Virginia, 2018

Winter Weather in Virginia, January 3 to 4, 2018

January 3 to 4, 2018 · NWS LWX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Low pressure rapidly intensified offshore. A period of snow developed due to the lows rapid intensification.

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 LWX wrote it up.

Low pressure rapidly intensified offshore. A period of snow developed due to the lows rapid intensification. Although snow amounts were light, it impacted the morning rush thanks to cold temperatures that allowed the light snow to stick.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 3, 9:12 PM EST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 9:12 PM EST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 6:10 PM EST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 3, 10:44 PM EST, 16 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 3, 10:45 PM EST, 15 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 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Fairfax

When
January 3, 11:00 PM EST to January 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Fairfax forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 1.5 inches near Rose Hill and 1.0 near Burke, Vienna and Baileys Crossroads.

Winter Weather, Arlington

When
January 3, 11:00 PM EST to January 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Arlington forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 0.8 inches in Rosslyn and 0.8 inches at Reagan National Airport.

Winter Weather, King George

When
January 3, 11:00 PM EST to January 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
King George forecast zone
Reported by
Unknown
Coordinates
38.274, -77.156 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall was estimated to be around an inch based on observations nearby.

Winter Weather, Stafford

When
January 3, 11:00 PM EST to January 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Stafford forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.421, -77.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up 2.0 inches near White Oak and 1.1 inches near Brooke.

Winter Weather, Spotsylvania

When
January 3, 11:00 PM EST to January 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Spotsylvania forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.244, -77.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totaled up to 1.5 inches near Dunavant.

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 Virginia in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, January 2018

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: 734519, 734521, 734522, 734527, 734529.