A warm front crossed the region during the afternoon of the 29th, and then a cold front approached the area during the evening. Numerous showers and storms developed in association with both of these fronts.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.
A warm front crossed the region during the afternoon of the 29th, and then a cold front approached the area during the evening. Numerous showers and storms developed in association with both of these fronts. Some of the storms increased to severe levels and produced damaging winds.
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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 29, 3:50 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 350 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL IMPACT THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT AND REACH THE EAST COAST BY LATE THURSDAY. ANOTHER LOW WILL APPROACH FROM THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 348 PM EST WEDNESDAY... UPDATED ISC GRIDS AND ZONE TO INCLUDE TORNADO WATCH 52 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM. AS OF 320 PM EST WEDNESDAY... THE WARM FRONT WILL SLOWLY LIFT NORTH THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT... AS A COLD FRONT ADVANCES EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THE ATMOSPHERE IS BEING MORE UNSTABLE ACROSS OUR REGION...WITH THIN OF CLOUDS/BREAKS ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. THE 7H-5H LAPS RATES ON THE 19Z SPC MESOSCALE ANALYSIS ARE 7 TO 7.5 ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. LOW LEVEL WINDS INCREASE TONIGHT AND WITH THE HIGH SHEAR ENVIRONMENT...ANY BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL. NAM/SREF...WRFARW-RNK AND EVEN THE GFS WERE SHOWING AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT THAT IS FORECAST TO COME THROUGH THE COUNTY WARNING AREA BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. EXPECT THE MOST INTENSE STORMS AND THE THREAT OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL TO OCCUR BETWEEN 21Z/4PM AND 03Z/10PM. WITH LOWER FFG CONSIDERED A FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...BUT WITH FAST MOVING LINE FLOODING MAY BE MORE LOCALIZED. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR AS AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. COLDER AIR COMES IN TONIGHT BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. USED A BLEND OF THE HRRR AND NAM FOR TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 30S IN THE NORTHWEST TO THE MID 50S IN THE SOUTHEAST. LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY MORNING...THE COLD FRONT WILL BE WELL EAST OF OUR AREA BY SUNRISE...AND BELIEVE ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS...IF ANY...WILL BE ALL THAT REMAIN ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. HIGH PRESSURE BUILD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. UNDER PLENTY OF SUNSHINE...HIGHS THURSDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID 70S IN THE SOUTHEAST. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 300 PM EST WEDNESDAY... HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVERHEAD THU EVENING THEN EAST TO THE COAST FRIDAY MORNING. THIS SHOULD BE A PATTERN CONDUCIVE FOR COOLER VALLEY/PIEDMONT TEMPS WITH SOME WARMING AFTER MIDNIGHT...TOWARD DAWN WESTERN RIDGES PER INCREASING SE/S FLOW. MODELS ARE SHOWING AGREEMENT OVERALL IN BRINGING INCREASING MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM RAPIDLY NORTHWARD INTO OUR AREA FRIDAY MORNING...AND WITH RETREATING HIGH...MAY SEE A IN-SITU WEDGE SET UP...SO LOWERED HIGHS SOME FROM MOS FRIDAY IN THE TYPICAL WEDGE AREAS. WILL SEE RAIN CHANCES INCREASE FROM SW TO NE BY AFTN WITH FLOW BECOMING SOUTHERLY. DIFFERENCES DO COME INTO PLAY ON BREAKDOWN OF THE WEDGE WITH GFS SLOWEST AND NAM FASTEST. ATTM...LEANED TOWARD A GFS/ECMWF SOLUTION AS THE NAM SEEMS TOO FAST GIVEN POTENTIAL WAVE FORMING ALONG THE WARM FRONT OFF THE NC COAST FRIDAY AFTN. MODELS ARE TRYING TO SHOW A LULL BETWEEN THE WARM FRONTAL/WAA PRECIP FRIDAY AFTN AND THE COLD FRONT PRECIP FRI NIGHT-SAT MORNING. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH THAT LULL TO BE FRIDAY EVENING BASED ON MODEL/HPC CONSENSUS BUT STILL WITH MOISTURE STREAMING RAPIDLY NE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL KEEP POPS IN THE CHANCE RANGE...THEN BUMP IT TO CATEGORICAL IN THE WEST OVERNIGHT FRIDAY AND SWINGING THE FRONT ACROSS BY SAT AFTN...DRYING FROM WEST TO EAST. THIS WILL BE ANOTHER ACTIVE FRONT WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVIER RAINS POSSIBLE. ATTM...SPC HAS A SLIGHT RISK TO OUR WEST FRI NIGHT AND TIMING OF THIS LINE AT NIGHT MAY INHIBIT SVR THREAT....ALTHOUGH QLCS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD BET WITH 50-60 KNOT LOW LVL JET AND POTENTIAL FOR SOME SPINUPS GIVEN THE GFS FORECAST AND DIRECTIONAL SHEAR AROUND 12Z SAT. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 308 PM EST WEDNESDAY... SATURDAY EVENING THE BACK EDGE OF AN AREA OF PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH SATURDAYS COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL BE EXITING SOUTHSIDE VIRGINIA...AND NEIGHBORING SECTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA. NORTHWEST FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT WILL HELP GENERATE SOME UPSLOPE RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS PARTS OF SE WV...THAT WILL ISOLATED IN COVERAGE AND LAST THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...OUR NEXT NORTHERN STREAM CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL RACE THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND THEN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO START AS RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS SE WV ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...LOOK FOR COVERAGE TO SPREAD FARTHER EAST AND BECOME A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW...THE THE BULK OF THE SNOW CONFINED TO SE WV...NEIGHBORING COUNTIES OF SW VA...AND THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NC. NORTHWEST FLOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR A CONTINUATION OF UPSLOPE RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS ON MONDAY THAT WILL TREND TO ISOLATE RAIN SHOWERS BY THE AFTERNOON. TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER AND THEN EAST OF THE REGION. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR AN END OF THE PRECIPITATION...AND TREND TOWARDS MILDER CONDITIONS BY WEDNESDAY WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW ESTABLISHING ITSELF. CLOUD COVER WILL ALSO INCREASE ON WEDNESDAY AS LOW LEVEL FLOW GAINS A FETCH OF THE ATLANTIC AND MOISTURE IS ADVECTED UPSLOPE ALONG THE CREST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. && .AVIATION /21Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 1120 AM EST WEDNESDAY... MVFR EXPECTED WITH POCKETS OF IFR/LIFR THIS AFTERNOON IN CLOUDS AND CONVECTION. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH BLF AND LWB THIS EVENING AND SHOULD BE EAST OF LYH AND DAN BY 09Z. A BKN LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...WITH TEMPORARY IFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS. FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONT EXPECT A RETURN TO VFR WEATHER FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY. ANOTHER WARM FRONT WILL AFFECT THE REGION FRIDAY...WITH POSSIBLE MVFR CIGS. A STRONG COLD FRONT SHOULD ARRIVE IN THE LATE FRIDAY NIGHT-SAT TIME FRAME RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD MVFR/IFR DUE TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AMS NEAR TERM...AMS/KK SHORT TERM...WP LONG TERM...DS AVIATION...AMS/KK/PM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 348 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>034-043-WVZ042>045-012100- TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-CARROLL- FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK- FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-HENRY-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-GREENBRIER- 348 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 ...TORNADO WATCH 52 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. TORNADO WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. ANOTHER FRONT PUSHES IN BY SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM MAY ALSO BRING A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH DAMAGING WINDS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...IN ADDITION TO HEAVY RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ035-044>047-058-059-012100- ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WATAUGA-WILKES- YADKIN-AMHERST-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX- CHARLOTTE- 348 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM ANY SEVERE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT ARRIVES SATURDAY AND COULD BRING A POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH THIS EVENING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1032 AM EST WED FEB 29 2012
VAZ044>046-059-291615-
APPOMATTOX VA-CAMPBELL VA-CHARLOTTE VA-PITTSYLVANIA VA-
1032 AM EST WED FEB 29 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT APPOMATTOX...CAMPBELL...
CHARLOTTE AND PITTSYLVANIA COUNTIES...
AT 1031 AM EST...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES NORTHEAST
OF HURT...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO
POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR BROOKNEAL AROUND 1040 AM...MIKE AROUND 1045
AM...RED HOUSE AROUND 1050 AM...MADISONVILLE AROUND 1055 AM AND
ABILENE AROUND 1100 AM.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR LATER
UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
LAT...LON 3702 7846 3702 7890 3705 7897 3703 7901
3706 7908 3702 7911 3701 7946 3703 7947
3724 7933 3725 7867 3720 7868 3720 7864
3715 7859 3715 7853 3709 7848 3708 7844
KKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
226 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1155 AM LIGHTNING 4 SSE HALIFAX 36.71N 78.89W
02/29/2012 HALIFAX VA EMERGENCY MNGR
LIGHTNING STRUCK AT THE SOUTH BOSTON DMV IN THE VICINITY
OF A FLAG POLE. THE STRIKE CURLED FLASHING ALONG A
WINDOW...BROKE A PIECE OF BRICK OFF THE BUILDING...BURNT
ELECTRIC OUTLETS ON THE OPPOSING INTERIOR WALL...AND
CAUSED A MALE TO BE THROWN OUT OF HIS CHAIR. HE WAS NOT
INJURED.
&&
DSThe Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:30 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms winds blew a tree over onto a truck that was traveling past the coal mine on Anjen Road. An occupant of the truck sustained a minor injury. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorm winds blew several trees down in the Big Draft area. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorm winds blew several trees down in Union and the surrounding area. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down on Gardner Road near Spanishburg. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorm winds blew two trees down onto power lines on Pine Grove Road. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorm winds blew one tree down on Unity Road near Athens. Damage values are estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, February 2012
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 367216, 367229, 367217, 367218, 367219, 367220.