Winter Storm in Virginia, February 14 to 18, 2003

A complex storm system produced copious amounts of wintery precipitation across the northern third of Virginia between the evening of the 14th and midday on the 18th. The first batch of precipitation fell between the evening of the 14th and the evening of the 15th in the form of light to moderate snow or rain. The second batch of precipitation fell between midnight on the 16th through midday on the 17th in the form of heavy snow or sleet. The third batch of precipitation on the back side of the storm fell between the evening of the 17th and midday on the 18th in the form of scattered snow showers. After the precipitation came to an end, record breaking snow and sleet accumulations were reported. Across the Northern Shenandoah Valley and the northwest Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., accumulations of mainly snow ranged from 20 to 36 inches. Across the North Central Shenandoah Valley, the North Central Foothills, and the west and southwest Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., accumulations of snow and sleet ranged from 12 to 20 inches. Across the South Central Shenandoah Valley, the South Central Foothills, and the Northern Piedmont, accumulations of mainly sleet ranged from 7 to 12 inches. As a general rule, 1 inch of sleet accumulation is equivalent to 3 inches of snow. Therefore, areas that received mainly sleet during this massive winter storm received accumulations around two thirds less than areas that had all snow, even though they were impacted by the same storm system. As an example, Charlottesville recorded 9 inches of accumulation (almost all sleet) whereas Leesburg in Loudoun County recorded 25 inches of accumulation (all snow). Nicknamed the President's Weekend Snowstorm of 2003, this storm will go down in history as the 5th heaviest snowstorm in the Washington D.C. region since records began in 1870. A total of 16.7 inches of snow and sleet was recorded at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. This massive storm took a heavy toll on residents, structures, transportation systems, emergency responders, businesses, livestock, and travelers. Local officials urged people to stay off the roads during the height of the storm between the morning of the 16th and the morning of the 17th. Roads were covered by deep snow and sleet and were nearly impassible. Almost every airport in the region was shut down on the 16th, stranding hundreds of travelers. Emergency personnel and those needing emergency transport had to be taken to their destinations in 4 wheel drives or military vehicles during the storm. Main highways were partially cleared by the 18th but it took up to 5 days to reach some secondary and residential roads. Area schools were closed up to a week after the storm ended. Heavy accumulations weighed down on buildings in the region and several structural collapses occurred. In addition, several injuries and a handful of deaths were attributed to the storm. The following is a list of damage and casualty reports by county that occurred as a result of this winter storm. In Highland County, a turkey house collapsed near McDowell and 500 turkeys were killed. In Augusta County, officials reported $1.5 million in structural damage. Several agricultural buildings including a barn and a turkey shed collapsed, killing or injuring livestock. Two people died at a Charlottesville hospital from heart attacks brought on by shoveling snow. Several other people were treated across the county for chest pains or snow blower related injuries. A 39-year-old man died after sledding into the path of a car in Craigsville. In Rockingham County, 7 chicken houses and 5 turkey houses collapsed. At least 37,000 chickens and turkeys were lost. A cow was killed and 17 cows were injured when a dairy barn collapsed in Grottoes. In Orange County, a gas station canopy collapsed on Route 3. A nursery near Rhoadesville lost 22 of 24 plastic greenhouses. In Madison County, a wood flooring factory storage building collapsed in Madison. In Culpeper County, 3 livestock barns collapsed. Three cows were killed, several other animals were injured. Two hay barns, several sheds, and other farm buildings collapsed on three farms near Batna. A gas station canopy on Route 3 near Germanna Bridge collapsed. In addition, a 2.5 acre glass greenhouse in the county valued at $2 million dollars collapsed. In Page County, a chicken house collapsed in Dovel Hollow. In Shenandoah County, two homes, one carport, 7 business buildings, 3 public buildings, and 7 agricultural buildings (including 5 animal shelters where a total of 61,000 turkeys and chickens were lost) suffered structural collapses. Twenty people who lost their homes were sheltered by the Red Cross. Near Edinburg, a 38-year-old man who was sitting in a snowbound car died of carbon monoxide poisoning. An 82-year-old man near Conicville died from a heart attack after trying to cross through deep snow to feed livestock. In Frederick County, officials reported $1.4 million in structural losses. Four mobile homes, a park maintenance building, a commercial storage building, a barn, an industrial building, a church, and two stores suffered collapsed roofs. A nursery north of Winchester suffered the loss of 9 of 21 large greenhouses. A 76-year-old woman from Stephens City suffering from dementia was found dead from exposure a week after the storm ended buried under one foot of snow. In Clarke County, 2 hay barns and a machine shed collapsed. In Warren County, the roof of the North Warren Fire Station collapsed. Many other smaller structures including porches, garages, and carports collapsed across the county. Two men, ages 82 and 57, died of heart attacks while shoveling snow. In Fauquier County, a gas station canopy in Bealton and a dairy barn in Calverton collapsed. Twelve boy scouts and 6 adults were trapped at Camp Moss Hollow near Markam during the snowstorm. In Loudoun County, a nursing home in Leesburg had to be evacuated after the roof partially collapsed. A county office building and two middle school auditoriums also suffered structural damage. In addition, a 37-year-old man was found dead from carbon monoxide in his snowbound car. In Spotsylvania County, the roof of a home, a gas station canopy, and the roof of a business collapsed. In Fredericksburg, the roof of a shopping center collapsed. A 55-year-old man in the county died from a heart attack while shoveling snow. In Fairfax County, an elementary school and two church buildings in Herndon suffered structural collapses. Three county sports bubble structures also collapsed. Local hospitals treated several people for injuries from sledding and snow blower accidents and for chest pains brought on by shoveling. In Arlington, an athletic bubble structure valued at $400,000 collapsed.