Winter Storm — Eastern Greenbrier, West Virginia

2015-03-05 · Eastern Greenbrier, West Virginia

Event narrative

Several locations reported five inches of snowfall across the eastern half of Greenbrier County, in addition a half inch of sleet and a few hundredths of an inch of freezing rain.

Wider weather episode

A strong southerly flow resulted in very warm moist air entering the region leading up to the early morning hours of March 5th. Precipitable water values were observed ranging from one inch west of interstate 77 to around 1.25 inches east of the Blue Ridge. During the evening of March 4th, a Miller A low pressure system passed across the southeast states, radiating moisture northward along the Appalachian chain, with areas of heavy rain observed across southeast West Virginia. Arctic air built in from the west during the early morning hours of March 5th, causing rain to change over to areas of freezing rain, sleet and snow. Highest elevations along the interstate 64 changed over to a wintry mix before dawn, with the changeover gradually working into the lower elevations across the mountains around sunrise. A wave of low pressure passed across the Piedmont during the late morning of the 5th, enhancing wintry precipitation across the mountains. As the wave passed north during the afternoon, precipitation came to an end from west to east as winds shifted northwesterly, allowing drier arctic air to move into the forecast area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 555395. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.