North Carolina, 2019

Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 19 to 20, 2019

February 19 to 20, 2019 · NWS RNK · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong center of high pressure over the northeastern United States wedged cold air along the east side of the Appalachian Mountains. Low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico brought moisture into the region as it tracked northeast over the Carolinas and Virginia.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
2

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 strong center of high pressure over the northeastern United States wedged cold air along the east side of the Appalachian Mountains. Low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico brought moisture into the region as it tracked northeast over the Carolinas and Virginia. The enhanced moisture combined with the dammed cold air created a complex winter storm that produced snow, sleet and freezing rain in northwest North Carolina.

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 19, 3:12 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 3:12 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 19, 3:37 PM EST, 1 hour 53 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
337 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019

NCZ001>003-018-019-VAZ010>013-015-016-WVZ042-043-202045-
Ashe-Alleghany NC-Surry-Watauga-Wilkes-Bland-Giles-Wythe-Pulaski-
Grayson-Carroll-Mercer-Summers-
337 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central North Carolina,
northwest North Carolina, southwest Virginia and southeast West
Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

VAZ019-020-023-024-034-035-045>047-WVZ507-508-202045-
Alleghany VA-Bath-Botetourt-Rockbridge-Bedford-Amherst-Campbell-
Appomattox-Buckingham-Eastern Greenbrier-Western Greenbrier-
337 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST WEDNESDAY
NIGHT...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Virginia, south
central Virginia, west central Virginia and southeast West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

VAZ014-017-018-022-032-033-WVZ044-202045-
Montgomery-Floyd-Craig-Roanoke-Patrick-Franklin-Monroe-
337 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southwest Virginia, west
central Virginia and southeast West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

VAZ007-009-202045-
Tazewell-Smyth-
337 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST WEDNESDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southwest Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

NCZ004>006-020-VAZ043-044-058-059-202045-
Stokes-Rockingham-Caswell-Yadkin-Henry-Pittsylvania-Halifax-
Charlotte-
337 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central North Carolina,
northwest North Carolina and south central Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Watauga

When
February 19, 5:30 PM EST to February 20, 2:30 AM EST
Where
Watauga forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.231, -81.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A winter storm produced freezing rain and snow in Watauga county. Ice from freezing rain reached thicknesses from 0.1 inches to a maximum of 0.25 inches 2 miles north-northwest of Boone, while snow reports ranged from trace amounts to 3.2 inches across the county.

Winter Storm, Ashe

When
February 19, 6:50 PM EST to February 20, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Ashe forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.434, -81.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A winter storm produced snow and freezing rain across Ashe County, with snowfall totals reaching 3 inches near Deep Gap and freezing rain accumulations of up to 0.10 inches.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 2019

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: 804782, 798619.