Damaging gradient winds brought numerous trees down in areas immediately near the spine of the Blue Ridge mountains. There was also one report of structural damage as vinyl siding was stripped from a home one mile southeast of Christiansburg, VA.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.
Damaging gradient winds brought numerous trees down in areas immediately near the spine of the Blue Ridge mountains. There was also one report of structural damage as vinyl siding was stripped from a home one mile southeast of Christiansburg, VA.
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 22, 10:10 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1010 PM EST SAT JAN 22 2005
.SHORT TERM (REST OF TONIGHT)...
WILL UPDATE PRODUCTS TO ALLOW WINTER WX ADV TO EXPIRE OVER
SOUTHWESTERN AREAS AS MIXED PRECIPITATION HAS CHANGED TO LIGHT SNOW.
WILL TRANSITION THESE COUNTIES INTO THE UPDATED NPW WIND STATEMENT.
AS FAR AS THE SENSIBLE WX FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. STRONG VORT MAX
CROSSING THE AREA OVER THE NEXT 2 TO 4 HRS. THIS IS ENHANCING SNOW
SHOWER ACTIVITY. HAVE THUS UPPED POPS...SNOWFALL...AND QPF THROUGH
06Z. THIS HAS PUSH SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES INTO SNOW
ADVISORY RANGE OVER WESTERN ZONES. ONCE THE VORT MAX MOVES EAST OF
THE AREA EXPECT MOST OF THE SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY TO BE CONFINED TO
THE MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY ON WESTWARD FACING SLOPES. STRONG GUSTY
WINDS SHOULD DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH MIDDAY SUNDAY.
SEE WBCNPWRNK FOR MORE DETAILS. CURRENT TEMP AND WIND FORECASTS
LOOK GOOD. &&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 650 PM EST SAT JAN 22 2005)
AVIATION...UPDATED.
A WINTRY MIXTURE OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW WAS PUSHING EAST
ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING. KFCX 88D LOOP SHOWED A WESTERN AREA
OF SNOW AND SLEET EXPANDING DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS. WHILE THE
WINTRY MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET PULLING OUT OF EASTERN AREAS.
SFC COLD FRONT WAS MOVING THROUGH THE BLUE RIDGE MTNS THIS EVENING.
ENERGY IS TRANSFERRING TO SECONDARY LOW CENTER OFF THE DE/NJ COAST.
NORTHWEST WINDS WILL USHER IN COLDER AIR INTO REGION TONIGHT.
THIS WILL RESULT IN ALL PCPN CHANGING TO SNOW FLURRIES AND SNOW
SHOWERS. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AND BECOME GUSTY BEHIND THE
FRONT OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY. A TENTH TO TWO TENTHS OF LIQUID STILL
POSSIBLE ALONG THE WRN SLOPES IN SE WV OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY
MORNING...SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED IN WESTERN UPSLOPE
AREAS. LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. IN GENERAL...
EXPECTED MVFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY WITH
POCKETS OF IFR AND LIFR IN SNOW AND FOG. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON
CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TO VFR AND MVFR AT ALL AIRPORTS.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 359 PM EST SAT JAN 22 2005)
SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...
BAND OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION MOVING EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE THIS
AFTERNOON. WILL KEEP WINTER WX ADVISORIES GOING OUT EAST TIL 7 PM.
THEN THE WIND AND SNOW SHOWER MACHINE KICKS IN AFTER 7 PM. STRONG
UPPER JET/VORT ROTATES THRU THE SRN APPS TONIGHT. GOOD UPPER
DIVERGENCE MOVES IN BETWEEN 03-08Z. THINKING VERY COLD AIR PLUNGING
IN WILL CREATE 20 TO 30 TO 1 SNOW TO LIQUID RATIOS. WITH A TENTH TO
TWO TENTHS OF LIQUID EXPECT ALONG THE WRN SLOPES IN SE WV OVERNIGHT
INTO SUNDAY MORNING...FEEL 4 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL DURING
THIS TIME FRAME...THEREFORE PUTTING THEM IN A WINTER STORM WARNING
TONIGHT THRU SUNDAY MORNING. WIND CHILLS AND WINDS WILL ALSO BE
CONCERN AND WILL ADDRESS THIS IN THE WSW.
FURTHER EAST...HIGH WINDS WITH STRONG CROSS BARRIER FLOW...AND 8H
JET OF 60 KNOTS WILL PUT THE HIGHLANDS...EAST TO THE FOOTHILLS OF
VIRGINIA IN A HIGH WIND WARNING...THIS EXTENDS SOUTH INTO THE NC
MTNS. THIS WILL ALSO BE FOR THE OVERNIGHT-SUN MORNING PERIOD. WINDS
WILL GUST TO ADVY LEVELS FROM THE NC FOOTHILLS INTO THE VIRGINIA
PIEDMONT...SO A WIND ADVY FOR THEM OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING.
AGAIN...WIND CHILLS WILL REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA ALONG/WEST OF THE
BLUE RIDGE OF VIRGINIA...INTO NW NC MTNS. THE MTNS OF NC SHOULD SEE
A FEW INCHES OF SNOW AS WELL...ESPECIALLY NR THE TN LINE...BUT THE
HIGH WINDS WILL BE THE CONCERN HERE OVERNIGHT.
STORM DEEPENS AND MOVES AWAY FROM THE MID ATLC COAST SUNDAY WITH
SNOW SHOWERS TAPERING OFF IN THE LATE AFTN. WINDS ALSO WILL BEGIN
DIMINISHING BUT REMAIN BRISK IN THE AFTN.
LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)...
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGES IN SUNDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER CLIPPER MOVING BY
MONDAY. ATTM...LOOKS MOISTURE DEPRIVED AND FAR ENOUGH NORTH TO KEEP
US DRY ACROSS THE FA.
TUE-SAT...
STILL LOOKING FAIRLY QUIET THIS PERIOD WITH A NRN STREAM CLIPPER
MOVING IN WED TIME FRAME BRING JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN/SNOW
SHOWERS TO THE WEST. HI PRS MOVES OVER SRN CANADA AND INTO NEW
ENGLAND RIDGING DOWN INTO OUR FA THU-SAT. THERE IS A SRN STREAM SYS
MOVING INTO THE MID MS VLY BY SATURDAY...BUT ATTM...TIMING AND
POSITION IS UP IN THE AIR...SO AM INCLINED TO HAVE SATURDAY DRY WITH
THE STRONG HIGH BUILDING DOWN THE EAST COAST.
AVIATION...
NEW TAFS REFLECT EXPECTED PCPN TYPES AND ENDING TIMES. MOSTLY IFR
CIGS AND MVFR VSBYS. STRONG WINDS DEVELOP ON BACK SIDE OF SYSTEM
TNGT AND CONT INTO SUNDAY.
&&
.RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VA...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR VAZ009-VAZ010-VAZ011-VAZ012-VAZ013-
VAZ014-VAZ015-VAZ016-VAZ017-VAZ018-VAZ019-VAZ020-VAZ022-
VAZ023-VAZ024-VAZ032-VAZ033-VAZ034-VAZ035 FROM 4 PM
SATURDAY UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORYFOR VAZ009-VAZ010-VAZ011-VAZ12-
VAZ013-VAZ014-VAZ015 UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY.
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR VAZ009-VAZ010-VAZ011-VAZ012-VAZ013-
VAZ014-VAZ015-VAZ016-VAZ017-VAZ018-VAZ019-VAZ020-VAZ022-
VAZ023-VAZ024-VAZ032-VAZ033-VAZ034-VAZ035 FROM 4 PM
SATURDAY UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR VAZ007 FROM 4 PM SATURDAY UNTIL NOON
SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR VAZ043-VAZ044-VAZ045-VAZ046-VAZ047-VAZ058-
VAZ059 FROM 4 PM SATURDAY UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR NCZ001-NCZ002-NCZ018 FROM 4 PM SATURDAY
UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR NCZ001-NCZ018 UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR NCZ001-NCZ002-NCZ018 FROM 4 PM
SATURDAY UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR NCZ003-NCZ004-NCZ005-NCZ006-NCZ019-NCZ020
FROM 4 PM SATURDAY UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
WV...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR WVZ042-WVZ043-WVZ045 FROM 4 PM
SATURDAY UNTIL NOON SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR WVZ-044 UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR WVZ044 FROM 4 PM SATURDAY UNTIL NOON
SUNDAY.
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR WVZ044 FROM 4 PM SATURDAY UNTIL NOON
SUNDAY.
&&
HLHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 412 PM EST SAT JAN 22 2005 NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059- WVZ042>045-231000- ALLEGHANY VA-ALLEGHANY NC-AMHERST VA-APPOMATTOX VA-ASHE NC-BATH VA- BEDFORD VA-BLAND VA-BOTETOURT VA-BUCKINGHAM VA-CAMPBELL VA- CARROLL VA-CASWELL NC-CHARLOTTE VA-CRAIG VA-FLOYD VA-FRANKLIN VA- GILES VA-GRAYSON VA-GREENBRIER WV-HALIFAX VA-HENRY VA-MERCER WV- MONROE WV-MONTGOMERY VA-PATRICK VA-PITTSYLVANIA VA-PULASKI VA- ROANOKE VA-ROCKBRIDGE VA-ROCKINGHAM NC-SMYTH VA-STOKES NC-SUMMERS WV- SURRY NC-TAZEWELL VA-WATAUGA NC-WILKES NC-WYTHE VA-YADKIN NC- 412 PM EST SAT JAN 22 2005 .THROUGH EARLY EVENING... A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE PIEDMONT UNTIL 9 PM TODAY...FOR A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN. PLEASE SEE WBCWSWRNK FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. ALSO VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR INFORMATION AT...HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/RNK (LOWER CASE) .TONIGHT AND SUNDAY... WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA AND TAZEWELL COUNTY VIRGINIA TONIGHT THROUGH NOON SUNDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ON THE WESTERN SLOPES. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...EXCLUDING AREAS IN THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TONIGHT UNTIL NOON SUNDAY. THE PIEDMONT OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA...INCLUDING THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS HAVE A WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT UNTIL NOON SUNDAY. SEE WBCWSWRNK AND WBCNPWRNK PRODUCTS FOR DETAILS...AND VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT...HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/RNK (LOWER CASE). .BEYOND SUNDAY... NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED...TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND WIND SPEEDS AND/OR DAMAGE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, January 2005
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: 5433262, 5433257, 5433261, 5433264, 5433265, 5433256, 5433263, 5433258, 5433259, 5433260.