Virginia, 2019

Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 30 to 31, 2019

January 30 to 31, 2019 · NWS LWX · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

A low pressure system moved into southeastern Canada on January 30th, with a cold front crossing through the Mid-Atlantic states. Cold temperatures and strong northwest winds followed behind the front on the night of the 30th and into the morning of the 31st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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
22

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.

A low pressure system moved into southeastern Canada on January 30th, with a cold front crossing through the Mid-Atlantic states. Cold temperatures and strong northwest winds followed behind the front on the night of the 30th and into the morning of the 31st. This was able to produce very low wind chills across much of central, northern, and western Virginia.

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 30, 2:56 PM EST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 2:56 PM EST, 3 hours 4 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 30, 4:31 PM EST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 30, 12:22 PM EST, 5 hours 38 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 30, 12:42 PM EST, 5 hours 18 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 30, 1:04 PM EST, 4 hours 56 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 30, 2:47 PM EST, 3 hours 13 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

18 cold/wind chill, 4 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Western Highland

When
January 30, 6:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Western Highland forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -25 degrees.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Highland

When
January 30, 6:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Highland forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -25 degrees.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Virginia Blue Ridge

When
January 30, 6:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Virginia Blue Ridge forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.573, -78.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -25 degrees.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Central Virginia Blue Ridge

When
January 30, 6:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Central Virginia Blue Ridge forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
37.879, -79.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -25 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Rappahannock

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Rappahannock forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Culpeper

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Culpeper forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Prince William

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Prince William forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Fairfax

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Fairfax forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Arlington

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Arlington forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Stafford

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Stafford forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.421, -77.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Fauquier

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.739, -77.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Fauquier

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.739, -77.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Loudoun

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Western Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
39.091, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Loudoun

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
39.091, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Greene

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Madison

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Orange

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Orange forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -5 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Shenandoah

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Shenandoah forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Frederick

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Page

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Page forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Clarke

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Clarke forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

Cold/Wind Chill, Warren

When
January 30, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, January 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: 801961, 801962, 801963, 801964, 801965, 801966, 801967, 801968, 801969, 801970, 801971, 801972, 801973, 801974, 801975, 801976, 801977, 801979, 801980, 801981, 801982, 801984.