Winter Weather

Annually, Virginia experiences a plethora of winter storms and wintry precipitation events. Coastal storms, called Nor’easters, can impact the region because of the state’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, where these storms form. Strong northeasterly winds blow in from the ocean ahead of the storm. In addition to heavy snow and rainfall, the high winds and waves can cause significant erosion along the state’s coastline.

While heavy snows are common in the Piedmont region, the average winter does not have a major coastal snowstorm, and heavy winter snows usually are confined to the mountainous areas of the state. As remarkable as it may seem, some of the heaviest snowfalls in the eastern United States occur in the Appalachians of West Virginia, just a few miles west of Highland County, Virginia. More than 100 inches fall annually in this area; but Virginia, being in West Virginia’s snow shadow, receives only a fraction of this amount.