The snowstorm of April 18 to 20, 2000
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 | 2.08 | Category 1, Notable | 178,649 | 1,073,865 | 711 | 18,639 |
| Upper Midwest | 0.00 | Below category 1 | 83,222 | 2,871,352 | 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
- 24
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $1.7 million
- Episodes
- 7
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
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, April 17 to 18, 2000Low pressure centered just off the coast of Central California sent a slow moving front over Interior Central California beginning on the 17th and into the 18th.
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, April 18 to 20, 2000A moderate northerly wind flow over the Bering Sea strengthened as a weather front around a Low Pressure center over southwest Alaska moved north west toward the Bering Strait.
- Blizzard in South Dakota, April 18 to 19, 2000
- Blizzard in Wyoming, April 18 to 19, 2000A powerful spring storm over Western South Dakota also affected the southern end of the Bear Lodge Mountains. Snowfall ranged from 6 to 12 inches with wind speeds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph. Snow drifts 2 to 6 feet high were reported.
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 19, 2000A powerful spring storm hit western South Dakota and brought the region to a standstill for 24 to 48 hours. Snowfall amounts ranged from 4 to 12 inches on the plains, to 12 to 24 inches in the foothills and 24 to 36 inches in the Black Hills.
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, April 19, 2000High winds and heavy snow caused widespread damage to power poles resultingin power outages. 6 to 8 inches of snow fell in Lusk, WY with gusty winds resulted in blizzardlike conditions.
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 19, 2000Heavy snow and gusty winds caused spotty power outages and road closures in parts of the northern Nebraska panhandle. 6 inches of snowwas reported in Harrison and Chadron, NE.
More
The snowstorm of April 13 to 16, 2000The snowstorm of November 8 to 15, 2000Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.