Winter Weather — Eastern Greenbrier, West Virginia

2014-11-26 · Eastern Greenbrier, West Virginia

Event narrative

The public observed 5.0 inches of snow at Organ Cave, just south of Lewisburg. Elsewhere across eastern Greenbrier county, snowfall amounts ranged from 1.0 inch at Renick, Lewisburg, and White Sulphur Springs, to 3.0 inches at Friars Hill.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper trough, developing through the central U.S. and swinging into the southeast states the Tuesday before Thanksgiving induced an area of low pressure along the eastern Gulf Coastal region. As the upper trough shifted into the eastern U.S., the surface low underwent explosive development as it moved northward along the southeast and Mid-Atlantic coastal region. The deepening surface low pulled cold air and moisture into the region bringing a period of snow to areas west of the Blue Ridge on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Snowfall amounts were generally in the one to three inch range, but several locations saw snowfall in the three to four inch range across southwest Virginia, northwest North Carolina, and southeast West Virginia. The heaviest snowfall within southeast West Virginia fell in northern Mercer county with six inches at Flat Top. However, snowfall amounts of five inches were also observed in parts of southern Greenbrier and eastern Monroe county.

Here are some of the snow reports from southeast West Virginia as of mid-morning on the day before Thanksgiving, namely November 26, 2014. The amounts below represent the maximum amounts reported from these counties.

Greenbrier (Organ Cave) - 5 inches,

Mercer (Flat Top) - 6 inches,

Monroe (Gap Mills) - 5 inches,

Summers (Jumping Branch) - 3 inches.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 550509. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.