For such a short event, the snow squall that moved through on Saturday, February 11th will be remembered for its intensity, lightening and thunder. Several reports of thundersnow were observed around Metro Richmond and areas to the west as the snow squall moved through in the mid-afternoon hours. The snow and wind picked up quickly asd the arctic front pushed through the area around 3:30 PM. Approximately 0.06″ of liquid precipitation fell in about 25 minutes.  In that same time period, the temperature dropped 9 degrees from 44 to 35!

For Church Hill, this brought the first measurable snow of the 2011-2012 season. The amount of snow that collected on cars and grassy surfaces was about 0.2″ of an inch. Not much more than a trace, but still measurable on the elevated and grassy surfaces.

 

The shortwave that was anticipated to roll through central Virginia late in the evening of the 11th-12th materialized, but the bulk of the moisture stayed to the east of Metro Richmond. I observed a few flurries around 12:30-1:00 AM on Sunday morning.

 

* Place – Time: Church Hill, 3:35 PM (1/28/2011) *After the Event Update*
* Temperature: 35-44, During Storm Event
* Dewpoint: 32-34, During Storm Event
* Relative Humidity: N/A
* Pressure: N/A
* Trends: N/A
* Road Conditions: Primary roads passable. Secondary roads passable as well.
* Precipitation Description: Light, moderate and sometimes heavy snow fell throughout the event.
* Total Precip: 0.2″ of snow on mulch, grass and elevated surfaces. Liquid Equivalent of 0.06″ fell during the event.
* Comments: Precipitation started at 3:35 PM as a very brief mix of gropple and snow. The precipitation quickly changed to moderate and heavy snow with winds sustained between 10-20 MPH. Precipitation was spurred by an arctic frontal boundary that created a squall line through central Virginia. Thunder preceding the event could be heard to the south and was reported to the NWS during the event as it rolled through Metro Richmond. Snow lasted for about 30 minutes.

Photo Gallery Link: http://www.612.richmondcitywatch.com/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2786

 

Video of event will be forthcoming.