Winter Storm — Pulaski, Virginia

2019-01-12 to 2019-01-13 · Pulaski, Virginia

Event narrative

A winter storm brought mainly freezing rain conditions, where ice accumulations ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 inches thick across most of the county. Snow was also observed, with accumulations reaching nearly an inch. The icy conditions resulted in an auto accident on Interstate 81 southbound, not far from the intersection with Interstate 77. The accident involved three tractor-trailers, where one person was killed and two others were injured.

Wider weather episode

A wedge of cool high pressure was already in place across the mid-Atlantic states when deep low pressure entered the central Appalachians from the Tennessee Valley, bringing deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward along the Appalachian chain. The low also brought with it a layer of warm air aloft where temperatures were above freezing, while surface temperatures held below freezing. This resulted in a complex winter storm scenario where precipitation types where observed alternating at times between snow, sleet and freezing rain. More freezing rain was observed near the border with North Carolina where warmer air aloft was more prominent, while snow was the more dominant precipitation type north of Interstate 64 where atmospheric temperatures were below freezing. In addition to numerous power outages, the wintry mix resulted in hazardous road conditions, where the Virginia State Police responded to nearly 60 traffic crashes and roughly 35 disabled vehicles. One person was killed on Interstate 81 due to an automobile accident.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 793101. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.