West Virginia, 2015

Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 12, 2015

February 12, 2015 · NWS RNK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A significant Arctic cold front was moving through the region. This was the first in a series of Arctic cold fronts to move through the region during the mid and later part of February keeping the forecast area in the deep freeze most of the remainder of the month.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 RNK wrote it up.

A significant Arctic cold front was moving through the region. This was the first in a series of Arctic cold fronts to move through the region during the mid and later part of February keeping the forecast area in the deep freeze most of the remainder of the month. Following the front, a notable period of upslope snow showers brought snowfall of 1 to 4 inches across the mountains of southeastern West Virginia. In addition, remnant moisture from rainfall preceding the Arctic front froze quickly (flash freeze) following the passage of the Arctic front as temperatures plunged down into the teens and lower 20s. The combination of this ice and subsequent snowfall resulted in several traffic accidents across Mercer county.

Here are snowfall amounts reported from southeast West Virginia occurring with this event:

Greenbrier County - 1.0 inch at White Sulphur Springs to 4.0 inches at| Rainelle and Quinwood,|Mercer County - 2.0 inches at Bluefield,|Summer County - 4.0 inches at Hinton.

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 12, 6:52 AM EST, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 12, 6:52 AM EST, 5 hours 8 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Mercer

When
February 12, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
37.406, -81.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The public observed 2.0 inches of snow in Bluefield. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported that there were multiple accidents across Mercer county from the combined effects of ice and snow.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, February 2015

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: 563031.