Front Porch Conversations: The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950 and other record events

What area in West Virginia has the record for most snow?

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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 57.2” of snow fell at Coburn Creek in Harrison County over the course of three-days in November 1950, placing this area in the West Virginia history books as having the highest recorded snowfall for the state. (Other databases show the snowfall total was actually 62”, a record nevertheless.)

This snowfall event happened during the Great Appalachian Storm of 1950, a Thanksgiving event described by the National Weather Service as one of the most “meteorologically unique winter storms” to hit the eastern United States due to extreme wind gusts and temperature changes along its path. It was called the “Storm of the Century,” and resulted in millions worth of damages and hundreds of deaths. 

The state’s one-day record snowfall, 37”, occurred at Coopers Rock in Preston County on February 21, 2003, according to the National Weather Service. 

Greenbrier County holds the official NOAA record for coldest temperature ever recorded in the state. On Dec. 13, 1917, the city of Lewisburg saw a temperature of -37 degrees below zero. 

But as for Greenbrier County specific records, the town of Quinwood holds the record for most snowfall in one day. This happened on March 14, 1993 when 32” of snow fell on the town. 

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