The snowstorm of April 20 to 29, 2010
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 | 0.47 | Below category 1 | 89,988 | 695,703 | 28 | 813 |
| Northeast | 0.39 | Below category 1 | 46,137 | 4,603,151 | 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
- 42
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $215,000
- 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 in Colorado, April 23, 2010A very strong low pressure system brought impressive snow amounts to the Palmer Divide and Teller County.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New York, April 27 to 28, 2010Surface low pressure across the Ohio River Valley on April 26th slowly moved across the southern New England coast into the Gulf of Maine on the 27th and 28th. Meanwhile, a cold, strong upper atmospheric area of low pressure moved from Quebec across northern New England.
- Winter Storm in California, April 27, 2010A winter storm brought another round of snow to the area.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Vermont, April 27 to 28, 2010Surface low pressure across the Ohio River Valley on April 26th slowly moved across the southern New England coast into the Gulf of Maine on the 27th and 28th. Meanwhile, a cold, strong upper atmospheric area of low pressure moved from Quebec across northern New England.
- Winter Storm in Montana, April 28 to 30, 2010A strong Pacific spring storm brought winter weather to a large portion of North Central Montana. Snow amounts ranged from 6 inches to several feet of new snow in the mountains.
- Winter Storm in Utah, April 28 to 30, 2010A major Pacific storm set up over the western United States for several days, bringing periods of rain and snow to Utah. The cold and moist northwest flow brought almost continuous snow to the Cottonwood Canyons. Note that this episode continued into May.
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, April 29 to 30, 2010A strong and slow moving Spring storm system moved across Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming. This storm brought heavy snow to the Big Horn Mountains.
More
The snowstorm of April 4 to 7, 2010The snowstorm of April 27 to 30, 2010Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.