West Virginia witnesses unprecedented snowfall in May, breaking century-old records
Unprecedented snowfall in West Virginia’s highlands over the past couple of days broke century-old records, with areas like Davis in Tucker County receiving over 38 cm (15 inches) of snow in just two days.
For two consecutive days, West Virginia’s higher elevations experienced wintery conditions in May, with record-breaking snowfall amounts. According to Meteorologist Shannon Hefferan from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, an observer near Davis in Tucker County recorded 40.4 cm (15.9 inches) of snow in two days, an exceptional occurrence for May.
While there were other snow reports, the majority were from slightly lower elevations with considerably less snowfall. Once off the ridgetops, the ground was wet, and temperatures were cooler, but conditions were closer to spring.
Some snowfall totals for the two-day event in May were staggering and broke long-standing records. In Tucker County, Davis received 41.1 cm (16.2 inches) of snow, breaking a 100-year-old record. Snowshoe in Pocahontas County saw 33 cm (13 inches) of snow, surpassing the previous record set in 1975.
Hefferan expects the snow to melt quickly as temperatures rise to around 21 °C (70 °F) in those areas by the end of the week, returning to spring weather.
The runoff from melting snow will be monitored for potential flooding downstream, but Hefferan does not anticipate problems due to the low river levels and dry conditions in April.
References:
1 A second day of snowfall sets historic records in some W.Va. locations – WV Metro News – May 3, 2023
Featured image credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers. Acquired at 17:40 UTC on May 3, 2023
If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.
Your support makes a difference
Dear valued reader,
We hope that our website has been a valuable resource for you.
The reality is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to maintain and grow this website. We rely on the support of readers like you to keep providing high-quality content.
If you have found our website to be helpful, please consider making a contribution to help us continue to bring you the information you need. Your support means the world to us and helps us to keep doing what we love.
Support us by choosing your support level – Silver, Gold or Platinum. Other support options include Patreon pledges and sending us a one-off payment using PayPal.
Thank you for your consideration. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Teo Blašković
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:
We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.