West Virginia, 2004

Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 2 to 3, 2004

February 2 to 3, 2004 · NWS RNK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Low pressure moved up the Mid Atlantic Coast during the late evening of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. Heavy snow fell across the county, with a range from 5 to 7 inches.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

Low pressure moved up the Mid Atlantic Coast during the late evening of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. Heavy snow fell across the county, with a range from 5 to 7 inches.

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 Feb 2, 9:20 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 2, 9:20 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
920 PM EST MON FEB 2 2004

DISCUSSION...
STILL HAVE LARGE ENOUGH TEMP DEW POINT SPREAD FOR SFC TEMPS TO DROP
BELOW 32 AS THE HVY PCPN MOVES IN. LATEST GUID MAY BE A LITTLE SLOW
WITH ONSET TIME BUT EXPECT PCPCN SHIELD TO SPREAD EAST TO THE BLUE
RIDGE BEFORE 09Z. LIFT IS IMPRESSIVE IN THE 06-12Z TIME FRAME SO
THERE IS STILL THE POTENTIAL FOR TEMP PROFILE TO BECOME MORE
ISOTHERMAL AND HAVING MORE SNOW AND SLEET ESPECIALLY IN THE
GREENBRIER VALLEY AND ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS. NO CHANGES TO THE
WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES AT THIS TIME BUT WL TAKE OUT EVENING WORDING
IN ZONES.

&&

.RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY FOR ZONES
     NCZ001>004...NCZ018>019.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY FOR ZONES
     NCZ005>007...NCZ020.

VA...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY FOR ZONES
     VAZ010>020...VAZ022>024...VAZ032>035...VAZ045>047 AND
     VAZ043.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY FOR ZONES
     VAZ044...VAZ058...VAZ059.

WV...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY FOR ZONES
     WVZ042>045.

&&

AMS
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 2, 4:40 PM EST, 6 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
440 PM EST MON FEB 2 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...
WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT...
HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/RNK(LOWER CASE).

NCZ001>003-018-019-VAZ010>020-022>024-032>035-045>047-WVZ042>045-
031000-
ALLEGHANY VA-ALLEGHANY NC-AMHERST VA-APPOMATTOX VA-ASHE NC-BATH VA-
BEDFORD VA-BLAND VA-BOTETOURT VA-BUCKINGHAM VA-CAMPBELL VA-
CARROLL VA-CRAIG VA-FLOYD VA-FRANKLIN VA-GILES VA-GRAYSON VA-
GREENBRIER WV-MERCER WV-MONROE WV-MONTGOMERY VA-PATRICK VA-
PULASKI VA-ROANOKE VA-ROCKBRIDGE VA-SUMMERS WV-SURRY NC-WATAUGA NC-
WILKES NC-WYTHE VA-
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...LEWISBURG...BLUEFIELD...
WYTHEVILLE...SALEM CITY...PEARISBURG...LYNCHBURG CITY...GALAX CITY...
CLIFTON FORGE CITY...BLACKSBURG...BEDFORD CITY...APPOMATTOX...
WILKESBORO...SPARTA...DOBSON AND BOONE
440 PM EST MON FEB 2 2004

.DAY ONE...

SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCRETIONS OF A QUARTER OF AN INCH WILL OCCUR TONIGHT
INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. LOCATIONS RIGHT ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE
PARKWAY ARE THE MOST LIKELY TO SEE UP TO A HALF INCH OF ICE
ACCRETION. THE NEW RIVER VALLEY...EASTWARD INTO THE ROANOKE AND
SOUTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEYS...MAY SEE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SLEET AND SNOW
ACCUMULATION IN ADDITION TO A QUARTER INCH OF ICE ACCRETION. FURTHER
NORTH INTO THE GREENBRIER VALLEY AND THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS CAN
EXPECT 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATION...AND ICE
ACCRETIONS FROM AN EIGHTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH.

A QUARTER INCH OR MORE OF ICE CAN RESULT IN DOWNED TREES AND POWER
LINES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ANOTHER STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING EITHER RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN TO
THE AREA THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WHEN
ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE OF A QUARTER INCH OR MORE ARE OBSERVED.

VAZ007-009-031000-
SMYTH VA-TAZEWELL VA-
440 PM EST MON FEB 2 2004

.DAY ONE...

EXPECT A MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET INTO THIS EVENING...AND
THEN RAIN WITH POCKETS OF FREEZING RAIN INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.
ICE ACCRETIONS WILL BE LESS THAN TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH...WITH THE
HIGHEST AMOUNTS EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE COUNTIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ANOTHER STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING EITHER RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN TO
THE AREA THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WHEN
ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE OF A QUARTER INCH OR MORE ARE OBSERVED.

NCZ005-006-020-VAZ044-058-059-031000-
CASWELL NC-CHARLOTTE VA-HALIFAX VA-PITTSYLVANIA VA-ROCKINGHAM NC-
YADKIN NC-
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...DANVILLE CITY AND EDEN
440 PM EST MON FEB 2 2004

.DAY ONE...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY.
RAIN MIXED WITH SLEET WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA LATE IN THE DAY.
THE RAIN MAY CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT IF TEMPERATURES GET
CLOSE TO FREEZING.  THE GREATEST THREAT FOR FREEZING RAIN WILL BE
NORTH OF HIGHWAY 58 IN VIRGINIA...AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 220 IN NORTH
CAROLINA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ANOTHER STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING EITHER RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN TO
THE AREA THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WHEN
ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE OF A QUARTER INCH OR MORE ARE OBSERVED.

11/7

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Greenbrier

When
February 2, 11:00 PM EST to February 3, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Greenbrier forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC

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

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in West 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5385627.