By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
The month of October for most of the State of West Virginia was still fairly mild, but parts of Tucker County saw their first Frost Advisory October 1st for the early morning hours of October 2nd and the first flakes of winter fly the night of October 26th into the 27th.
The area around Davis was included in a Frost Advisory October 1st that included parts of Pennsylvania The remainder of Tucker County and the surrounding area, including areas in Randolph County, saw a Frost Advisory a week later on October 9th, with the Tucker County area under a Freeze Watch for Friday, October 10th.
The October 1st Advisory stated that temperatures as low as 34 degrees Fahrenheit could result in frost formation. It also advised residents to “Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.” A Frost Advisory, according to the National Weather Service, “means frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation.”
A Freeze Watch, according to the National Weather Service means, “Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.” The National Weather Service also advises during a Freeze Watch that residents bring sensitive outdoor plants indoors, if possible due to the chance that they may be killed off during a freeze event.
With cold morning already creeping into Tucker County, what does this mean for the winter? The National Weather Service issued the Seasonal Outlook Maps for the 2025-2026 winter September 18th. November to January’s temperatures look slightly warmer than normal with equal chances of precipitation. December to February have equal chances for both temperature and precipitation and January to March has equal chances for temperature and precipitation. However, Randolph and Tucker Counties are just barely on the line for slightly above leaning chances.
This map and outlook contrasts with this year’s Farmers’ Almanac that predicts very cold, snowy conditions for the Appalachian and Ohio Valley areas with, “the Appalachian regions, may see occasional show events.”
However, take the Farmers’ Almanac with a grain of salt. While it has been predicting long range weather forecasts for over 200 years, it is hardly a scientific source. But it is included because many farmers, ranchers and country dwellers swear by its results. The Almanac uses a formula based on the environment, as well as sunspots, the motion of the Moon and proprietary factors.
Even the Almanac itself admits, “Yes, nature throws us a curveball from time to time, but it doesn’t stop us from going out on a limb to not only predict weather patterns up to year in advance, but also put it in print.”
However, Canaan Valley did see snow a few snowflakes throughout the night Sunday, October 26th as a storm moved through the area and temperatures dropped. Unverified reports and black and white trailcam video have been popping up on social media of snowfall in Canaan Valley overnight. But with daytime highs predicted to be well above freezing in the coming week, any light covering of snow is destined to not last long on the ground.
Tucker County Director of Emergency Management Kevin White reported to the Parsons Advocate that there is no official word on when the first significant snowfall will be, but his best guess would be mid November unofficially. So for those residents waiting to dust off their skis and sharpen their skates, the wait may not be that far off, but time will have to tell.
