Heavy Snow, Randolph
- When
- January 26, 9:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Randolph forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 26, 2011
A cold rain pushed northeast into West Virginia during the Wednesday evening the 25th. A strong mid and upper level disturbance approached by dawn on Thursday the 26th.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $75,000
- 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 RLX wrote it up.
A cold rain pushed northeast into West Virginia during the Wednesday evening the 25th. A strong mid and upper level disturbance approached by dawn on Thursday the 26th. In response to the dynamics aloft, a weak surface low developed to the south of West Virginia, while the intensity and coverage of the rain increased. The rain changed to wet snow between dawn and late morning. The heaviest snow fell between midday and 1600E. Elkins measured 7 to 8 inches of snow between 1300E and 1900E. As the strong dynamics aloft shifted east, the snow quickly decreased in intensity after dark. Snow accumulations of 5 to 8 inches were common in less than 12 hours. Pickens in Randolph County had the most snow reported with 10 inches.
The heavy wet snow caused some electrical outages. Several thousand customers were without power. The most outages were reported in Upshur, Barbour, Randolph, and Taylor Counties.
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 Jan 25, 6:48 PM EST, 14 hours 12 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 25, 6:48 PM EST, 14 hours 12 minutes before
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</html>The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Pocahontas
- When
- January 26, 9:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pocahontas forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Heavy Snow, Webster
- When
- January 26, 9:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Heavy Snow, Nicholas
- When
- January 26, 9:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nicholas forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Heavy Snow, Fayette
- When
- January 26, 9:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fayette forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Heavy Snow, Raleigh
- When
- January 26, 9:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Raleigh forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Heavy Snow, Taylor
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Taylor forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 39.336, -80.046 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Barbour
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Barbour forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 39.133, -80.003 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Upshur
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Upshur forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 38.898, -80.233 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Delaware, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 26, 2011
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 26, 2011
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 26, 2011
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Winter Weather in Virginia, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 26 to 27, 2011
- Winter Storm in West Virginia, January 26 to 27, 2011
More
Every storm in West Virginia in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 269546, 269547, 269548, 269549, 269553, 269554, 269550, 269551, 269552.