Winter Weather — Southeast Nicholas, West Virginia

2024-01-16 · Southeast Nicholas, West Virginia

Wider weather episode

A southern stream disturbance ventured into the Central Appalachians and brought a snow storm to West Virginia beginning on January 15th. Snow first began across the southern West Virginia coalfields early on the morning of the 15th before lifting northward and encompassing the entirety of the forecast area. On and off rounds of snow took place throughout the day as waves of energy rode into the area along an arctic cold front. With the establishment of moisture and very cold air, snowfall accumulations were able to flourish, especially across the southern half of the state.

A member of the public in Fayette County and a local CoCoRaHS observer each measured 8 inches of snow at their homes. Generally, a swath of 4 to 8 inches of snow fell from the coalfields up into the lower Appalachian mountains. Due to the movement of this low pressure system, the northern half of the state only received around 1 to 3 inches of snow as they remained too far north of the heaviest snow showers. Ground temperatures across the area were cold enough during this time to allow snow to stick quickly to the roadways, which caused slick travels during the January 15th evening commute as well as the morning commute the next day.

One extra round of heavy snow developed across central West Virginia during the predawn hours on January 16th, contributing to additional snowfall totals before precipitation came to an end later that afternoon.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1156748. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.