In advance of the arrival of a strong, cold Arctic high pressure system, northwest winds were strong to damaging across the region with gusts within the 58 to 64 mph range during the morning of the 23rd. As the center of the Arctic high arrived, winds were not quite as strong, but falling temperatures to below zero, combined with the gusty winds produced extremely low wind chills by the morning…
Every event with a place to put it; 29 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.
In advance of the arrival of a strong, cold Arctic high pressure system, northwest winds were strong to damaging across the region with gusts within the 58 to 64 mph range during the morning of the 23rd. As the center of the Arctic high arrived, winds were not quite as strong, but falling temperatures to below zero, combined with the gusty winds produced extremely low wind chills by the morning of the 24th. Across the Virginia Mountains, these wind chills ranged as low as 25 to 41 degrees below zero, with values over portions of the Piedmont dipping 17 to 32 degrees below zero. The impact of the strong to damaging winds were trees and power lines brought down with at least 27,128 power customers without service over parts of Virginia.
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 Dec 22, 2:54 PM EST, 13 hours 21 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 extreme cold/wind chill, 11 strong wind, 2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds up to 54 mph blew trees and power lines down across the county. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds up to 47 mph downed power lines and left at least 2210 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds across the county up to 52 mph downed power lines and left up to 1115 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Damaging winds peaking at 64 MPH occurred in the community of Floyd. Strong wind gusts in excess of 45 mph preceded the high wind by one-half hour and continued after the high winds periodically over the next twelve hours.
Strong winds across the county up to 45 mph downed power lines and left at least 1600 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds up to 51 mph downed trees and power lines, leaving at least 9000 power customers without power throughout the City and County of Roanoke. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds across the county up to 52 mph downed power lines and left at least 1378 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Strong wind gusts blew across the area and resulted in a downed tree on Tower Loop Road. A vehicle was driven into this downed tree. There were no injuries. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds up to 40 mph resulted in downed power lines and at least 1250 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Winds gusted up to 43 mph resulted in downed power lines and around 3250 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds across the county up to 45 mph resulted in downed power lines with at least 2125 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
High winds reached 58 mph at Hardy Virginia. Strong wind gusts exceeding 45 mph occurred after the high winds. The winds brought down trees and power lines with 4000 power customers without power. Damage values are estimated.
Strong winds blew across the region resulting in power lines down with over 1200 power customers without power. Numerous trees were reported down in the Bassett and also the Ridgeway areas. Smaller amounts of trees were down in the area of Martinsville, Spencer, and Aiken Summit areas. Damage values are estimated.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as forty-one degrees below zero at Ingalls Field Airport near Hot Springs.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as thirty degrees below zero at Hillsville and twenty-five degrees below zero at Woodlawn.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as thirty-two degrees below zero at Bent Mountain, twenty-two degrees below zero at Catawba, twenty-one degrees below zero at a location five miles southwest of Cave Spring, and fifteen degrees below zero at Roanoke.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as thirty-five degrees below zero at the Mountain Empire Airport and twenty degrees below zero at Marion.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-eight degrees below zero at Galax and twenty-six degrees below zero at Independence.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-nine below zero at both a location nine-tenth of a mile south of Blacksburg and four miles east of Childress, twenty-eight degrees below zero at Blacksburg, and twenty-three degrees below zero at a location one and one-tenth miles southwest of Blacksburg and a location one and three-tenths miles south of Blacksburg.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-one degrees below zero at Stony Fork.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-eight degrees below zero at Laurel Fork.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-four degrees below zero at Troutville and fifteen degrees below zero at Buchanan.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-seven degrees below zero in Floyd and twenty-one degrees below zero at Terrys Fork.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty-five degrees below zero at Craig Valley.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as thirty-five degrees below zero at Burkes Garden, thirty degrees below zero at Richlands, and twenty-one degrees below zero at Bluefield.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as twenty degrees below zero at Bedford.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as seventeen degrees below zero in both Redwood and a location five miles south-southeast of Vinton, sixteen degrees below zero a Hardy and a location four miles north-northeast of Penhook, and fifteen degrees below zero at Penhook.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as seventeen degrees below zero at Fairfield and fifteen degrees below zero at Lexington.
The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds resulted in wind chill values dropping as low as sixteen degrees below zero.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, December 2022
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1072640, 1072654, 1072671, 1072474, 1072672, 1072639, 1072668, 1072478, 1072644, 1072643, 1072645, 1072476, 1072477, 1072673, 1072692, 1072711, 1072719, 1072693, 1072694, 1072721, 1072717, 1072678, 1072715, 1072714, 1072720, 1072674, 1072716, 1072718, 1072683.