Heavy Snow in West Virginia, December 21 to 22, 2012

Name: Heavy Snow in West Virginia, December 21 to 22, 2012
Start: 2012-12-21T04:00
End: 2012-12-22T11:30
Location: West Virginia

December 21 to 22, 2012 · NWS RLX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong cold front swept through during the night of the 20th into the 21st. In its wake, wind blown snow showers, of varying intensity, formed during the predawn hours of Friday the 21st.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 strong cold front swept through during the night of the 20th into the 21st. In its wake, wind blown snow showers, of varying intensity, formed during the predawn hours of Friday the 21st.

A significant upslope snow shower episode occurred on the 21st into the morning of the 22nd for some of the mountainous counties. Temperatures were in the 20s, with some teens above 3500 feet. Wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph caused considerable blowing snow over high terrain. A few electric power outages occurred due to the wind gusts.

Snow accumulations of 5 to 10 inches were common across Fayette, Nicholas, Webster, Pocahontas, and Randolph Counties. The maximum snow accumulation was around a foot. For example, the cooperative observer at Kumbrabow State Forest had a 12 inch accumulation. A spotter in Nettie of Nicholas County also reported a snow depth of 12 inches. Accumulations of 1 to 3 inches were common through the western lowland 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 Dec 20, 4:36 PM EST, 11 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 4:36 PM EST, 11 hours 24 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 20, 2:05 PM EST, 13 hours 55 minutes before

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Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Fayette

When: December 21, 4:00 AM EST to December 22, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy Snow, Nicholas

When: December 21, 4:00 AM EST to December 22, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Nicholas forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy Snow, Webster

When: December 21, 4:00 AM EST to December 22, 11:30 AM EST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways

Heavy Snow, Randolph

When: December 21, 4:00 AM EST to December 22, 11:30 AM EST
Where: Randolph forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy Snow, Pocahontas

When: December 21, 4:00 AM EST to December 22, 11:30 AM EST
Where: Pocahontas 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

Every storm in West Virginia in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, December 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: 417029, 417030, 417031, 417033, 417034.