High winds were caused by the gradient between departing low pressure and high pressure building eastward. Gusts up to 58 mph were recorded at Hot Springs Airport.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
High winds were caused by the gradient between departing low pressure and high pressure building eastward. Gusts up to 58 mph were recorded at Hot Springs Airport.
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 Mar 19, 2:54 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 354 PM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTROL THE WEATHER PATTERN THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES... WITH ONLY PASSING HIGH CLOUDS. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL ENTER THE APPALACHIANS EARLY WEDNESDAY EVENING...TRIGGERING ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW SHOWERS...WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE FAVORED WESTERN UPSLOPE AREAS THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 330 PM EDT TODAY... SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES MAINLY CLEAR SKIES THIS AFTERNOON... WITH ONLY A FEW PATCHES OF HIGH CLOUDS MAKING THEIR WAY ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY TOWARD OUR AREA. WINDS REMAIN GUSTY THANKS TO A TIGHTENED PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN LOW PRESSURE TO THE NORTHEAST AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST. EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE IN THESE CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...ALTHOUGH WIND SPEEDS WILL DIMINISH GRADUALLY THROUGH THE NIGHT ONCE THE SUN SETS. VERY DRY AIR WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO THE AREA OVERNIGHT...DRIER THAN WHAT MODEL CONSENSUS SUGGESTS. DESPITE THE FALLING DEWPOINTS HOWEVER...WITH WINDS REMAINING SOMEWHAT GUSTY THROUGH THE NIGHT...SHOULD SEE ENOUGH MIXING TO KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM REALLY BOTTOMING OUT. EXPECT LOWS FOR TONIGHT TO RANGE FROM THE LOW 30S ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT...TO THE MID 20S ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA AND THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS...ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE SHELTERED DEEPER VALLEYS MAY FALL INTO THE UPPER TEENS LOCALLY. WILL START THURSDAY OFF WITH PASSING HIGH CLOUDS MAINLY SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 81 CORRIDOR...WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR ANOTHER COOL/MILD DAY...WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE LOW/MID 40S ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...TO THE MID/UPPER 50S ACROSS THE PIEDMONTS. CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE DURING THE AFTERNOON AS OUR NEXT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THE LATEST ROUND OF MODEL GUIDANCE IS CALLING FOR THIS NEXT DISTURBANCE TO ARRIVE A LITTLE LATER THAN FORECAST DURING PREVIOUS RUNS...AND THEREFORE HAVE BACKED THE ARRIVAL OF THIS SYSTEM TO AROUND SUNSET FOR THE MOUNTAINS. PRECIPITATION MAY START OFF BRIEFLY AS RAIN...BUT WILL QUICKLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW...WITH ACCUMULATIONS BEGINNING ACROSS THE WESTERN FACING SLOPES BY THE END OF THE DAY. PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD EAST THROUGH THE EVENING...WITH FLAKES FLYING ACROSS THE PIEDMONTS HEADING INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THURSDAY. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM EDT TUESDAY... THE UPPER AIR PATTERN DOES NOT CHANGE MUCH THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK WITH RIDGE IN THE WESTERN CONUS AND TROF IN THE EAST COURTESY OF BLOCKY HEMISPHERIC FLOW. VERY STRONG NEGATIVE ARCTIC OSCILLATION IS EXPECTED TO BOTTOM OUT TOWARD WEEKS END WITH FEED OF ARCTIC AIR DIRECTED INTO THE ERN CONUS. PACIFIC JET WILL PROVIDE A NUMBER OF SHORT WAVE FEATURES THAT WILL STREAM EASTWARD...BUT MUST YIELD TO THE POLAR EXPRESS OVER THE CENTRAL/ERN CONUS...EACH WAVE GETTING SQUASHED BY THE CONFLUENT FLOW ALOFT. FIRST IN A SERIES OF WAVES WILL COME THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THIS LEAD SHORT WAVE ACTING TO AMPLIFY THE UPPER LEVEL LONG WAVE TROUGH AS THE ARCTIC OSCILLATION IS STILL IN A DEEPENING PHASE. THIS SHORT WAVE LOOKS AS THOUGH IT WILL BACK THE SURFACE FLOW ENOUGH TO PROVIDE A ZONE OF STRONG CONVERGENCE ALONG ITS LEADING AXIS. THIS SUGGESTS THERE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT OMEGA TO SUPPORT A 2 TO 4 HOUR BURST OF PRECIP AS THE AXIS CROSSES THE CWA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. DOWNSLOPE FLOW MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO COUNTER THE RESULTANT OMEGA...THUS POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SOME MEASURABLE QPF ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA WITH ITS PASSAGE. CURRENT THINKING IS ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF QPF OVER AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS...WITH A TRACE TO A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. 85H TEMPS LOOK PLENTY COLD FOR PRECIP TO BE MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...AND RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. MODEL TIMING SUGGESTS LEADING EDGE OF THE PRECIP WILL REACH A BLUEFIELD-BRISTOL LINE AROUND 8PM WEDNESDAY EVENING...THEN QUICKLY SPREAD EAST...CROSSING THE MTNS BETWN 8PM AND MIDNIGHT...THEN EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE AFTER MIDNIGHT. GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WHERE 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL CLOSELY FIT THE 1-2 TENTHS OF QPF ON A 10-1 RATIO. ANOTHER CONCERN THAT WILL NEED TO BE HIGHLIGHTED FOR THIS PARTICULAR EVENT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FREEZE SITUATION ON AREA ROADS. SNOW MAY INITIALLY MELT ON CONTACT WITH THE RELATIVELY WARM GROUND...BUT WITH TEMPERATURES PROGGED TO QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 20S...POSSIBLY TEENS ACROSS THE HIGHLANDS AND HIGH COUNTRY...ANY WATER ON THE ROADS WILL QUICKLY FREEZE INTO BLACK ICE. THIS IMPACT DRIVEN SORT OF HAZARD MAY RESULT IN THE NEED FOR WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES TO BE POSTED. ONCE WE GET PAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY LOOK DOWN RIGHT COLD. WITH 85H TEMPS PLUNGING TO NEAR M14 DEG C THURSDAY...DON'T LOOK FOR THE MERCURY TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND STRUGGLE TO REACH 40 EAST OF THE MTNS. VERY COLD AIRMASS SUPPORTS DENDRITIC GROWTH THROUGH ANY LINGERING CLOUD LAYERS THURSDAY...SO FLURRIES WILL BE ABOUND IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IN THE HIGHLANDS OF WV. THE AIRMASS GRADUALLY DRIES OUT DURING THE DAY...SO SHOULD SET STAGE FOR MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS THURSDAY NIGHT...THEN ENTIRE CWA EXPERIENCING BLO FREEZING TEMPS THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH SOME OF THE MTN LOCATIONS REVISITING THE UPPER TEENS. NEXT SHORT WAVE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST FRIDAY...BUT BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF CONFLUENT FLOW ALOFT...LOOKS AS IF THIS WAVE WILL GET SHUNTED TO THE SOUTH BY THE STRONG WESTERLIES ALOFT. CLOUDS AND LIGHT PRECIP MAY TEASE OUR SOUTHWESTERN CWA...BUT WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY FOR NOW UNTIL POLAR EXPRESS WEAKENS OVER THE UPCOMING WEEKEND WHICH THEN INTRODUCES ITS OWN FORECAST CHALLENGE. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 300 PM EDT TUESDAY... COMPLEX FORECAST THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE VERY NEGATIVE AO PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN OVER TIME THUS ALLOWING FOR THE UPPER FLOW TO FLATTEN AS WE HEAD INTO SUNDAY AND MONDAY. AS HEIGHTS BEGIN TO BUILD ALOFT...THIS WILL ALLOW THE COLD AIR TO RETREAT AND MODIFY...BUT ALSO SUBJECT US TO WEATHER SYSTEMS TRACKING FARTHER NORTH. AS VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE FEATURES CONTINUE TO STREAM EASTWARD FROM THE PACIFIC...EACH SYSTEM APPEARS THAT IT WILL GAIN SOME LATITUDE...EVENTUALLY SUBJECTING CLOUDS AND PRECIP WITH TIME. THE FIRST SUCH WAVE IS EXPECTED TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY, WITH A DECIDED ZONAL STRIPE TO ITS PRECIPITATION FIELD DUE TO THE CONFLUENT FLOW ALOFT AND JUST SKIRTING OUR SOUTHERN CWA. THE NEXT WAVE PACKET IS MORE COMPLEX, COMPRISED OF AT LEAST TWO DISTINCT SHORTWAVES. THERE IS STILL CONSIDERABLE FORECAST SPREAD AND UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHAT SORT OF SURFACE FEATURES DEVELOP AND HOW FAR NORTH THE SYSTEMS TRACK...BUT CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT WE WILL EXPERIENCE PRECIPITATION... REGARDLESS OF FORM DURING THE SUNDAY/MONDAY TIME FRAME. ATTM...IT APPEARS WE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A DISJOINTED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...MILLER B...WITH LOW PRESSURE TRACKING EAST INTO THE TN/OH VALLEY FOLLOWED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SECONDARY AREA OF LOW PRESSURE FORMING SOMEWHERE ALONG THE SOUTHEAST ATLANTIC COAST. THIS SUGGESTS PTYPES WILL BE MIXED WITH HODGE PODGE OF WEATHER...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW...SLEET...AND RAIN. AMOUNTS WILL BE DICTATED BY THE PROXIMITY OF BOTH DISJOINTED FEATURES...BOTH THE LOW WHICH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FROM THE WEST AND THE SECONDARY LOW WHICH DEVELOPS ALONG THE COAST. WILL IRON OUT MORE SPECIFICS AS THE EVENT GETS CLOSER IN TIME...BUT I THINK ONE THING IS GIVEN...WINTER AINT OVER JUST YET. && .AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 200 PM EDT TUESDAY... EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE 19/18Z TAF PERIOD AT ALL AIRPORTS IN THE FORECAST AREA. SKIES ARE CLEAR ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. WITH AROUND A 5MB PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS INTO CENTRAL VIRGINIA...EXPECT GUSTY AND GENERALLY WESTERLY WINDS TO PERSIST INTO LATE EVENING...OCCASIONALLY TOPPING ABOVE 30 KTS AT BLF AND ROA. WIND SPEEDS WILL DIMINISH OVERNIGHT...BUT WILL NOT DECOUPLE COMPLETELY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT REMAINS TIGHTENED DUE TO ANOTHER DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSING ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. FLYING CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN GOOD THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH ONLY HIGH CLOUDS STREAMING ACROSS THE CAROLINAS AND EXTREME SOUTHERN VIRGINIA. CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY DURING MID AFTERNOON FROM THE WEST AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE MOUNTAINS...TRIGGERING ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW AND LOW MVFR/IFR CEILINGS BY MID EVENING FOR LWB...BLF...BCB AND OCCASIONALLY FOR ROA. EXPECT LINGERING SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY FOR BLF AND LWB TO DIMINISH THURSDAY AFTERNOON...WHILE WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY AREAWIDE AS A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ROTATES ACROSS THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS FOR FRIDAY. SOME DIFFERENCE REMAINS IN THE MODELS FOR THE NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVING LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. ATTM...IT APPEARS THAT THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA MAY BE ON THE NRN SHIELD OF PRECIP FRIDAY NIGHT...HOWEVER THE CAROLINAS AND GULF COAST REGION WILL BE AFFECTED MORE. && .FIRE WEATHER... AS OF 345 PM EDT TUESDAY... DRY AIR WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO THE AREA OVERNIGHT...ALLOWING FUELS TO CONTINUE TO DRY AS RH VALUES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO RISE MUCH ABOVE 60 PERCENT. RH VALUES ARE AGAIN EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE UPPER TEENS ACROSS MUCH OF THE PIEDMONTS...AND WITH WINDS EXPECTED TO BE GUSTY ONCE AGAIN DURING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...EXPECT MUCH OF OUR AREA...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...TO BE UNDER AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER THREAT. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...NF NEAR TERM...NF SHORT TERM...PM LONG TERM...PM AVIATION...NF/WP FIRE WEATHER...PM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 412 PM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013 NCZ001-002-018-VAZ009>020-022>024-033>035-WVZ044-202015- ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-WATAUGA-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY- GRAYSON-CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT- ROCKBRIDGE-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-MONROE- 412 PM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW CHANGING TO SNOW WITH SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL RAPIDLY PLUMMET INTO THE 20S...POSSIBLY RESULTING IN FORMATION OF BLACK ICE ON ROADS. ANOTHER WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM MAY BRING SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW OR SLEET TO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. VAZ007-WVZ042-043-045-202015- TAZEWELL-MERCER-SUMMERS-GREENBRIER- 412 PM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. AN INCH OR TWO OF ACCUMULATING SNOW IS LIKELY WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RAPIDLY PLUMMET INTO THE 20S WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ANY SNOW THAT MELTS ON ROADS WILL QUICKLY TURN INTO BLACK ICE ON UNTREATED ROADS. ANOTHER WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM MAY BRING SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW OR SLEET TO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ003>006-019-020-VAZ032-043>047-058-059-202015- SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WILKES-YADKIN-PATRICK-HENRY- PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE- 412 PM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Three trees were blown down on Woodland Road east of Covington City. Hot Springs AWOS measured 51 knots (58.7 mph) at 4:55 PM. Numerous gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range also occurred.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, March 2013
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: 441051.