The snowstorm of April 13 to 15, 2013
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 2 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 | 3.58 | Category 2, Significant | 415,372 | 4,327,613 | 38 | 535 |
| Upper Midwest | 0.26 | Below category 1 | 176,602 | 19,279,938 | 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
- 171
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
- Episodes
- 17
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
- Blizzard in Alaska, April 12, 2013A strong pressure gradient between high pressure over the interior of the state and low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska resulted in strong winds through the channeled terrain of Thompson Pass.
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 13 to 15, 2013A large upper level low pressure area brought heavy snow to much of northern South Dakota. Much of the precipitation began as a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow before changing to all snow.
- Ice Storm in South Dakota, April 14, 2013A large upper level low pressure trough combined with warm air aloft and cold air at the surface to bring freezing rain to parts of northeast South Dakota. Ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch occurred on power lines and trees.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in North Dakota, April 14 to 15, 2013Strong low pressure pushed across the Rockies April 13th, slowed down over the Dakotas April 14th, then moved east on April 15th.
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 14, 2013A slow moving storm system brought a large area of sleet, snow and freezing rain across southern Minnesota the morning of Sunday, April 14th.
- Heavy Snow in Washington, April 14, 2013Training convective snow showers provided significant snow accumulations along I-90 between Easton and the Cascade crest on April 13th-14th 2013.
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, April 14 to 15, 2013A low pressure system developed from western North Dakota into southeastern South Dakota from Sunday the 14th into Monday the 15th.
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 14 to 15, 2013A low pressure system developed from western North Dakota into southeastern South Dakota from Sunday the 14th into Monday the 15th.
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 14, 2013As a winter storm was developing over western and central North Dakota very strong winds developed across upland portions of eastern North Dakota. The strong winds produced mainly ground blizzard conditions in the middle of the afternoon.
- Winter Weather in Michigan, April 14 to 15, 2013A low pressure system approaching from Minnesota produced a mix of moderate wet snow, sleet and freezing rain over portions of the west half of Upper Michigan from the 14th into the 15th.
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, April 14 to 15, 2013A winter storm brought heavy snow of about 6 to 9 inches to parts of northeast Minnesota, including higher terrain areas of the north shore in the Minnesota Arrowhead.
- Winter Storm in Utah, April 15 to 17, 2013A large, moist storm system moved through the region in mid-April. One of the main features with this storm was a cold frontal boundary that stalled across Utah for more than a day, bringing heavy snowfall to the valleys of southwest and northeast Utah.
- Winter Storm in Colorado, April 15 to 16, 2013A strong upper level jetstream moved over northern Colorado and produced bands of very heavy snow.
- Heavy Snow in Montana, April 16, 2013Heavy snow occurred over Marias Pass and eastern portions of Glacier National Park. Snow also affected other locations further south along the Continental Divide including Lincoln, Flesher Pass, MacDonald Pass and Rogers Pass.
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 16 to 17, 2013A slow moving Pacific low pressure system produced moderate to heavy snowfall across the western Nebraska Panhandle. East to northeast winds of 35 to 45 mph produced blowing and drifting snow and very low visibilities.
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 16 to 17, 2013A strong spring storm moved across the central Rockies and Great Plains, bringing snow to much of western South Dakota. The heaviest snow fell across southwestern South Dakota, where five to nine inches of accumulation was reported.
- Winter Storm in Alaska, April 16 to 17, 2013Low pressure persisted in the central Gulf of Alaska on 4/16 which moved warm moist air over colder air near the surface along the Eastern Gulf Coast. This caused a day of heavy snow.
More
The snowstorm of April 7 to 13, 2013The snowstorm of April 15 to 20, 2013Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.