Heavy Snow in Virginia, October 29 to 31, 2012

Name: Heavy Snow in Virginia, October 29 to 31, 2012
Start: 2012-10-29T11:00
End: 2012-10-31T02:00
Location: Virginia

October 29 to 31, 2012 · NWS RLX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A rare consolidation of a strong mid and upper level trough in the polar jet with a tropical hurricane named Sandy resulted in a historical snow storm for the month of October. Periods of rain fell from late on the 27th into the 28th, as a cold front moved east.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 rare consolidation of a strong mid and upper level trough in the polar jet with a tropical hurricane named Sandy resulted in a historical snow storm for the month of October.

Periods of rain fell from late on the 27th into the 28th, as a cold front moved east. In response to the colder air associated with the polar jet and the strengthening mid level trough, light rain changed to the first snowflakes around 0000E to 0200E on Monday the 29th. This was only across the high terrain of southwest Virginia northward into the mountainous counties of central West Virginia. For example, the ground was white by dawn on the mountaintops near Nora. However, little accumulations were seen through the morning hours of the 29th.

The main event began around midday on the 29th, with the brunt of the storm occurring overnight Monday night through the day on Tuesday the 30th. The snow decreased in intensity Tuesday evening, but some lighter snow mixed with drizzle and freezing drizzle lingered into the early morning hours on Wednesday the 31st.

Snow accumulations were highly dependent on elevation. Snow accumulations were mostly 2 to 12 inches. For example, the cooperative observer near Nora measured 10 inches. Near blizzard conditions were seen over the exposed high terrain, but not throughout a majority of Buchanan and Dickenson Counties.

The weight of the snow caused trees and branches to snap or bend onto power lines and blocked roads. Over 5,500 customers lost electricity, mostly in Dickenson County.

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 Oct 29, 9:41 AM EST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 29, 9:41 AM EST, 1 hour 19 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 29, 9:30 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 29, 8:10 AM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
910 AM EDT MON OCT 29 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0730 AM     SNOW             BECKLEY                 37.79N  81.19W
10/29/2012  M0.3 INCH        RALEIGH            WV   PUBLIC

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1200527

JSH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Buchanan

When: October 29, 11:00 AM EST to October 31, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Buchanan forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 37.267, -82.036 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dickenson

When: October 29, 11:00 AM EST to October 31, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Dickenson forecast zone
Property damage: $750,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 37.126, -82.350 (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

Every storm in Virginia in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, October 2012

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: 412881, 412882.