Winter Storm, Alleghany
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Alleghany forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.791, -80.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Virginia, January 5, 2003
Snow accumulated 1 to 3 inches during the 5th, and resulted in nearly 100 automobile accidents. Several minor injuries were reported.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 RNK wrote it up.
Snow accumulated 1 to 3 inches during the 5th, and resulted in nearly 100 automobile accidents. Several minor injuries were reported.
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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 5, 8:05 AM EST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 8:05 AM EST, 55 minutes before
FXUS61 KRNK 050236 AFDRNK AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA 805 AM EST SUN JAN 5 2003 WILL ISSUE A QUICK UPDATE TO THE ZONES- NO CHANGE TO ACCUMULATIONS ETC...JUST TO SPEED UP THE TIMING AS LIGHT SNOW HAS STARTED ACROSS MOST OF THE MTNS ALREADY. .RNK VA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING VAZ020 WV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING WVZ042>045 NC...NONE. JJ
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 5, 4:45 AM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes before
NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059- WVZ042>045-051330- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 445 AM EST SUN JAN 5 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA... WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE TO 1 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS THROUGH THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NORTHWEST WEST WINDS BEHIND A COLD FRONT WILL BLOW 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 45 MPH IN THE MOUNTAINS MONDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Botetourt
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Botetourt forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.557, -79.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Montgomery
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.174, -80.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Pulaski
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.098, -80.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Roanoke
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Roanoke forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.258, -80.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Rockbridge
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Rockbridge forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.774, -79.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wythe
- When
- January 5, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wythe forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.917, -81.079 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in California, January 5 to 7, 2003
- High Wind in Alaska, January 5 to 6, 2003
- High Wind in Utah, January 5, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, January 5, 2003
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 5, 2003
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 5, 2003
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 5, 2003
- High Wind in Arizona, January 5, 2003
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, January 5, 2003
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 5, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, January 5, 2003
- High Wind and Strong Wind in California, January 5 to 6, 2003
More
Every storm in Virginia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, January 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: 5339629, 5339630, 5339631, 5339632, 5339633, 5339634, 5339635.