIDOR.

THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS EVENT...PARTICULARLY BEYOND
DAYTIME FRIDAY. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

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, Fairfax

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Fairfax forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Arlington

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Arlington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Augusta

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Augusta forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.109, -78.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Highland

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Highland forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Nelson

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.787, -78.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Albemarle

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Albemarle forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greene

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Madison

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Culpeper

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Culpeper forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rappahannock

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Rappahannock forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rockingham

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Rockingham forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.481, -78.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Page

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Page forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shenandoah

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Shenandoah forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Warren

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Frederick

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Frederick forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clarke

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Clarke forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Loudoun

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Fauquier

When: December 4, 7:00 PM EST to December 5, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Fauquier 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

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: 5330691, 5330692, 5331875, 5331876, 5331877, 5331878, 5331879, 5331880, 5331881, 5331882, 5331883, 5331958, 5331959, 5331960, 5331961, 5331962, 5331963, 5332348.