Very strong winds developed on the 14th due to a strengthening low pressure system off the Mid Atlantic Coast and a fast moving cold front that passed through the region early in the day. Widespread damages and power outages occurred during this event, with newspaper reports indicating tens of thousands without power for an extended period of time.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 LWX wrote it up.
Very strong winds developed on the 14th due to a strengthening low pressure system off the Mid Atlantic Coast and a fast moving cold front that passed through the region early in the day. Widespread damages and power outages occurred during this event, with newspaper reports indicating tens of thousands without power for an extended period of time.
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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 4:00 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
400 PM EST SAT JAN 14 2006
.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...
ACTIVE WEATHER CONTINUES...AND SHORT TERM CHALLENGES REVOLVE AROUND
WINDS TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES/AMOUNTS
TONIGHT.
SFC ANALYSES OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS SHOW THAT LOW PRESSURE
CONTINUES TO DEEPEN OFF THE JERSEY/SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST THIS
AFTERNOON. KLWX 88D SHOWS A PRIMARY DEFORMATION BAND OF RAIN/SNOW
SHOWERS ORIENTED NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF OUR
CWA...WRAPPING AROUND THE STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. UPSLOPE
SNOW SHOWERS ARE ALSO AFFECTING OUR WESTERN 5 COUNTIES.
REGARDING WINDS...NAM AND GFS BOTH ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING LOW
PRESSURE CONTINUING TO DEEPEN TONIGHT AS IT HEADS TOWARD THE
CANADIAN MARITIMES. WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE
WEST...THIS WILL CAUSE FURTHER TIGHTENING OF THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
TONIGHT. THE GRADIENT COMBINED WITH COLD ADVECTION IS ALREADY
ALLOWING SIGNIFICANT WIND GUSTS TO OCCUR. KDCA IS GUSTING TO 47 KT
AT 3 PM...AND GFS AND NAM BOTH SHOW A STRONGER WIND CORE NOT TOO
HIGH OFF THE DECK (925/850 MB) MOVING ACROSS TONIGHT. THE NAM CORE
IS A LITTLE STRONGER THAN THE GFS...BUT EVEN THE MOMENTUM TRANSFER
ASSOCIATED WITH THE GFS WILL GIVE THE POTENTIAL FOR GUSTS AOA 50 KT.
WE ARE GOING TO UPGRADE OUR WIND ADVISORY TO A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR
OUR ENTIRE CWA. THIS WILL LAST UNTIL 7 AM. AFTER 7 AM...925/850 MB
SPEEDS WILL BE LESS...HOWEVER WILL GO WITH A WIND ADVISORY ON SUNDAY
FROM 7 AM TO 4 PM WITH NAM AND GFS SHOWING THE POTENTIAL FOR 40 KT
TYPE GUSTS TO OCCUR.
REGARDING PRECIPITATION...HAVE INCREASED POPS TO HIGH CHC TO LIKELY
FOR THOSE AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE PRECIP BAND THIS
EVENING. ENOUGH COLD AIR HAS ADVECTED ACROSS OUR CWA WHERE A LOT OF
THE PRECIP FALLING NOW IS SNOW...WITH JUST A FEW AREAS EXPERIENCING
RAIN. WILL FOCUS ON THE FROZEN TYPE...WITH AMOUNTS MAINLY AN INCH OR
LESS. HOWEVER...THE MODELS IMPLY THE POTENTIAL FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE
ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN MARYLAND AND THE NW DC BURBS AND THE
EVENING SHIFT WILL NEED TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THIS. ACROSS THE
WESTERN 5 COUNTIES...SNOW ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE TIL 7 AM FOR A
TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES.
REGARDING TEMPERATURES...STUCK REALLY CLOSE TO MOS NUMBERS FOR
TONIGHT WHICH WERE IN GOOD AGREEMENT. MOS WAS IN GOOD AGREEMENT FOR
SUNDAY AS WELL BUT UNDERCUT ABOUT A CATEGORY.
&&
.LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...
PGRAD RELAXES SUN NGT...AND RDG AXIS OHD BY MON AFTN. ATMOS DRIES
OUT THRUT PD...W/ DEWPTS IN THE TEENS BY MON AFTN. /CHECK OUT DEWPTS
ARND GRTLKS AND ADJ CNDA ATTM./ HV BROUGHT IN APPROPRIATE CLRG.
NXT SYSTM IN SERIES OF PROGRESSIVE WVS ORGANIZING IN CNTRL PLAINS
MON. LOOK FOR H8 WAA MON NGT. SETUP /IE...LIFT/ LOOKS CONDUSIVE TO
SQUEEZE OUT A LTL LGT QPF. HWVR...HV AN AWFULLY DRY START...W/
PLENTY OF MSTNG W/IN COLUMN NCSRY BFR PCP CAN BE REALIZED. THUS...
HV SIDED CLSR TO NAM POP NUMBERS. PTYPE ALSO AN ISSUE. SWRN CNTYS HV
DECENT CHC TO WARM SUFFICIENTLY IN THE BNDRY LYR BFR RA BEGINS. AND
HILLS HV AN ADVANTAGE HERE SINCE WAA WL INTRUDE AT H8 FIRST. HWVR...
NOT SO CERTAIN ABT CNTRL VA HILLS AND NRN/NERN MD. GRIDS WL REFLECT
FZRA. SINCE POPS WL BE SCHC...MOST OF THIS WONT BE EVIDENT IN TXT
PRODUCTS.
MAIN IMPACT OF LOPRES WL BE TUE-WED...AND HV INCR POPS INTO LIKELY.
CONTD WAA TUE WL ASSIST PTYPE ISSUES. HV GONE W/ LIQUID /RA OR SHRA/
PCP. ORIG SFC LOW STAYS W OF APPLCHNS. UNCLR ATTM IF SCNDRY RDVLPMNT
WL OCCUR. IN RAIN COOLED AMS...HV TRIMMED MAXT TUE QUITE A BIT--
INTO 40S AS WM FROPA SHUD BE DELAYED. CD FROPA WED MRNG...IN A
SIMILAR SETUP TO THIS MRNGS WX. HWVR...NOT QUITE AS WINDY...LACKING
CSTL DEEPENING. HV MIXED PTYPE AGN WED NGT IN WRAP ANRD AS UPR
SYSTMS SWING THRU.
RDGG BALANCE OF FCST. ANTHR TROF AXIS SWINGS THRU TWD DAY 7...BUT
LOOKS TO BE WEAKER...AND DAMPENS OUT AS IT PROPAGATES EWD.
&&
.AVIATION...
STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY. HIGHEST GUSTS
LOOK TO BE THIS EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT...THEN A BRIEF DECREASE
(YET STILL GUSTY) LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY BEFORE PICKING UP
AGAIN. TAFS ADEQUATELY TIME THESE WIND TRENDS. VSBYS/CIGS WILL FAVOR
VFR...BUT A BAND OF WRAP AROUND PRECIP WILL AFFECT MOST OF THE TAF
SITES WITH POTENTIAL MVFR VSBY/CIG RESTRICTIONS IN -SHSN.
&&
.MARINE...
MASON NECK REPORTED A GUST OF 54 MPH AT 3 PM. KDCA REPORTED THE SAME
MAGNITUDE. A LOT OF OTHER PLACES ON OR NEAR THE WATERS ARE GUSTING
IN THE 40S (AGAIN...UNITS IN MPH). AND THE 850/925 WIND CORES OF
60-70 KT/50-60 KT RESPECTIVELY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS UNTIL
LATER THIS EVENING. MOMENTUM TRANSFER SUGGESTS THAT GUSTS ON THE
ORDER OF 50 KT ARE QUITE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS
THESE WIND CORES MOVE ACROSS. BASED ON ALL THIS...AM GOING TO
UPGRADE GALE WARNINGS TO STORM WARNINGS FOR FREQUENT GUSTS OF 50 KT
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. GUSTS WILL BE ON THE ORDER OF 40 KT
SUNDAY...SO STORM WILL DOWNGRADE TO GALES FOR SUNDAY.
WL START OUT W/ SCA SUN NGT AS DEEP CSTL LOW LIFTS NEWD. TRANQUIL WX
REST OF FCST.
&&
.LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
DC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR DCZ001 UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR DCZ001 FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 4 PM SUNDAY.
MD...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018 UNTIL
7 AM SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR MDZ002 UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018 FROM 7 AM
SUNDAY TO 4 PM SUNDAY.
VA...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR VAZ021-025>031-036>042-050>057 UNTIL 7
AM SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR VAZ021 UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR VAZ021-025>031-036>042-050>057 FROM 7 AM
SUNDAY TO 4 PM SUNDAY.
WV...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR WVZ048>055 UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR WVZ048-049-054 UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR WVZ048>055 FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 4 PM SUNDAY.
MARINE...STORM WARNING FOR ANZ530>537 UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY.
...GALE WARNING FOR ANZ530>537 FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 4 PM SUNDAY.
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ530>537 FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 3 AM
MONDAY.
&&
SHORT TERM...PELOQUIN
LONG TERM...HTS
AVIATION...PELOQUIN
MARINE...PELOQUIN/HTS<!doctype html>
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, January 2006
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: 5486139, 5486143, 5486136, 5486140, 5486141, 5486137, 5486142, 5486138.