Winter Storm — Eastern Greenbrier, West Virginia

2021-02-18 · Eastern Greenbrier, West Virginia

Event narrative

Skywarn-trained weather spotters and a member of Greenbrier County Emergency Management observed ice accumulations from freezing rain of 0.25 inches in thickness across portions of eastern Greenbrier County, including around the communities of Maxwelton and White Sulphur Springs. Sleet accumulations of 0.8 to 1 inch, and snowfall accumulations to 1.4 inches were also observed in these same communities. Key impacts: power outages; hazardous travel conditions; tree damage; schools closed.

Wider weather episode

A complex low pressure system brought deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as it moved across the central Appalachians, overriding a shallow layer of sub-freezing temperatures within high pressure established across the mountains of southeast West Virginia. This resulted in a widespread mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow across the large portions of West Virginia. Freezing rain accumulations were higher more to the south across Mercer County, with a thicker layer of cold air to the north resulting in mixture of sleet and snow. Mainly snow was observed along and north of Interstate 64 in Greenbrier County. The icing from this freezing rain weighed down trees and tree limbs, causing some to snap. Some power outages were reported. The widespread winter storm conditions resulted in numerous travel delays, with schools across the region closed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 943707. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.