ROANOKE, Va. – For most of the area, the 2020-2021 Winter has brought below-average snowfall. In fact, Lynchburg has yet to see measurable snow over the last 686 days.
It was this time five years ago, however, when a winter storm brought more than a foot of snow to parts of our region. The last time we had a storm bring that much was in December of 2018.
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For most of Southside and Lynchburg, this dropped 6-12″ on you. Parts of the Roanoke Valley and Highlands saw more than a foot of snow from this storm. The winners were in western Greenbrier and western Pocahontas Counties, where more than a foot and a half of snow fell.
Here’s a list of snow totals from around the region:
Hot Springs - 17″
Wytheville - 15.5″
Covington - 14″
New Castle, Roanoke, Blacksburg, Christiansburg - 13″
Glasgow, Rocky Mount - 12″
Pearisburg - 11.5″
Appomattox, Huddleston - 11.2″
Pulaski - 11″
Big Island - 10.9″
Lexington - 10.6″
Lynchburg - 10.1″
Chatham - 9.9″
Keysville - 9.5″
Buena Vista - 8.4″
Brookneal - 8.2″
Galax - 8″
Danville - 7.8″
South Boston - 7.4″
A tweet from the National Weather Service in Blacksburg in January of 2020 stands true in 2021.
So far, this winter has been pretty lackluster with regard to snow. Very little has fallen outside the mountains. 4 years ago today-quite a different story. A major coastal storm brought 1-2 ft. of snow to the region. A few spots in northern VA (e.g. Winchester) saw 30-40 inches! pic.twitter.com/bJDM8of1iP
— NWS Blacksburg (@NWSBlacksburg) January 22, 2020
Analysis of this storm shows a pronounced cold air source in the form of high pressure near the Great Lakes. This allowed our temperatures to fall into the teens and 20s at the height of the storm. When the air is this cold, the snow has less water in it. Snowflakes accumulate more easily (almost like a game of Tetris), when there’s more dry pockets within the flakes to work with.
At the same time, a strong storm system moved very slowly to our south. That introduced a lot of moisture into that cold air and created the perfect recipe for accumulating snowfall.
Emergency crews had to assist a Clearbrook woman who was giving birth during the height of the storm.
Others, like the Holbrook family, found this storm to be more enjoyable. The three daredevil children of the family got into their bathing suits and plunged into the snow.
If you have any memories of this particular storm, send us your pictures here!
As for our forecast, there’s the chance for snow/wintry weather later next week. We talk about that a little bit in this article.