The snowstorm of April 10 to 13, 2008
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 4 regions on its Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains.
What the offices filed during it
Winter weather episodes east of the Rockies from the day before the storm began to the day after it ended, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The storm by region
Each region’s thresholds are its own, so the same depth of snow counts for more in the South than in the Northeast.
| Region | Index | Category | Area with snow (sq mi) | People under snow | Above the top threshold (sq mi) | People above it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Rockies and Plains | 1.68 | Category 1, Notable | 264,592 | 3,501,586 | 0 | 0 |
| Upper Midwest | 1.43 | Category 1, Notable | 220,972 | 14,443,937 | 0 | 0 |
| South | 0.08 | Below category 1 | 24,332 | 150,008 | 0 | 0 |
| Northeast | 0.00 | Below category 1 | 46,118 | 1,964,196 | 0 | 0 |
The Regional Snowfall Index is NOAA’s ranking of snowstorms east of the Rockies by how much snow fell, over how wide an area and on how many people, region by region: the area and the population above four snowfall thresholds set for each region, weighted against that region’s own history. A storm is scored in each region it reached, on a scale from 1, notable, to 5, extreme.
The toll the offices filed
- Events
- 196
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
- Episodes
- 28
Every winter weather episode the Weather Service filed east of the Rockies in these dates. A few may belong to another system on the same days. Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Episode by episode
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, April 8 to 9, 2008Low pressure moved quickly from the southern Plains into the western Great Lakes. A band of moderate to heavy snow fell across central and northeast Wisconsin. The city of Florence received 6.3 inches of snow from the storm in about 8 hours.
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, April 9 to 10, 2008A winter storm system produced heavy snow across the mountains of southeast Wyoming, with lighter amounts over the adjacent plains.
- Heavy Snow in Utah, April 9 to 10, 2008On the heels of the snow event on April 7th, a moister and warmer Pacific trough moved into the Great Basin on April 8th and 9th. This system produced primarily a rain and snow mix on the valley floors of northern Utah, but locally heavy snow fell in the Wasatch Mountains.
- Heavy Snow in Montana, April 9 to 10, 2008A moist and unstable north flow brought accumulating snow to Northern Sweet Grass County. The following two snow amounts were received: 6 inches in Melville and 7S of Mc Leod.
- Winter Storm in Colorado, April 9 to 10, 2008A very moist storm brought heavy snow to the North Central Mountains and Front Range Foothills of Colorado. The storm spread into the Northeast Plains allowing for significant snowfall over parts of the the lower elevations as well.
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 10 to 11, 2008A strong storm system moving out of the Southern Rockies brought a significant springtime winter storm to western and north central Nebraska on April 10th and 11th.
- Winter Storm in Kansas, April 10 to 11, 2008A low pressure system brought 5-6 inches of snow to parts of the Tri-State area, accompanied by winds of 40-50 mph. The combination of snow and wind resulted in jack-knifed trailers and several vehicle accidents.
- Blizzard in South Dakota, April 10 to 11, 2008A very strong storm system moved across the central Plains, producing blizzard conditions over south central South Dakota. Snowfall amounts of eight to 15 inches and wind gusts to 45 mph were common across Mellette, Todd, and Tripp Counties.
- Winter Storm in Colorado, April 10, 2008A low pressure system brought 5-6 inches of snow to parts of the Tri-State area, accompanied by winds of 40-50 mph. The combination of snow and wind resulted in jack-knifed trailers and several vehicle accidents.
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 10 to 11, 2008A low pressure system brought 5-6 inches of snow to parts of the Tri-State area, accompanied by winds of 40-50 mph. The combination of snow and wind resulted in jack-knifed trailers and several vehicle accidents.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Nebraska, April 10, 2008A potent early spring winter storm impacted the area on April 10th as a large upper level storm system moved from the southwestern U.S. through Kansas and into Iowa. This system pulled in plenty of moisture, and enough warm air, that the event started out as all rain.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, April 10 to 11, 2008An intense area of low pressure moving northeast across the Central Plains brought widespread heavy snow and strong winds to west central Minnesota.
- Blizzard in South Dakota, April 10 to 11, 2008An intense area of low pressure moving northeast across the Central Plains brought widespread heavy snow and strong winds to parts of central and northeast South Dakota.
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 10 to 11, 2008A spring snowstorm hit northeast Nebraska from Thursday afternoon April 10th into the morning hours of April 11th. A wet snowfall of 5 to 7 inches fell over sections of the region, accompanied by northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph.
- Blizzard and Winter Weather in South Dakota, April 10 to 11, 2008Rain and freezing rain changed quickly to snow in most of southeast South Dakota around noon on April 10th. The snow became moderate to heavy at times and was accompanied by north winds averaging 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph.
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 10 to 11, 2008A surface low pressure system observed over central OK. on the morning of the 10th trekked into Northeast Iowa by the early afternoon on the 11th.
- Blizzard and Winter Weather in Minnesota, April 10 to 11, 2008Rain and freezing rain changed to snow in southwest Minnesota during the afternoon of April 10th. The snow became moderate to heavy at times and was accompanied by north winds averaging 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph.
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 10 to 11, 2008A low pressure system pushed across the Central Plains Thursday and Friday (April 10th and 11th) and brought a variety of weather conditions to portions of east central and southeast North Dakota and portions of west central Minnesota.
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, April 10 to 11, 2008A low pressure system pushed across the Central Plains Thursday and Friday (April 10th and 11th) and brought a variety of weather conditions to portions of east central and southeast North Dakota and portions of west central Minnesota.
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, April 10 to 11, 2008A surface low pressure system observed over central OK. on the morning of the 10th trekked into Northeast Iowa by the early afternoon on the 11th. Some snowfall totals of note include: 8.0 inches six miles northwest of Rice Lake and 7.9 inches at Ladysmith.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 10 to 11, 2008A powerful late season winter storm hit northeastern Minnesota, producing heavy wet snow, with localized blizzard conditions along the North Shore and head of Lake Superior.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, April 10 to 12, 2008A powerful late season winter storm hit northwestern Wisconsin, producing heavy wet snow. There were localized blizzard conditions along the south shore and head of Lake Superior. Six to 14 inches of snow fell, with the heaviest amounts from Siren to Spooner.
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 10 to 11, 2008A strong storm system crossed the central Plains, bringing heavy snow to portions of western South Dakota. Snowfall around the Black Hills was highly dependent on elevation, with six to twelve inches accumulating over the higher elevations.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Michigan, April 10 to 12, 2008A winter storm developed over the Plains and tracked northeast into the Upper Great Lakes. The storm dropped widespread heavy snow across Upper Michigan from the evening of the 10th into the afternoon of the 12th.
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, April 10 to 12, 2008A strong low pressure system moved northeast from the southern Plains into southern Wisconsin. This resulted in a prolonged period of heavy, wet snow that caused scattered power outages.
- Heavy Snow in North Dakota, April 10 to 11, 2008A low pressure system over northeastern Iowa brought a continuous band of light to moderate snow across far south central and southeastern North Dakota from the evening hours of Thursday, April 10th, through the morning hours of Friday, April 11th.
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, April 13 to 14, 2008A strong upper level low near the Bering Strait brought a period of strong westerly flow aloft across the Western Alaska Range.
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, April 14 to 16, 2008A strong area of low pressure tracked across interior Alaska and brought a period of heavy snowfall to parts of the Eastern Alaska Range. 20 inches of snow was observed at Isabel Pass.
More
The snowstorm of February 21 to 24, 2008The snowstorm of November 6 to 8, 2008Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.