February 16, 1996 - Heavy Snow Event over East-Central Virginia

During the late morning hours of February 16, 1996, heavy snow developed over central Virginia in a mesoscale band approximately 40-60 NM wide and spread eastward across the state through the afternoon into the evening. Snowfall rates approached 2 inches an hour in some locations within this mesoscale band. Snowfall amounts ranged from 2 inches in Virginia Beach to 12 inches in eastern Hanover and King William counties. Strong upward forcing along an axis of frontogenesis was the culprit in the development and maintenance of heavy snows even as the surface low moved well to the northeast. This is considered one of the most striking examples of "wrap-around" snow to occur in the region in association with a departing storm system.