West Virginia, 2012

Heavy Snow in West Virginia, April 23, 2012

April 23, 2012 · NWS PBZ · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system, moving northeastward over pennsylvania, brought rain that eventually changed over to heavy wet snow to parts of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett County Maryland. The late season snow was exceptionally heavy, bringing down power lines and trees that had already leafed out.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 PBZ wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system, moving northeastward over pennsylvania, brought rain that eventually changed over to heavy wet snow to parts of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett County Maryland. The late season snow was exceptionally heavy, bringing down power lines and trees that had already leafed out. The heaviest accumulations occurred in the higher elevations; with 8 inches occuring in Oakland, Maryland and Acme, Pennsylvania.

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 12:17 AM EST, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 12:17 AM EST, 2 hours 43 minutes before
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Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Tucker

When
April 23, 3:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Tucker forecast zone
Reported by
Broadcast Media

Heavy Snow, Preston

When
April 23, 3:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Preston forecast zone
Reported by
Broadcast Media

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 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, April 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 375286, 375288.