Winter Weather in Virginia, March 5, 2005

Name: Winter Weather in Virginia, March 5, 2005
Start: 2005-03-05T10:00
End: 2005-03-05T17:00
Location: Virginia

March 5, 2005 · NWS AKQ · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

One half inch to two inches of snow, mainly on grassy areas and trees, fell across portions of central Virginia. The snow produced a few slick roadways.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 AKQ wrote it up.

One half inch to two inches of snow, mainly on grassy areas and trees, fell across portions of central Virginia. The snow produced a few slick roadways. The highest snow amounts were reported in Gum Springs in Goochland county 2", Ashland in Hanover county 2", Ruther Glen in Caroline county 1", and Mangohick in King William county 1".

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 Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 5, 3:15 AM EST, 6 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 3:15 AM EST, 6 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
315 AM EST SAT MAR 5 2005

.SYNOPSIS...QUICK MOVG S/W HAS PTNTL TO PRODUCE ANYTHING FROM A MIX OF
RAIN/SNOW TO ISLTD THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FA TDY.

&&

.TODAY...MSAS SHOWING FRNTL BNDRY ALONG THE NC-VA BRDR. THIS BNDRY WILL
BE ONE KEY TO TDYS FCST. POTENT S/W PROGGED TO MOVE SE ALONG THIS BNDRY
TDY EXITING OFSHORE THIS EVE. BEST LIFT WITH THIS SYSTM PROGGED AFTR 18Z.
LDS SHOWING NMRS LTG STRIKES ACROSS NRN KY ATTM. THIS CONVECTION TO BE
YET ANTHR FACTOR IN TDYS FCST. TMPS ARE A CONCERN AS WELL WITH READINGS
BTWN 35-40 N OF BNDRY...IN THE 40S TO THE S. WENT WITH A BLEND OF MODEL
SOLNS TDY ALONG WITH THE COORDINATED EFFORTS FROM SRDNG OFFICES.

RTHR HARD TO PINPOINT JUST EXACTLY WHERE CRITICAL WX WILL BE GIVEN THE
PROGGED DYMNCS WITH THIS FTR. BEST GUESS ATTM IS FOR LIKELY (LIQUID POPS)
ACROSS SRN AREAS. PER SPC...GIVEN STEEP LAPSE RATES AND PTNTL FOR TMP
DIFFERENTIAL GRDNT S OF BNDRY THIS AFTRN...HAVE ADDED ISLTD THUNDER TO
SW MOST CNTYS (FROM AVC-EDE). GIVEN CONVECTIVE NATURE OF PCPN...PTNTL
EXISTS FOR A QUICK CHANGEOVER FROM RAIN SHWRS TO SNOW SHWRS ACROSS NW CNTYS
THIS AFTRN. NAM HAS WRMR BNDRY TMPS WHILE GFS RPDLY SHIFTS WNDS TO N
ALLOWING BNDRY TMP TO DROP TO NR FREEZING B4 PCPN ENDS. THUS...WILL TRY
TO CONVEY THIS AS A MIX OF RAIN/SNOW SHWRS...LTL / NO ACCUMULATIONS XPCTD.
GIVEN MARCH SUN ANGLE...SNOW WUD HAVE TO COME DOWN HARD TO ACCUMULATE.

TMP FCST TRICKY AS WELL. LTST MODELS ARE COLDER N OF BNDRY. CUD SEE A 15-
20 DEGREE TMP SPREAD ACROSS FA WITH READINGS HOLDING IN 30S ACROSS NRN
CNTY RANGING INTO L-M 50S ACROSS NE NC.

.TONIGHT...SYSTM EXITS OFFSHORE WITH ANY PCPN ENDING B4 MIDNIGHT. CLRG
SKIES AFTR 06Z.

.SUNDAY AND MONDAY...H5 RIDGE BUILDS INTO RGN FROM SW. W-NW FLOW DRIES
AIRMASS OUT ALLOWING FOR AMPLE SUNSHINE. TMPS RESPOND TO THESE DOWNSLOPING
CNDTNS. HIGHS SUN IN THE 50S. M50S-M60S MON.

.MONDAY NIGHT / TUESDAY...NXT S/W INTO GT LAKES MON NITE THEN NEW ENGLAND
TUE. TRAILING CDFRNT CROSS FA TUE AM. CHC POPS WITH THIS FTR ENDING TUE
AFTRN.

&&

MARINE...
POSSIBILITY OF MINIMAL SCA...MAINLY FOR SEAS...TONIGHT SRN
ATLC COASTAL WATERS AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS WITH CLIPPER MOVING OFF THE
COAST. ANOTHER NORTHERN STREAM SYSTEM TO PASS BY TO THE N ON
SUN...LEADING TO A WIND SHIFT OVER THE WATERS SUN NIGHT. STRONGER
SYSTEM PROGGED FOR MON AND TUE...AS FAIRLY STRONG CDFRNT CROSSES
THE WATERS. EXPECT AT LEAST SCA AHD OF AND ESPECIALLY BEHIND THAT
FRONT.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CIGS LIKELY DROPPING DOWN TO MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS TODAY AS
CLIPPER SYSTEM CROSSES THE AREA. CONDITIONS MAY EVEN DROP TO BRIEFLY
IFR IN ANY SNOW SHOWERS AT SBY...OR RIC...THIS AFTERNOON.

&&

.AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MD...NONE.
NC...NONE.
VA...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...
SHORT / LONG TERM / FIRE WEATHER...44
AVIATION / MARINE...18

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Caroline

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Caroline forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 38.027, -77.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Fluvanna

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Fluvanna forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.842, -78.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Goochland

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Goochland forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.722, -77.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hanover

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Hanover forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Winter Weather, Henrico / Richmond

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Henrico / Richmond forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Winter Weather, King William

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: King William forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Winter Weather, Louisa

When: March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Louisa forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, March 2005

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: 5444671, 5444672, 5444673, 5444674, 5444675, 5444676, 5444677.