West Virginia, 2010

Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 9 to 11, 2010

February 9 to 11, 2010 · NWS RLX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A wintry mix of precipitation arrived during the morning of Tuesday the 9th. However, the mixture changed to mostly rain for the afternoon, as the low pressure center lifted northeast toward Ohio.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 RLX wrote it up.

A wintry mix of precipitation arrived during the morning of Tuesday the 9th. However, the mixture changed to mostly rain for the afternoon, as the low pressure center lifted northeast toward Ohio. The artcic cold front swept through around 0000E on Wednesday the 10th. The rain had changed to snow Tuesday evening, prior to the frontal passage.

As the coastal storm strengthened during the daylight hours of Wednesday the 10th, wind blown snow showers were seen over West Virginia. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph were felt. The snow showers diminished that evening over the lowlands. However, the snow showers did not diminish until early on the 11th for the mountainous counties.

The lowlands saw widespread accumulations of 2 to 5 inches over 24 hours. The heavy snow was limited to the mountainous counties. Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches were common. The extreme case was at Kumbrabow State Forest, where the snow depth increased from 15 inches prior to the storm, to 29 inches. Pickens snow depth went from 6 inches to 15 inches. Glady snow depth increased from 12 inches prior to this storm, to 19 inches. Beckley saw their snow depth go from 7 inches before the storm, to 17 inches. On a mountain near Richwood, their snow depth went from 8 inches before the storm, to 19 inches by dawn on the 11th. Elkins new snow accumulation was 6 inches, with a total snow depth of 13 inches at the end of this storm. In the river valley at Webster Springs, a 6 inch snow accumulation was also measured.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 4:40 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 4:40 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
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Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Fayette

When
February 9, 6:00 PM EST to February 11, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

Heavy Snow, Raleigh

When
February 9, 6:00 PM EST to February 11, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Raleigh forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

Heavy Snow, Nicholas

When
February 9, 6:00 PM EST to February 11, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Nicholas forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

Heavy Snow, Webster

When
February 9, 6:00 PM EST to February 11, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

Heavy Snow, Pocahontas

When
February 9, 6:00 PM EST to February 11, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Pocahontas forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

Heavy Snow, Randolph

When
February 9, 6:00 PM EST to February 11, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Randolph forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

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 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, February 2010

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 210263, 210264, 210265, 210266, 210267, 210268.