Winter Weather — Southeast Pocahontas, West Virginia

2018-01-16 to 2018-01-17 · Southeast Pocahontas, West Virginia

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front and upper level disturbance crossed the middle Ohio River Valley and central Appalachians on the morning of the 16th. Light snow began just after midnight, and picked up toward sunrise as colder air surged in. A jet streak moved through the upper level flow during the afternoon, leading to a band of moderate to heavy snowfall along and just south of I-64 from Huntington to Charleston. This area received 4 to 6 inches of snow, most of it coming in the heavier band during the early afternoon. For example, multiple CoCoRaHS observers and members of the public across Cabell, Putnam and Kanawha received 4.5 to 5.5 inches of snow. The snow observer at Tri-State Airport measured 4.9 inches, and 4.3 inches of snow fell at the National Weather Service office in Charleston. Just as the heaviest snow started, roads quickly deteriorated leading to multiple accidents. A four vehicle accident on I-64 in Cabell County near Milton resulted in the death of a 19 year old woman.

Outside of the heavier band of snow, a persistent light to moderate snow fell from the pre-dawn through late afternoon or evening, with generally 2 to 4 inches across the lowlands and 3 to 6 inches across the mountains.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 729101. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.