An area of low pressure tracked into the region from the south combined with cold air resulting in heavy snow across the area. This heavy snow event was the largest snowfall that has occurred across southwest Virginia since 1996.
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 MRX wrote it up.
An area of low pressure tracked into the region from the south combined with cold air resulting in heavy snow across the area. This heavy snow event was the largest snowfall that has occurred across southwest Virginia since 1996. The heaviest snow fell over the higher elevations where 12-18 inches was reported. The valley locations received values ranging from 8 to 12 inches of snow.
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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 6:19 PM EST, 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
619 PM EST FRI DEC 18 2009
.AVIATION...
TRI...MODERATE SNOW WILL PRODUCE LIFR CONDITIONS THROUGH MOST OF
THE NIGHT. WE SHOULD SEE THE LIFT DECREASING AFTER 06Z...AND SOME
DRIER AIR MOVES INTO THE UPPER LEVELS...WHICH SHOULD LEAD TO THE
SNOW BEING LIGHTER AND CONDITIONS IMPROVING TO IFR. CONTINUED
DRYING ALOFT AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES AWAY SHOULD END THE
SNOW BY 18Z...BUT MVFR CIGS SHOULD LINGER.
CHA AND TYS...PRECIP SHOULD BE MAINLY RAIN THROUGH THE
EVENING...PRODUCING IFR CIGS AND MVFR VIS. TYS MAY SEE A CHANGE TO
SNOW FOR A BRIEF PERIOD BEFORE THE PRECIP ENDS AROUND 09Z. PLENTY
OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN OVERCAST MVFR CIGS THROUGH
SATURDAY.
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST SATURDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...
COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...HANCOCK...HAWKINS...JOHNSON...
MORGAN...NORTHWEST CARTER...NORTHWEST GREENE...SCOTT TN...
SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST
GREENE...SULLIVAN...UNICOI...WASHINGTON TN.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST /6 PM CST/ SATURDAY FOR
THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...EAST POLK...
GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...JEFFERSON...KNOX...LOUDON...MARION...
NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...NORTHWEST COCKE...ROANE...
SEQUATCHIE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNION.
VA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...WASHINGTON...WISE.
&&
DGSHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 540 AM EST FRI DEC 18 2009 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-191000- CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS- SULLIVAN-JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN- NORTHWEST COCKE-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE- SOUTHEAST GREENE-WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER- SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE-LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT- BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS- SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN-NORTHWEST MONROE- SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-LEE- WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON- 540 AM EST (440 AM CST) FRI DEC 18 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST BY TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS... NORTHEAST TENNESSEE...AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA BY TONIGHT. LIGHTER SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE OUTSIDE OF THESE AREAS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER STATEMENT (MEMWSWMRX) FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH ADDITIONAL LIGHT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED FOR SNOWFALL REPORTS THIS WEEKEND. DMG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency Management reported amounts ranging from 10 to 12 inches of snow in valley areas in the county to 12 to 18 inches of snow in higher elevations throughout the county.
Law enforcement personnel reported 7 to 12 inches of snow fell across the county.
Law enforcement personnel reported 7 to 16 inches of snow fell across the county.
Law enforcement personnel reported 10 to 15 inches of snow fell across the county.
Law enforcement personnel reported 4 to 10 inches of snow fell across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, December 2009
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: 205609, 205610, 205611, 205612, 205613.