West Virginia, 2016

Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 22 to 23, 2016

January 22 to 23, 2016 · NWS RNK · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A significant winter storm pushed from southwest to northeast, spreading periods of moderate to heavy snowfall across portions of southeast West Virginia January 22nd through the 23rd. Snowfall continued through the day Friday and into Saturday before coming to an end after sunset.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 RNK wrote it up.

A significant winter storm pushed from southwest to northeast, spreading periods of moderate to heavy snowfall across portions of southeast West Virginia January 22nd through the 23rd. Snowfall continued through the day Friday and into Saturday before coming to an end after sunset. Accumulations of over a foot of snowfall were commonplace, with a few areas appraoching two feet.

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 Jan 22, 4:35 AM EST, 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 22, 4:35 AM EST, 10 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 22, 3:50 AM EST, 55 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 22, 2:47 AM EST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 22, 4:14 AM EST, 31 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

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Mercer

When
January 22, 4:45 AM EST to January 23, 10:30 PM EST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
37.406, -81.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts between 14 and 20 inches were observed across several locations throughout the county. The highest accumulation report was recieved out of the Athens area, where 20 inches was measured.

Heavy Snow, Summers

When
January 22, 5:00 AM EST to January 23, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Summers forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
37.656, -80.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts between 14 to 18 inches were observed across several locations throughout the county. The highest accumulation report was recieved out of the Sandstone area, where 18 inches was measured.

Heavy Snow, Monroe

When
January 22, 5:00 AM EST to January 23, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
37.560, -80.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts between 16 and 22 inches were observed across several locations throughout the county. The highest accumulation report was recieved out of the Red Sulpher Springs area, where 20.5 inches was measured.

Heavy Snow, Eastern Greenbrier

When
January 22, 7:00 AM EST to January 23, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Greenbrier forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
37.947, -80.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts between 16 and 22 inches were observed across several locations throughout the eastern portion of the county. The power went out for 287 people in the White Sulphur Springs area due to the storm.

Heavy Snow, Western Greenbrier

When
January 22, 7:00 AM EST to January 23, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Western Greenbrier forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
37.947, -80.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts between 16 and 22 inches were observed across several locations throughout the western portion of the county.

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 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, January 2016

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: 616116, 616114, 616115, 616111, 616113.