Winter Storm — Bedford, Virginia

2026-01-24 to 2026-01-25 · Bedford, Virginia

Event narrative

A wintry mix occurred with reports of up to 5.2 inches of snow, up to 3.3 inches of sleet, and up to 0.40 inches of freezing rain. Key Impacts: traffic accidents.

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure developed across Texas and moved eastward towards the Appalachian Mountains, while Arctic high pressure also tracked eastward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes. The Arctic high reached the Appalachian Mountains first and wedged southward against the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge to provide cold air near the surface. Meanwhile, the area of low pressure dissipated across the mountains, while a secondary area of low pressure formed off the North Carolina coast. This pattern set up a Miller B winter storm with the precipitation type as initially snow on January 24 but changing over to sleet and freezing rain by January 25 due to a substantial warm nose aloft. Notable impacts were documented during this winter storm in the form of power outages and traffic accidents. One traffic accident resulted in the death of a boy in Pittsylvania County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1303954. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.