Immediately on the heels of the intense Arctic outbreak that spread into the region on the 14th and 15th came the most significant snow storm to affect the region since February 12th and 13th of 2014.  The snow storm was the result of a strong upper-level disturbance tracking from the central U.S. into the eastern U.S. on top of the bitterly cold Arctic air mass.  A surface low pressure area tracked across the southeast states to off the North Carolina coast, a fairly typical scenario for bigger snowfall events in our area.  Temperatures had little to no time to recover at all from the bitterly cold temperatures of the 15th.  As snow spread into the region during the late morning and early afternoon hours of the 16th, temperatures were only in the upper teens to lower 20s across the region and fell back into the 10 to 20 degree range across much of the region during the heavier snow.  Snowfall amounts were significant in many areas, ranging from 3 to 4 inches across the Piedmont, where some sleet mixed in during the later part of the event, to 8 to 11 inches across the New River Valley, Greenbrier Valley, and Tazewell county in far southwest Virginia.  In addition to the snow storm, the extended period of extreme cold preceding and following this event caused many ponds to ice over.  A 51-year old female died when she fell into an ice covered pond in Pittsylvania County while trying to feed ducks.  Her husband was also rescued from the frozen waters, but without injury.  In Blacksburg, two children had to be rescued from an ice-covered pond.  There were also a vehicle-related death during the snow storm on Interstate 81 in Wythe county where a vehicle ran off the right side of the road into the median and overturned, killing the driver.  There were 53 vehicle accidents and 121 disabled vehicles during the height of the snow storm.
Here are the snowfall amounts from the southwest and south central Virginia counties within our forecast area:
Alleghany County - 8.5 inches 4E of Covington to 6.5 inches at Covington,
Amherst County - 7.0 inches 2W of Elon and 3SW of Lowesville,
Appomattox County - 9.0 inches at Stonewall to 7.0 inches 2NW of Oakville,
Bath County - 8.0 inches at Mountain Grove to 5.0 inches at Williamsville,
Bedford County - 9.5 inches at Forest to 7.0 inches just southeast of Big Island,
Bland County - 7.0 inches 3SSE or Suiter and Bland to 5.2 inches 3SW of Long Spur,
Botetourt County - 10.0 inches at Laymantown to 8.0 inches just east-northeast of Cloverdale,
Buckingham County - 8.0 inches of snow at Cumberland,
Campbell County - 9.0 inches 4NNE of Rustburg to 7.2 inches at the Lynchburg Airport,
Carroll County - 6.0 inches at Hillsville to 4.0 inches 2NNE of Galax/Hillsville Airport,
Charlotte County - 6.2 inches at Charlotte Court House to 4.5 inches at Saxe,
Craig County - 7.0 inches of snow in New Castle to 6.0 inches of snow 4W of New Castle,
Floyd County - 6.0 inches 1SE of Simpsons to 3.0 inches 2SE of Willis,
Franklin County - 8.0 inches 4SSW of Moneta to 5.0 inches at Rocky Mount,
Giles County - 9.7 inches 2SE of Mountain Lake (elevation 4000 feet) to 7.5 inches 2E of Pearisburg,
Grayson County - 6.0 inches 5NW of Baywood to 3.0 inches 3W of Baywood,
Halifax County - 5.9 inches at South Boston to 3.0 inches at Clover,
Henry County - 4.0 inches at Mountain Valley,
Montgomery County - 9.5 inches 5NNE of Blacksburg (Brush Mountain) and 1E of Shawsville to 6.0 inches 3E of Pilot,
Patrick County - 5.5 inches 4ESE of Buffalo Ridge,
Pittsylvania County - 5.0 inches at Pittsville to 2.0 inches at Danville,
Pulaski County - 6.0 inches from Draper to Snowville,
Rockbridge County - 6.4 inches 3SW of Rockbridge Baths to 8.0 inches at Buena Vista,
Roanoke County - 9.0 inches 4NW Roanoke Airport and Salem to 7.5 inches 1ESE of Roanoke Airport,
Smyth County - 7.0 inches at Chilhowie to 4.8 inches 1N of Marion,
Tazewell County - 11.0 inches at Burkes Garden and Richlands
Wythe County - 5.2 inches 1WNW Gunton Park to 3.0 inches 2WSW Wytheville.

Winter Storm in PULASKI, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter observed 7.0 inches of snow at Draper.  Several other spotters measured snowfall amounts near 6.0 inches in Pulaski, Draper, and Snowville.

Winter Storm in MONTGOMERY, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Employee

A National Weather Service employee measured 9.5 inches of snow 5NNE of Blacksburg on Brush Mountain while a trained spotter measured 9.5 inches of snow 1E of Shawsville.  Elsewhere across the county, snowfall amounts of 6.0 inches in the southern part of the county to 9.0 inches in the northern part of the county were common as reported by trained spotters and the public.  In addition, two children were rescued from a frozen, ice-covered pond in Blacksburg without injuries.

Winter Storm in CARROLL, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 09:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The public observed 6.0 inches of snow at Hillsville, while trained spotters observed 4.0 inches 2NNE of the Galax/Hillsville Airport and 5.0 inches 3SSE of Byllesby.  Five inches of snow was also observed in the City of Galax.

Winter Storm in FLOYD, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter measured 6.0 inches of snow 1SE of Simpsons, with the public observing 5.0 inches of snow at Willis and 3.0 inches of snow 2SE of Willis.

Winter Storm in BLAND, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter observed 7.0 inches of snow 3SSE of Suiter, while law enforcement observed 7.0 inches of snow in Bland.  Another spotter measured 5.2 inches of snow 3SW of Long Spur.

Winter Storm in CRAIG, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The public measured 7.0 inches of snow in New Castle.  A spotter measured 6.0 inches of snow 4W of New Castle.

Winter Storm in ROANOKE, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Trained spotters measured 9.0 inches of snow in Salem, 4NW of the Roanoke Airport, and 1NNE of Poages Mill.  Nearly 9.0 inches of snow was measured by the public in Vinton, with several other 8.0 inch snow amounts from the Glenvar and Cave Spring area.  Within the City of Roanoke, the public measured 8.0 inches 2N of Roanoke, while WDBJ Television measured 7.5 inches at their studios 1ESE of the Roanoke Airport.

Winter Storm in BOTETOURT, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A trained spotter measured 10.0 inches of snow in Laymantown.  Other spotters and the public measured from 8.0 inches of snow 1ENE of Cloverdale to 9.0 inches at Webster and 3W of Springwood.

Winter Storm in AMHERST, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 12:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The public measured 7.0 inches of snow 2W of Elon and a trained spotter measured 7.0 inches of snow 3SW of Lowesville.

Winter Storm in PATRICK, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The public measured 6.0 inches of snow in Critz while a trained spotter measured 5.5 inches of snow in Buffalo Ridge.

Winter Storm in FRANKLIN, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A trained spotter observed 8.0 inches of snow in Moneta, while the public observed from 5.0 inches of snow in Rocky Mount to 7.0 inches of snow 3SW of Moneta.

Winter Storm in BEDFORD, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The public observed 9.5 inches of snow in Forest, while trained spotters and the public provided numerous reports of snowfall ranging from 7.0 to 9.0 inches from Big Island, Huddleston, Goode, Bedford, and Thaxton.

Winter Storm in HENRY, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Trained spotters measured 5.0 inches of snow 2SW of Philpott Dam and 2W of the City of Martinsville.

Winter Storm in CAMPBELL, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter observed 9.0 inches of snow 4NNE of Rustburg, while other spotters measured 8.0 inches of snow near Timberlake, Bocock, and 3NNW of Gladys.  WSET Television measured 7.2 inches at the Lynchburg Airport and 9.0 inches 1WSW of Lynchburg City.

Winter Storm in GILES, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 10:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The public measured 9.7 inches of snow 2SE of Mountain Lake (4000 ft. elevation).  A National Weather Service employee measured 8.5 inches of snow in Pearisburg whle the public measured 7.5 inches of snow 2E of Pearisburg.

Winter Storm in BATH, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

The COOP Observer at Mountain Grove measured 8.0 inches of snow, with 5.0 inches observed by the public at Williamsville and 6.0 inches by a spotter 2NNW of Millboro.

Winter Storm in ROCKBRIDGE, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Several spotters measured 6.0 to 6.4 inches of snow in the Rockbridge Baths area.  Snowfall amounts from Lexington were closer to 5.0 inches.

Winter Storm in BUCKINGHAM, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 12:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A trained spotter in Cumberland near the Buckingham/Cumberland county border, measured 8.0 inches of snow.

Winter Storm in PITTSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

An observer measured 5.0 inches of snow in Pittsville while a spotter measured 4.5 inches of snow 2SE of Motley.  However, across the remainder of the county snowfall amounts were generally 4.0 inches of less, with just 2.0 to 3.0 inches falling in Danville City.  The extended period of extreme cold that preceded this winter storm led indirectly to the death of a 51-year old woman in Danville.  The woman and her husband were feeding the ducks on a pond in Calland when they attempted to step out on the ice covered pond and fell through.  While the man was rescued by Danville emergency response crews, the woman was unresponsive when rescued from the frozen waters of the pond.

Winter Storm in APPOMATTOX, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter measured 9.0 inches of snow at Stonewall while another spotter recorded 7.0 inches of snow 2NW of Oakville.

Winter Storm in HALIFAX, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter measured 5.9 inches of snow at South Boston.  Several other reports of 5.0 to 5.5 inches of snow were received from spotters and the public in the Cody, Leda, and Halifax areas.

Winter Storm in CHARLOTTE, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

The COOP observer at Charlotte Court House measured 6.2 inches of snow.  The public observed 6.0 inches of snow 3SE of Abilene and 5.0 inches of snow at Drakes Branch.

Winter Storm in TAZEWELL, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 09:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

The COOP observers at Burkes Garden and Richlands both measured 11.0 inches of snow.  The was the maximum amount of snow reported from this event in the Virginia counties within the Blacksburg National Weather Service forecast area.

Winter Storm in SMYTH, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 09:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Trained spotters measured 7.0 inches of snow in Chilhowie and 5.0 inches of snow 3W of Marion.

Winter Storm in GRAYSON, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 09:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A trained spotter measured 6.0 inches of snow 5NW of Baywood while the Park Service recorded 5.0 inches of snow at the Grayson Highlands State Park.

Winter Storm in ALLEGHANY, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 11:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

A COCoRAHS observer measured 8.5 inches of snow 4E of Covington, while a trained spotter measured 6.0 inches at Clifton Forge.

Winter Storm in WYTHE, VIRGINIA
From 16-FEB-15 09:00:00 to 17-FEB-15 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A spotter measured 5.2 inches of snow 1WNW of Gunton Park and another spotter measured 5.0 inches in Wytheville.  Elsewhere around the county, snowfall amounts ranged from 3.0 to 5.0 inches.