Winter Weather — Ridges of E Monongalia and Nw Preston, West Virginia

2022-12-23 · Ridges of E Monongalia and Nw Preston, West Virginia

Event narrative

A flash freeze created hazardous travel early Friday, December 23th, with a strong cold front. Temperatures dropped from the mid-40s to the single digits in a few hours. Precipitation started as rain and quickly switched to snow with the passage of the front. Less than an inch of snow fell by 7am on the December 23rd.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system rapidly intensified December 22nd to December 23rd as the center of the low moved from the Midwest across the Great Lakes. A flash freeze, strong wind gusts, and dangerously cold temperatures were recorded across the region. Record low maximum temperatures were broken at several climate sites. Widespread power outages were noted by utility companies, isolated areas experienced internal damage from frozen pipes, and hazardous travel was noted due to a flash freeze (rain quickly changed to snow) with rapidly dropping temperatures.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1071246. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.