On March 5th, an active storm system developed and moved across the Gulf coast states. This storm produced severe weather, including deadly tornadoes along the Gulf coast and major flooding across the Tennessee River Valley. In New York, a cold front was draped across western New York with rainfall immediately along the cold front and temperatures in the 40s across northern New York that promoted significant snow melt to the region.
On March 6th, this storm began to move north across the southeast and Mid-Atlantic states along a slow moving cold front positioned across New York south to Florida. More heavy rainfall, flooding and severe weather accompanied this system. In northern New York, heavy rainfall and temperatures in the 40s preceded the cold front. However, as the cold front crept across northern New York during the morning hours, temperatures fell 12-15 degrees within an hour and heavy rain changed to heavy sleet and wet snow.
At the same time, rapid snow melt and heavy rainfall accounted for area ice-covered rivers to swell and cause ice flows. A significant ice jam formed in the Keene Valley between Jay and Keene that resulted in moderate to major flooding of numerous homes and forced evacuations during a major snowstorm.
Heavy snow continued from the afternoon of March 6th to midday on March 7th with the heaviest occurring in the early morning hours of the 7th with snowfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour. Total snowfall accumulations ranged from 5 to 10 inches in the St. Lawrence River Valley to 18 to 30 inches across much of the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley.
Most roads were impassable with numerous accidents and stuck vehicles. Nearly 5000 customers lost electrical power, nearly all school districts were closed on the 7th along with local/state government as State of Emergencies were declared in Clinton and Essex counties.