The snowstorm of April 12 to 17, 2018

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.

Events

571

Deaths

3

Injuries

13

Damage

$58 million

Episodes

55

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.

• Winter Weather in California, April 11 to 12, 20181 eventSeveral inches of snow fell in the Sierra, causing minor travel delays.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, April 12 to 13, 20182 eventsAn upper level disturbance from the Northern Plains brought moderate snow to portions of central Upper Michigan from the 12th into the 13th.
• Winter Storm in Montana, April 12, 20189 eventsYet another spring storm system brought widespread precipitation (a mix of rain and snow) to a large portion of Central and Southwest Montana. It was a heavy, wet snow with many areas reporting 1 /hr snowfall rates at times.
• Heavy Snow in North Dakota, April 12 to 13, 20185 eventsA potent short-wave trough approaching the Northern Plains became a closed low over southeast Montana before moving towards southern South Dakota. This led to heavy snow developing over parts of southwest North Dakota.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 12 to 14, 201824 eventsA strong spring storm brought rain and snow to the region. Rain changed to snow across far western South Dakota during the early morning and across the rest of western into south central South Dakota during the late morning and early afternoon.
• Blizzard and Hail in Colorado, April 13 to 14, 201866 kt wind · 12 eventsA powerful storm system moved over northeast Colorado on the 13th, then slowly exited into the Central Plains on the 14th. The storm produced blizzard conditions over the far northeastern plains of Colorado, with high winds elsewhere.
• Blizzard and Hail in Nebraska, April 13 to 14, 20181 death · $50,000 · 0.75 in hail · 28 eventsA winter storm produced blizzard conditions across western and north central Nebraska.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 13 to 14, 20189 eventsA vigorous late season winter storm brought heavy wet snow and blowing snow from strong winds. Near-blizzard conditions were frequently observed, with several highways closed, including Interstate 80 from the Wyoming border to east of Sidney.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, April 13, 20181 eventA vigorous late season winter storm produced heavy wet snow and blowing snow from strong winds across far eastern Wyoming. Visibilities were frequently reduced to less than a quarter mile. Snow totals ranged from 6 to 8 inches.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, April 13 to 16, 2018$1.6 million · 33 eventsA low pressure system that moved from the Plains, across Illinois, to the Ohio Valley brought two periods of heavy precipitation and strong northeast winds to the area.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 13 to 15, 201861 eventsA prolonged snow storm event with historic snowfall totals for the month of April, started Friday, April 13th, and lasted until late Sunday night April 15th.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, April 13 to 14, 201818 eventsA rare mid-April blizzard affected most of central and northeast South Dakota from April 13th into April 15th. Heavy snowfall along with high winds brought widespread blizzard conditions to the region.
• Blizzard in Colorado, April 13 to 14, 20183 eventsHigh winds, combined with blowing snow, created blizzard conditions across East Central Colorado during April 13th-14th. The blizzard closed many of the area highways and I-70 from Limon to the Kansas border.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, April 13 to 15, 201824 eventsThe most intense storm of the month, in fact many months, wrapped up across the central Plains on April 13, spreading a mix of wintry precipitation across the area, accompanied by numerous thunderstorms.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Kansas, April 13 to 14, 20181 injured · 56 kt wind · 10 eventsA strong winter storm system created blizzard conditions across part of Northwest Kansas. The blizzard conditions caused some area highways to be closed. Up to five inches of snow was reported with the winter storm system.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, April 13 to 15, 20181 eventSeveral periods of snowfall wrapped into west central Minnesota around a very large upper level low pressure system from the 13th to the 15th. Heavy snowfall of 9 to 13 inches combined with winds up to 40 mph at times to produce near blizzard conditions.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, April 13 to 14, 20183 eventsA strong winter storm system produced blizzard conditions across Southwest Nebraska. The blizzard conditions caused highways to be closed. The highest wind gust reported was 60 MPH at McCook. The highest snowfall amount reported was 5 inches in Red Willow County.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, April 13 to 15, 20181 death · 8 eventsThe most intense storm of the month, in fact many months, wrapped up across the central Plains on April 13, spreading a mix of wintry precipitation across the area, accompanied by numerous thunderstorms.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, April 13 to 15, 20189 eventsA prolonged snow storm event with historic snowfall totals for the month of April, started Friday, April 13th, and lasted until late Sunday night April 15th.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 13 to 14, 2018$2.2 million · 16 eventsBetween the evening hours of Friday the 13th and the early morning of Sunday the 15th, a powerful, late-season winter storm took aim on South Central Nebraska, featuring an impactful mix of intense north winds, blizzard conditions (especially in northern/western counties),…
• Winter Storm and Flood in Wisconsin, April 13 to 15, 201811 eventsPortions of western Wisconsin received between 3 and 17 inches of snow as another early spring storm moved across the Upper Midwest from April 13th into the 15th.
• Winter Storm and Flood in Iowa, April 13 to 15, 20183 eventsPortions of northeast Iowa received between 2 and 5 inches of snow as another early spring storm moved across the Upper Midwest from April 13th into the 15th.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, April 13 to 16, 201825 eventsAn extended period of wintry precipitation struck northern Michigan in mid April. This was a drawn-out event, but the heaviest precipitation occurred on the night of the 13th into early on the 14th, and again late the night of the 14th all the way into the morning of the 16th.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 13 to 15, 20183 injured · $10,000 · 7 eventsSoutheast Minnesota received between 5 and 12 inches of snow as another early spring storm moved across the Upper Midwest from April 13th into the 15th.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, April 13 to 14, 20181 eventAbundant moisture and lift north of the warm front generated nearly a foot of heavy snow in Menominee from late evening on the 13th into the morning of the 14th. East-northeast winds gusting near 40 mph also caused considerable drifting of snow.
• Winter Storm and Lakeshore Flood in Michigan, April 14 to 15, 2018$43 million · 17 eventsA large and complex low pressure system impacted the Great Lakes region. Southeast Michigan saw heavy rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain that began on Friday (April 13) and lasted through Sunday (April 15).
• Blizzard in Iowa, April 14 to 15, 201811 eventsThe most intense storm of the month, in fact many months, wrapped up across the central Plains on April 13, spreading a mix of wintry precipitation across the area, accompanied by numerous thunderstorms.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, April 14, 20182 eventsThe most intense storm of the month, in fact many months, wrapped up across the central Plains on April 13, spreading a mix of wintry precipitation across the area, accompanied by numerous thunderstorms.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Iowa, April 14 to 15, 201853 kt wind · 13 eventsA potent low pressure system meandered its way across the central Plains on the 13th through 15th, eventually occluding, as it tracked eastward along the Nebraska-Kansas and Iowa-Missouri borders.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, April 14 to 16, 20181 death · 5 injured · 17 eventsA large and slow moving low pressure area brought moderate to heavy sleet and snow to southern WI over a couple days. Light freezing rain occurred over south central WI at the beginning of the storm. Numerous vehicle slide-offs and accidents occurred including one death.
• Blizzard and Winter Weather in Nebraska, April 14, 20189 eventsA low pressure system that produced severe weather across southeast Nebraska on April 13th, strengthened and produced snow across the area on the 13th and 15th. Snowfall across Antelope, Pierce, Wayne, Cedar and Knox counties ranged from 4 to 8 inches.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, April 14 to 15, 2018$2.1 million · 21 eventsA significant late season winter storm brought a mix of high winds, heavy rain, sleet and freezing rain.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, April 14 to 16, 20188 eventsThis was an unusually strong mid-April snowstorm. The area of low pressure slowly moved from the Central Plains to south of the Great Lakes before lifting into eastern Canada. It brought heavy snow as far north and west as northeast MN and northwest WI.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 14 to 16, 2018$9.0 million · 5 eventsThis was an unusually strong mid-April snowstorm. The area of low pressure tracked slowly from the Central Plains to south of the Great Lakes before lifting into eastern Canada. It brought heavy snow as far north and west as northeast MN.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in New York, April 14 to 15, 2018$225,000 · 14 eventsTwo rounds of mixed winter precipitation moved over the area with warm air aloft overriding a deep layer of cold air at the surface. This resulted in sleet initially that transitioned to freezing rain before temperatures eventually increased above freezing.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, April 14 to 17, 20181 injured · 22 eventsA potent winter storm moving into the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley region dumped moderate to heavy snow across much of Upper Michigan from late on the 14th into the 17th.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, April 16, 20181 eventModerate to heavy rain that fell on the Cumberland Plateau from April 14 through April 15 changed to light snow showers during the early morning hours on April 16 as colder air filtered into the area. Snow amounts around one half inch were reported.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, April 17, 2018$50,000 · 1 eventUnseasonably cold northwest winds blowing off of Lake Erie caused lake effect snow to develop early on April 17th. The snow showers gradually increased in intensity and by daybreak 1 to 2 inches of accumulation had been reported in some areas.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, April 17, 20181 eventHeavy snow occurred along the Big Horn Foothills.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Nebraska, April 17 to 18, 20189 eventsA low pressure system moved from Wyoming across Nebraska to northwest Missouri and produced snow across northeast Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. Snowfall ranged from 1.5 inches near Wakefield, NE, in Wayne County to 7.8 inches near Verdel, NE in Knox County.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 18, 201812 eventsA deep trough again progressed through the Rockies and evolved to a compact closed mid-level circulation drifting across eastern Nebraska and Iowa on April 18.
• Winter Weather in South Dakota, April 18, 20189 eventsA deep trough again progressed through the Rockies and evolved to a compact closed mid-level circulation drifting across eastern Nebraska and Iowa on April 18.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, April 18, 20182 eventsA deep trough again progressed through the Rockies and evolved to a compact closed mid-level circulation drifting across eastern Nebraska and Iowa on April 18.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, April 18, 20185 eventsA deep trough again progressed through the Rockies and evolved to a compact closed mid-level circulation drifting across eastern Nebraska and Iowa on April 18.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, April 18, 20186 eventsA deep trough again progressed through the Rockies and evolved to a compact closed mid-level circulation drifting across eastern Nebraska and Iowa on April 18.
• Winter Weather in Minnesota, April 18, 20185 eventsA deep trough again progressed through the Rockies and evolved to a compact closed mid-level circulation drifting across eastern Nebraska and Iowa on April 18. Weak instability resulted in some isolated thunder near the Iowa border.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 18, 20183 eventsA small but strong winter storm moved across Iowa Wednesday, April 18th, and produced a swath of 6 to locally 11 inches of snow from Fairmont, to Albert Lea.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, April 18, 20181 eventA low pressure system moved from Wyoming across Nebraska to northwest Missouri and produced snow across northeast Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. Snowfall amounts were light ranging from less than 0.5 inch in Pottawattamie County to 2 inches in Monona County.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, April 18, 201813 eventsNorthern Iowa found itself in the cross hairs of yet another April winter storm, the 4th to this point. A surface low pressure system slid off the Rockies on the 17th and worked its way across northern Kansas.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, April 18, 20182 injured · $10,000 · 6 eventsThe third spring storm of April dropped a band of heavy snow on portions of northeast Iowa on April 18th. Amounts of 5 to 13 inches were reported and the highest reported total was 12.8 inches in Stacyville (Mitchell County).
• Winter Weather in Iowa, April 18, 20187 eventsScattered thunderstorms with rain, freezing rain, and sleet was seen across the area during the morning of Wednesday, April 18th; especially north and west of a line from Ottumwa to Dubuque. This resulted in slick roads and hazardous travel.
• Winter Weather in Illinois, April 18, 20183 eventsScattered thunderstorms with rain, freezing rain, and sleet was seen across the area during the morning of Wednesday, with snow along the Highway 20 corridor. One to three inches of snow was reported in this area.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, April 18, 20183 eventsThe third spring storm of April dropped a band of heavy snow on portions of southeast Minnesota on April 18th. Amounts of 4 to 12 inches were reported generally south of Interstate 90. The highest reported total was 12 inches in Le Roy (Mower County).
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, April 18, 20181 injured · $10,000 · 5 eventsThe third spring storm of April dropped a band of heavy snow on portions of western Wisconsin on April 18th. Amounts of 3 to 11 inches were reported generally south of Interstate 90. The highest reported total was 11.5 inches in Purdy (Vernon County).
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, April 18 to 19, 201816 eventsA mid to upper level front and low pressure area brought a swath of moderate to heavy snow across Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, northern Jefferson, and northern Dane Counties. Isolated thundersnow was reported. Lighter snow amounts occurred to the north, south, and east of this area.

The snowstorm of March 20 to 22, 2018The snowstorm of November 14 to 16, 2018Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.