Heavy Snow, Grayson
- When
- February 15, 2:30 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Grayson forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.657, -81.225 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 15 to 16, 2004
A potent upper level storm system moved across North Carolina during the afternoon and evening of the 15th, moving off the coast early on the 16th. This storm brought a swath of heavy snow to a good portion of Western Virginia.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
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.
A potent upper level storm system moved across North Carolina during the afternoon and evening of the 15th, moving off the coast early on the 16th. This storm brought a swath of heavy snow to a good portion of Western Virginia. Amounts ranged from 4 to 8 inches in a path from the Mountain Empire of Southwest Virginia, east to the Blue Ridge from Floyd County south to the North Carolina border, then east into the foothills and piedmont of southern Virginia. The highest amounts of 7 to 8 inches were reported in portions of Smyth, Wythe, Grayson, Floyd and Franklin counties.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Carroll / Galax
- When
- February 15, 3:00 PM EST to 10:15 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll / Galax forecast zone
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 36.697, -80.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Smyth
- When
- February 15, 3:15 PM EST to 9:45 PM EST
- Where
- Smyth forecast zone
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 36.844, -81.537 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Bland
- When
- February 15, 3:30 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Bland forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.134, -81.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wythe
- When
- February 15, 3:30 PM EST to 10:15 PM EST
- Where
- Wythe forecast zone
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 36.917, -81.079 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Patrick
- When
- February 15, 3:30 PM EST to 11:15 PM EST
- Where
- Patrick forecast zone
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 36.678, -80.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Pittsylvania / Danville
- When
- February 15, 3:30 PM EST to February 16, 12:15 AM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania / Danville forecast zone
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 36.704, -79.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Henry / Martinsville
- When
- February 15, 4:00 PM EST to February 16, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Henry / Martinsville forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.689, -79.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Floyd
- When
- February 15, 4:30 PM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Floyd forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 36.932, -80.362 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Montgomery / Radford
- When
- February 15, 4:30 PM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery / Radford forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.174, -80.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Franklin
- When
- February 15, 4:45 PM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 36.992, -79.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Bedford / Bedford
- When
- February 15, 5:15 PM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Bedford / Bedford forecast zone
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 37.315, -79.524 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Appomattox
- When
- February 15, 6:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Appomattox forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.372, -78.812 (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
- Cold in Illinois, February 15, 2004
- Winter Storm in Virginia, February 15 to 16, 2004
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 15 to 16, 2004
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 15 to 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15, 2004
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 15 to 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15 to 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Mississippi, February 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15, 2004
- High Wind in Oregon, February 15 to 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15 to 16, 2004
More
Every storm in Virginia in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, February 2004
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5385779, 5385780, 5385777, 5385776, 5385778, 5385781, 5385784, 5385782, 5385775, 5385785, 5385774, 5385783, 5385653.