Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Harsh Winter Pattern_January 2025


January 2014
High Knob Massif
Upper Falls of Little Stony Creek Gorge
Bill Harris Photograph © All Rights Reserved

This update begins with a classic shot from my friend Bill Harris of the frozen Upper Falls in Little Stony Creek Gorge of the High Knob Massif (taken in January 2014).

January 2014 was one of the coldest on record.

January Rank By Coldness

January 2014 is being seriously challenged.

January 2025 is currently the third coldest in the official record period (1989-Present) for Clintwood, and the sixth coldest in unofficial records (dating back to January 1977).

Coldest Januaries In Clintwood
(Unofficial Record Period)

January 1977
18.4 degrees

January 1978
20.4 degrees

January 1985
23.9 degrees

This generally applies across southwestern Virginia, as exemplified by the very long official recording period in majestic Burkes Garden.

January Rank By Coldness

As of January 13, this month was tied for the third coldest of all-time in Burkes Garden (record period from January 1897-Present). This tie for third place included January 2014.

The entire month of January 2025 has been 
snow covered across the High Knob Massif.

1 January 2025
High Knob Massif
High Knob Lookout 
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

The month started with snowfall coating the ground around Midnight on 1 January 2025
(following post-Christmas bare ground).

1 January 2025 at 1:07 AM
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

Nearly 30" of total snowfall during the next ten days produced a general 12-18" snowpack within upper elevations (*).

*This included a general 3.00" to 4.00" of water equivalent precipitation above 2400 feet elevation. A total of 2.98" was hand-measured by Andrew Greear and Staff at the City of Norton Water Plant, using an official NWS rain gauge, during 1-13 January 2025 (the mean snow depth reached 8" during 11-12 January). 

The City of Norton Water Plant is at the northern base of the massif 
at an elevation of approximately 2365 feet above mean sea level.

11 January 2025 at 9:37 PM
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

A significant amount of rime has been observed
with snowfall (this added a substantial amount of
water equivalent not measured by rain gauges).

1 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Majestic Snow-Rime
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

2 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Majestic Snow-Rime
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

2 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Significant Rime Formation
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

The first major winter storm quickly dropped 5" of new snow on 5 January before a nasty transition into freezing rain and rain.

8 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Heavy Rime And Snowfall
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

Persistent NW flow followed with 8-10" 
of new snow during 6-9 January 2025.

8 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Looking Into Big Cherry Lake Basin
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

A forest of rime covered many square miles across the high country during this time, with many days spent in clouds above 3000 feet.

8 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Persistent NW Flow Snowfall
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

This marked the beginning of multiple nights with air tempeatures plunging to near zero degrees and below in high valleys (despite only limited periods with clearing).

10 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Snow Laden High Country
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

The next winter storm pushed January 2025 snowfall above the long-term mean of 26.0" observed during the period from 
January 1992-March 2018.

Monthly Mean Snowfall
January 1992-March 2018

A general 4" to 8" fell across 
the area during 10-11 January.

10 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Snow Laden High Country
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

10 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Snow Laden High Country
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

10 January 2025
High Knob Massif
New Winter Storm Arrives
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

12 January 2025
Bright Morning Conditions
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

A beautiful three-dimensional view from above was captured by Copernicus satellite imagery during 15 January 2025 (many more images below).

15 January 2025
Partial View Adjacent to Powell Valley
3D Satellite Imagery of High Knob Massif

Big Cherry Lake and High Knob Lake basins are seen in the above view, adjacent to Powell Valley resting within the eroded calcareous core of the massif.

15 January 2025
South of City of Norton and Wise
Northern Slopes of High Knob Massif

Snow laden northern slopes of the massif, south of Norton and Wise, are seen in this view (above) looking down on the High Knob Lake basin (in lower left).

15 January 2025
Partial View of High Knob Massif
Powell Valley and Big Cherry Lake Basin

This rotated view captures Powell Valley (above),
deeply incised in the core of this great mountain.

Following a few days with warming, melting, and settlement a significant NW upslope flow snowfall event developed as bitterly cold, arctic air poured into the Appalachians during 19-20 January.

20 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Rime and Snow Laden High Knob Peak
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

A general 6" to 8" of snow fell at middle elevations of the High Knob Massif, below 3000 feet, with up to 10" or more at upper elevations.

20 January 2025
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
General 1 to 2 Feet of Snow Depth
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

This boosted the January snowfall tally to around 40" (38" recorded for Eagle Knob) and moved it into a three-way tie for 7th snowiest on record (versus the 1989-2019 period).

20 January 2025
High Knob Massif
Rime and Snow Laden High Knob Peak
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

Differences with downslope locations, downstream of the massif, across the Clinch and Holston river valleys into northeastern Tennessee have been characteristically dramatic this month.

Rising Air Side Of Mountains
(Images Courtesy of WCYB)

University of Virginia's College In Wise

Downtown In City of Norton

Sinking Air Side Of Mountains
(Images Courtesy of WCYB)

Near Tri-City Airport

City of Kingsport (Sullivan County)

Church Hill (Hawkins County)

Tusculum (Greene County)

High-resolution satellite imagey revealed these dramatic differences observed on 20 January 2025.

20 January 2025
Partial View of High Knob Massif

20 January 2025
Norton-Wise Area
Along And North of High Knob Massif

20 January 2025
Fort Blackmore-Clinch River Valley

20 January 2025
Kingsport-Church Hill Area
Great Valley of Northeastern Tennessee

Areas to the east (under downsloping) 
have also had much less snow this month.

20 January 2025
New River Valley

20 January 2025
Blacksburg Area of New River Valley


High-resolution satellite imagery at the exact mid-point of Meteorological Winter (15 January 2025) also revealed these dramatic differences.

15 January 2025
High Knob Landform & Adjacent Valleys

Flat surfaces reflect snow much better than tilted terrain, so please keep in mind that the actual depth of snow on this type of image can often 
not be correlated to how "white" it appears.

15 January 2025
Majestic Burkes Garden Basin

The official snow depth of 4" in Burkes Garden 
on 15 January 2025 was much less than within the High Knob Massif, yet it looks super-white across the flat-rolling interior of its gorgeous basin.

(Partial View)
15 January 2025
High Knob Massif

Great mountains of the southern Appalachians 
are spectacular, even from far, far out in space.

15 January 2025
Mount Rogers-Whitetop Mountain Mass

All images are at the same-scale (zoom-level).

15 January 2025
Roan-Hump Mountain Mass
 

15 January 2025
Brumley Mountain of Clinch Mountain

15 January 2025
Clinch Mountain
Russell Beartown and Laurel Bed Lake

15 January 2025
Holston Mountain and Iron Mountain
Holston Lake and Shady Valley (TN)

15 January 2025
Grandfather Mountain (NC)

15 January 2025
Mount Mitchell and Black Mountains (NC)

A period of mostly clear skies allowed air temperatures to plunge into evening hours 
of 20 January 2025.

Widespread 0 to -10 degree (F) minimums were observed over the snow cover in mountain valleys, hollows, and basins.

Minimum Temperatures
(20 January 2025)

Wise County, VA
Rock Bar Road: -4
Hurricane Rd NE: -2
Miller Hollow Road: -2
Flat Gap: -2

Dickenson County, VA
Clintwood (Town): -3
Camp Jacob: -3
Baden: -2
Clintwood 1 W: -1
Pine Creek: -1
Ramey Flats: 0

Tazewell County, VA
North Tazewell: -11
Abbs Valley: -7
Burkes Garden: -5
Burkes Garden Site 2: -5

Johnson County, TN
Shady Valley: -10

The coldest air temperature reported along the southern-central Appalachians dipped to -18 degrees in the northeastern portion of the 
Canaan Valley basin of West Virginia (*).

*I will report the Big Cherry Lake basin minimum later. Certainly, all temperatures would have been significantly colder had clouds not increased by midnight (or before in more western and southern locations).

21 January 2025
Snow Laden High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

Air temperatures at upper elevations struggled 
in single digits all day during 21 January, with 10s across lower-middle elevations along and north of the High Knob Massif.

21 January 2025
Snow Laden High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

Light snow developed into the evening along and in advance of yet another arctic boundary, with very dry (much lower dewpoint) air upstream of the orographic snow generating clouds.

21 January 2025
Snow Laden High Knob Massif
Cody Blankenbecler Image © All Rights Reserved

Minimum Temperatures
(21 January 2025)

*Wise County, VA
Town of Wise (Downtown): -8
Miller Hollow Road: -7
Wise (Skye Ave NW): -6
Rock Bar Road: -6
Flat Gap: -6

*The coldest was in Big Cherry Lake basin, which certainly dropped into double digits below zero 
(I will report this minimum later).

Dickenson County, VA
Camp Jacob: -6
Clintwood (Town): -4
Clintwood NWS: -4
Baden: -4
Pine Creek: -4
Ramey Flats: -3
Birchleaf 1 SW: -2

Tazewell County, VA
North Tazewell: -10
Abbs Valley: -9
Witten Valley: -8
Thompson Valley: -5
Burkes Garden NWS: -5
Burkes Garden 2: -5
Burkes Garden 3: -3
Tazewell: -2

Johnson County, TN
Shady Valley: -14
Shady Valley 2: -13
Shady Valley 3: -8
Shady Valley 4: -4

Other notable minimums reported included -6 below in Keokee (northern Lee County) and -8 degrees below (F) on Big Black Mountain, Kentucky.

Once again, the coldest temperature reported along the expanse of the southern-central Appalachians was in the northeastern end of Canaan Valley basin which rapidly plunged to -27 degrees (F) below zero.

This section is under construction