West Virginia, 2017

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 13 to 15, 2017

March 13 to 15, 2017 · NWS RLX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A developing Nor'easter moved up the East Coast on the 14th. The strengthening storms brought widespread snowfall to the mountains of West Virginia, starting late on the 13th with the heaviest snow tapering off late on the 14th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
10

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 developing Nor'easter moved up the East Coast on the 14th. The strengthening storms brought widespread snowfall to the mountains of West Virginia, starting late on the 13th with the heaviest snow tapering off late on the 14th. Up slope snow showers lingered through the night into the 15th, but additional accumulations were not significant. The higher elevations were hit the hardest, with 9 inches reported at Snowshoe in Pocahontas County, and a trained spotter near Beverly in Randolph County reported 8 inches. The cooperative observer in Elkins reported 6.5 for the storm, with CoCoRaHS and Broadcast media reports of around 6 inches in Webster and eastern Nicholas County. Farther south, across the central mountains, 3-5 inches of snow accumulated. Across the lowlands of West Virginia, temperatures were to warm for much accumulation.

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 Mar 13, 6:43 PM EST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 6:43 PM EST, 17 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 13, 3:12 PM EST, 3 hours 48 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

7 winter weather, 3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southeast Randolph

When
March 13, 7:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Randolph forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.775, -79.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northwest Pocahontas

When
March 13, 7:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Northwest Pocahontas forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.332, -80.008 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southeast Webster

When
March 13, 7:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Webster forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.495, -80.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northwest Nicholas

When
March 13, 8:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Northwest Nicholas forecast zone
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
38.292, -80.799 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southeast Nicholas

When
March 13, 8:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Nicholas forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
38.292, -80.799 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northwest Fayette

When
March 13, 10:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Northwest Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
38.029, -81.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southeast Raleigh

When
March 13, 10:00 PM EST to March 15, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Raleigh forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
37.771, -81.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northwest Webster

When
March 14, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Northwest Webster forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.495, -80.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Upshur

When
March 14, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Upshur forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.898, -80.233 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Barbour

When
March 14, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Barbour forecast zone
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
39.133, -80.003 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, March 2017

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: 674666, 674667, 674670, 674668, 674671, 674672, 674673, 674669, 674674, 674675.