7 January 2022
Rime Crystals In Bitter Air
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved
Majestic crystals of rime were blown through bitter air at the summit level of the High Knob Massif in wake of a 6 January 2022 winter storm.
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A radical pattern change from December 2021 has plunged this first month of the new year into winter, with two significant snow events during the first week and a major winter storm knocking on the door of Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.
3 January 2022
Beautiful Snowfall
Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Precipitation Update
High Knob Massif
(Upper Elevations)
(Totals Listed By AM Measurement Format)
Monthly Total Precipitation
Big Cherry Lake Dam
(Elevation 3139 feet)
2019
January
6.14"
February
12.50"
Winter 2018-19
(1 Dec-29 Feb)
26.56"
March
5.93"
April
6.64"
May
6.75"
Spring 2019
(1 Mar-31 May)
19.32"
June
10.68"
July
10.77"
August
4.15"
Summer 2019
(1 Jun-31 Aug)
25.60"
September
0.63"
October
5.01"
( 5.89" to Midnight 31st )
November
5.20"
( 7.04" to Midnight 30th )
Autumn 2019
(1 Sep-31 Oct)
10.84"
December
8.52"
2019 Total: 82.92" (M)
(January 1 to December 31 Period)
2020
*January
7.15"
**February
13.01"
Winter 2019-20
(1 Dec-29 Feb)
28.68"
March
9.55"
( 10.77" to Midnight 31st )
April
11.59"
May
8.73"
(6.90" on Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif)
Spring 2020
(1 Mar-31 May)
29.87"
June
7.48"
July
9.72"
(10.48" to Midnight 31st)
August
8.12"
Summer 2020
(1 Jun-31 Aug)
25.32"
September
6.21"
October
7.06"
November
1.96"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 0.5")
Autumn 2020
(1 Sep-31 Oct)
15.23"
December
6.22"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 34.0")
2020 Total: 96.80" (M)
(January 1 to December 31 Period)
2021
January
6.35"
***(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 34.0")
February
7.42"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 19.5")
Winter 2020-21
(1 Dec to 28 Feb)
19.99"
(21.70" on Eagle Knob)
March
10.82"
(11.14" to Midnight 31st)
April
2.53"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 2.5")
May
4.54"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: Trace)
Spring 2021
(1 Mar-31 May)
17.89"
June
4.79"
July
5.55"
August
10.39"
Summer 2021
(1 June-31 August)
20.73"
September
5.82"
October
3.80"
November
2.23"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 1.5")
3 days with 1" or more depth
Autumn 2021
(1 Sep-30 Nov)
11.85"
December
4.63"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 1.0")
Several days with Trace depths
2021 Total: 68.87"
(January 1 to December 31 Period)
2022
January
8.74"
(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 40.0")
29 days with 1" or more depth
November 2019-October 2020: 102.34"
Autumn 2018 to Summer 2019: 91.21"
Autumn 2019 to Summer 2020: 94.44"
Autumn 2020 to Summer 2021: 73.84"
(M): Some missing moisture in undercatch and frozen precipitation, with partial corrections applied for the 24.4 meter (80 feet) tall dam structure where rain gauges are located. Corrections are based upon 86-months of direct comparisons between NWS and IFLOWS at Big Cherry Dam (including occasional snow core-water content data).
January 2022
City of Norton Water Plant
The following documents observed events.
Major Storm Event
1-3 January 2022
A major storm event opened January 2022 with 3.50" to 4.00"+ of total precipitation, including a general 3" to 6" of snow during 3 January 2022.
4 January 2022
Snow Shadow Downstream of High Knob
A distinct snow shadow downstream of
the High Knob Massif was observed with
clearing skies into 4 January 2022 (*).
*This has been well documented during countless past
events and has been responsible for dramatic decreases
in storm snowfall totals within this shadowing zone.
Note the wind streamlines at 925-850 MB that were observed during the main period of snowfall, with snow shadowing lee of the Wise-Scott border across much of Scott County into western Sullivan County and Hawkins County in Tennessee.
This event left beautiful scenes across the highlands of southern Dickenson County as captured by my friend Wayne Riner.
3 January 2022
Holly & Snow on Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge
Wayne Riner Photograph © All Rights Reserved
03 January 2022
Snowy In The Highlands
Wayne Riner Photograph © All Rights Reserved
A gorgeous sunrise greeted 5 January, complete with mountain waves and beautiful color.
5 January 2022
Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge
Beauty of a Highland Sunrise
Winter Storm Event
6-7 January 2022
The next snowfall left a general 5" to 10" of snow depth on the morning of 7 January 2022, varying along the northern slopes from 6" at the City of Norton Water Plant to 1-2+ feet in wind blown drifts at the summit level.
January 2022
In The Mixed-Mesophytic Forest
American Beech-Hemlock Community
8 January 2022 at 1431 UTC
The big mass of high country surrounding the
High Knob peak was clearly visible following
the next snow event on 8 January 2022.
This event once again left behind idyllic scenes
in the highlands of southern Dickenson County.
7 January 2022
Snow Upon The Roof
7 January 2022
Another Cozy Home
Wayne Riner Photograph © All Rights Reserved
7 January 2022
Bird Nest Capped By Snow
Wayne & Genevie Riner, NWS cooperative observers, measured 6.9" of total snowfall at their measuring site.
7 January 2022
Significant Snow At Nora 4 SSE
7 January 2022
Snow In The Valley
7 January 2022
Snowy Walk In The Snow
As a brief break developed in this wintry pattern, photographer Wayne Riner captured a beautiful
rainbow set against the highlands.
9 January 2022
Developing Rainbow
Having a rainbow over a snowy, mid-winter
landscape is not an every day event.
9 January 2022
Multi-Colored Rainbow
Snowy Mid-Month Period
15-20 January 2022
period with a general 10" to 18" of snowfall between
the northern base and crest of the High Knob Massif. Local snow drifts of 2 to 4 feet were observed.
18 January 2022
Eagle Knob Communications Area
Significant Multi-layered Rime Formation
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved
Rime formation was also significant across the high country above 3000 feet, with accretion amounts of locally up to 10"+ on Eagle Knob of the High Knob Massif (example image above).
A Miller B type storm event during 19-20 January was associated with a brief surge of warmer air aloft, which brought a mix of precipitation types that largely melted the powdery snowfall of 15-18 January.
22 January 2022
High-Resolution Landsat Image
to bare ground from its lower slopes south across Scott and Lee counties into eastern Tennessee.
23 January 2022
(High Knob Lake-Big Cherry Lake Basins)
Expansive Snow Cover Across High Country
Looking Toward High Knob Lookout Tower
Snowfall totals during 1-23 January of 30" to 36"
have blanketed the high country, with total rime formation estimated to have been locally more
than 20" during this period on most exposed,
windward facing trees and towers (*).
*At the northern base of the massif, 19.1" of total snowfall have been measured at the City of Norton Water Plant on once daily measurements at 9:00 AM (approximately 20.6" when using more official measurements at 6-hour intervals).
Canaan Valley Basin
All-Time Record Cold Events
(22 January 2022 & 27 January 2022)
26 January 2022
Canaan Valley Basin
Atmospheric conditions became prime on two nights during this period in the classic cold air pooling basin
of Canaan Valley, within northern West Virginia, for development of extreme cold.
26 January 2022
Beautiful Canaan Valley
Josh Brenneman Photograph © All Rights Reserved
How cold? The coldest two nights ever observed in Canaan Valley since recording began in July 1944.
Consecutive All-Time Record Nights
The station that established these new records is a
Virginia Tech reasearch site, monitored by Meteorology Professor David Carroll, located in the northeast end of the basin within the National Wildlife Refuge.
Significant snow was on the ground during both nights, with the nearby official NWS cooperative sties of Canaan Valley 2 and Davis 3 SE reporting 10" of snow depth on the morning of 22 January and 13" on the morning of 27 January.
Sinking air directly beneath High pressure above the basin contributed to extreme cold during the first night of this event into morning hours of 22 January 2022.
22 January 2022 at 12z
KEKN (Elkins, West Virginia)
NAM Model Initialized Sounding
21-22 January 2022
Basin Floor Extreme Cold Air Event
My friend Josh Brenneman, who records in a high valley of Garrett County, Maryland at Bittinger 2 NW, documents conditions across the mountains of western Maryland and northern West Virginia on his website Allegheny Mountains Weather (*).
*Scroll down to the Archives
to select the month of interest.
Josh does an extraordinary job documenting conditions. On 26 January he traveled to the southern end of Canaan Valley and hiked up to Bald Knob and captured some great scenes of powder snow that was laying upon a harden bottom layer (**).
**The High Knob Massif had this harden, old snow but lacked the fresh powder, having missed the northern clippers that gave Canaan snow during 23-25 January.
For more detailed information, please reference the Canaan Mountain Website of Dave Lesher, an outstanding NWS observer at Davis 3 SE.
26 January 2022
Coniferous Forest Christmas Card Scene
Josh Brenneman Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Rime had coated the mixed forest
along slopes and rims of the basin.
26 January 2022
Bald Mountain of Canaan Valley Basin
According to Dave Lesher, the 21-year snowfall average for Canaan Mountain is 164.2" and this supports a couple of ski resorts within the
Canaan Valley area.
Like all mountain sites along the central-southern Appalachians, mean annual snowfall has been decreasing over time.
26 January 2022
Cabin Mountain Toward Weiss Knob
Josh Brenneman Photograph © All Rights Reserved
At 39 degrees North latitude and 3150 to 4200+ feet above sea level, this area has a climate analogous to
the northern Great Lakes and New England.
26 January 2022
Wind Blown Drifts Along Bald Mountain
The nocturnal climate of the northeastern Canaan Valley Basin denotes the coldest high valley setting currently known across the central-southern Appalachians. This was true prior to these extreme temperature events.
26 January 2022
Josh's Best Friend...Nollie
The 27 January event was analogous to that of
22 January, but with more low density snow
(powder) over top the older snow.
26 January 2022 at 7:00 PM
KEKN (Elkins, West Virginia)
NAM Model Initialized Sounding
Precipitable water values were the same as 22 January, with warm air transport at basin rim level and above being important in making the basin floor inversion stronger vertically over the northeastern basin where both the topography and sky-view factor is most favored for strongest OLR and CAP.
OLR = Outgoing Longwave Radiation
CAP = Cold Air Pooling
27 January 2022 at 12z
KEKN (Elkins, West Virginia)
NAM Model Initialized Sounding
A sharp evening temperature drop, like often also observed in Big Cherry and Burkes Garden basins,
was strong enough on 26 January to support nearly
12 hours at and below -20 degrees (F).
26-27 January 2022
Basin Floor Extreme Cold Air Event
The most recent times in which Big Cherry Basin was suspected of dropping to around and below -30 degrees (F) was on 20 February 2015 and 5 February 1996 (#).
#Unofficial temperatures as low as -32 degrees below zero were reported in a valley near Big Cherry on 5 February 1996.
NW Flow Snowfall Event
28-29 January 2022
An initial band of snow dropped 1.5" on Eagle Knob at the summit level of the High Knob Massif between 1:30 and 3:30 PM on 28 January.
28 January 20222 at 2:49 PM
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
This was followed by significant NW-N upslope flow snowfall through the overnight hours of 29 January,
the intensity of which was greatly under-estimated by official forecasts for Wise and Dickenson counties.
(The Weather Channel predicted less than 1" for Norton-Wise).
29 January 2022 at 7:17 AM
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
While flipping back-and-forth between this image and the previous one on 28 January reveals an impressive increase in snow depth, it must be realized that the total depth increase was significantly greater than seen above given that much snow is blown horizontally and even upward across this view. For an indication of this, please review the short video below.
Joe Carter measured 5.5" of new snowfall (6.0" when including settlement) at 9:00 AM at the City of Norton Water Plant, with a mean snow depth of 7" . A general 5" to 10" of depth was on the ground at this same time in Legion Park (mean 7-8" depth).
29 January 2022
Intensity of NW-N Upslope Flow
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
A sample of conditions experienced at the summit level
of the High Knob Massif demonstrates the intensity of
upslope flow. Snow drifts can be seen across the road
and near some of the buildings. Observe the rapid
movement of snow-clouds across the summit.
A general 4" to 8" of old snow depth existed prior to this event in the woods on northern slopes, especially above 3000 feet. Snow depths increased into the 12" to 18" range at upper elevations into morning hours of 29 January (suggesting some 8-10" of new snowfall). Drifts were locally much deeper.
Ending 7 AM 29 January
60-Hour Flow Trajectories
This significant event was largely supported by abundant Great Lake connected flow being lifted upward into the windward slopes of the High Knob Massif. Observe these 60-hour backward air flow trajectories, with a connection to four of five Lakes. Model flow forecasts were correct.
Model snow amount forecasts were not, with their bias toward the Eastern Continental Divide that does not give Norton-Wise & the High Knob Massif-Black Mountain corridor the respect that past climatology dictates.
Wind Streamlines
925 MB Flow Field
7:00 PM on 28 January 2022
High-Resolution NAM Model Initialization
925 MB Height And Mean Wind Streamlines
1:00 AM on 29 January 2022
High-Resolution NAM Model Initialization
925 MB Height And Mean Wind Streamlines
7:00 AM on 29 January 2022
High-Resolution NAM Model Initialization
925 MB Height And Mean Wind Streamlines
850 MB Flow Field
7:00 PM on 28 January 2022
High-Resolution NAM Model Initialization
850 MB Height And Mean Wind Streamlines
1:00 AM on 29 January 2022
High-Resolution NAM Model Initialization
850 MB Height And Mean Wind Streamlines
7:00 AM on 29 January 2022
High-Resolution NAM Model Initialization
850 MB Height And Mean Wind Streamlines
Satellite-Doppler Perspective
Interactions between the High Knob Massif and overlying atmosphere could be seen on both satellite imagery and Doppler radar.
29 January 2022
GOES-East Night Microphysics
Although this satellite loop extends only to
4:00 AM on 29 January, with low clouds banking against windward slopes continuing through mid-morning, it was influences reaching upward to higher levels that were also interesting.
28-29 January 2022
Doppler Radar Loop of Event
A Doppler review reveals the development
of a frontal snow band followed by a distinct transition to NW-N upslope flow as Great Lake moisture was transported southward into the lifting zones of the southern Appalachians.
Appalachian Snow Shadows
While there is a natural snow shadow along the eastern side of the Appalachian range as NW air flow drops down off the mountain chain into the Piedmont, there is also notable snow shadowing into the Great Valley of eastern Tennessee.
29 January 2022
High-Resolution Landsat-Copernicus Image
This is especially true for air flowing across the High Knob Massif-Black Mountain corridor which generates the greatest moisture extraction on NW-N air flow trajectories.
Due to its great width and sprawling crest, this is particularly true of the High Knob Massif where there are often amazing differences between northern and southern bases on these flows.
29 January 2022
Snow Shadow Leeward of Mountain Barriers
For snow lovers living in the Tri-Cities, especially across central-western Sullivan County, northern Washington County, northern Greene and Hawkins counties, air sinking off the High Knob Massif and adjacent Black Mountain is a major factor in winter snowfall reduction on NW-N air flow trajectories.
29 January 2022
Morning Beauty After Snow
As always, my friends Wayne & Genevie Riner captured the beauty left by nearly 5" of new snow
in the highlands of southern Dickenson County.
29 January 2022
Along The Tennessee Valley Divide
Frozen Pond Amid The Highlands
Recap of December 2021
Much Warmer & Drier Than Average
112 Million Gallon Gain
Big Cherry Lake Refilled During
December As Most of Virginia Dried
December precipitation, fog drip and rime deposition with drop from trees was great enough in Big Cherry Basin to raise the reservoir level by 3 vertical feet.
This occurred as 93% of Virginia dried and slipped deeper into drought conditions (**).
**Not an aberration, with this being well
documented during past winter seasons
on this website and in my other work.
December was the second least snowy on record
during the past 3 decades in the High Knob Massif
and is part of a trend featuring 5 consecutive least
snowy December's during 2013-2017.
(1992-2020 Period)
500 MB Height Anomaly
The Least Snowy Decembers
A comparison with the least snowy December's on record reveals a similar anomaly pattern at 500 MB across the United States.
December 2021
500 MB Height Anomaly
To no major surprise, most of these
December's were anomalously mild.
(1992-2020 Period)
850 MB Temperature Anomaly
The Least Snowy Decembers
Warmth this year was opposed to much colder than average conditions across western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.
December 2021
850 MB Temperature Anomaly
Mean low-level airflow trajectories during December 2021 were analogous to the least snowy on record, but total precipitation this year was much below the mean
of these least snowy December's.
(Around 5.00" in 2021 versus around 8.00").
850 MB Airflow Trajectories
The Least Snowy Decembers
A comparison at 850 MB.
December 2021
850 MB Airflow Trajectories
925 MB Airflow Trajectories
The Least Snowy Decembers
A comparison at 925 MB.
December 2021
925 MB Airflow Trajectories
This section is under construction.
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