Virginia, 2011

Winter Storm in Virginia, October 28 to 29, 2011

October 28 to 29, 2011 · NWS LWX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

High pressure over New England pumped in an abundant amount of cold air while low pressure developed along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Precipitation well ahead of the low overspread northern and central Virginia during the evening hours of the 28th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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 LWX wrote it up.

High pressure over New England pumped in an abundant amount of cold air while low pressure developed along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Precipitation well ahead of the low overspread northern and central Virginia during the evening hours of the 28th. Precipitation continued into the 29th before ending during the late morning and afternoon hours. There was enough cold air for precipitation to fall in the form of snow especially across the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley.

The combination of heavy wet snow on trees that still had leaves caused numerous power outages mainly across extreme northern Virginia into the Shenandoah Valley and Potomac Highlands.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Western Highland

When
October 28, 4:00 PM EST to October 29, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Western Highland forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 5.5 inches about two miles west-southwest of Monterey.

Winter Storm, Eastern Highland

When
October 28, 4:00 PM EST to October 29, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Highland forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 5.0 inches near Vanderpool.

Winter Storm, Madison

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
Park/Forest Service
Coordinates
38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 8.0 inches at Big Meadows and 9.0 inches at Skyland.

Winter Storm, Rockingham

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Rockingham forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.481, -78.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 5.0 inches at Dale Enterprise.

Winter Storm, Page

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Page forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 4.8 inches near Honeyville.

Winter Storm, Shenandoah

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Shenandoah forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 5.3 inches near Clary.

Winter Storm, Warren

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 6.0 inches at Front Royal and 8.3 inches near Linden.

Winter Storm, Clarke

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Clarke forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 6.5 inches near Bethel and 4.5 inches near Stringtown.

Winter Storm, Frederick

When
October 28, 5:00 PM EST to October 29, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 7.5 inches near Wild Acres and 6.0 inches near Cedar Grove.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, October 2011

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 351177, 351178, 351170, 351171, 351172, 351173, 351174, 351175, 351176.