Winter Storm — Western Greenbrier, West Virginia

2015-02-21 to 2015-02-22 · Western Greenbrier, West Virginia

Event narrative

The West Virginia Department of Highways, spoters, and the public reported snowfall amounts of 24.0 inches at Droop Mountain and Rainelle, 20.0 inches in Quinwood, Williamsburg, and Rupert, to 18.0 inches at Frairs Hill. The heavy snowfall on top of nearly a foot of snow earlier in the week resulted in several roof collapses, including a salt storage facility of the West Virginia Department of Highways and an avalanche on West Virginia Highway 20 near Hinton leaving the road closed for at least two days.

Wider weather episode

Right on the heels of the second surge of bitterly, record cold air to affect the forecast area within the same week and only five days since the previous significant snow storm, yet another significant winter storm impacted the forecast area. This storm was result of complex series of low pressure areas tracking along a stalled front across the southeast states and an upper-trough embedded within a very deep and persistent long-wave trough across the eastern U.S. Snow began to fall during the late morning and early afternoon spreading northward during the late afternoon and evening. Unlike the President's Day snow storm, this storm brought significantly greater two foot amounts to the northern portions of the forecast area, especially along the Interstate 64 corridor, while markedly less snow fell in the southern parts of the forecast area. The vast majority of winter storm-criteria snowfall (4 inches east to 5 inches west/6 hours) fell north of U.S. 460 with this event. Very little snowfall fell south of U.S. 460 and especially across the Virginia and North Carolina Piedmont. Snowfall amounts ranged from less than inch across most counties near the North Carolina border and east of Interstate 77 to two feet of snow across northern and western Greenbrier county West Virginia.

The following are snow and ice totals reported from southeast West Virginia counties within the Blacksburg National Weather Service Forecast area (no ice was reported in this area):

Snowfall:

Western Greenbrier County - 24.0 inches at Droop Mountain and Rainelle to 18.0 inches at Friar Hill,

Eastern Greenbrier County - 19.0 inches at White Sulphur Springs, to 18.0 inches at Ronceverte and Lewisburg to 14.0 inches at Renick,

Mercer County - 12.0 inches at Flat Top to 6.0 inches at Athens,

Monroe County - 8.0 inches at Peterstown and Lindside, to 7.0 inches at Union and Pickaway,

Summers County - 15.5 inches at Hinton to 11.0 inches at Pence Springs.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 563759. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.