The snowstorm of April 30 to May 4, 2013

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

187

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Damage

$3.0 million

Episodes

27

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 Iowa, May 1 to 2, 20136 eventsWet snow, mixed with rain at times, accumulated 3 to 6 inches in several counties in northwest Iowa on May 1st into the early morning hours of May 2nd.
• Winter Weather in Minnesota, May 1 to 2, 20132 eventsWet snow, mixed with rain at times, accumulated 3 to 6 inches in Nobles and Jackson Counties of southwest Minnesota.
• Winter Weather in South Dakota, May 1 to 2, 20132 eventsWet snow, mixed with rain at times, accumulated 3 to 6 inches in Lincoln and Union Counties on May 1st into the early morning hours of May 2nd.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, May 1 to 2, 201310 eventsA unseasonably cold upper level system brought snow, or sleet that changed to snow to much of eastern Nebraska. The cold air rushed into northeast Nebraska during the morning of May 1st, causing rain to change to snow north of Norfolk before the morning commute.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, May 1 to 2, 2013$1.5 million · 14 eventsA strong cold front passed through the state and had become stationary over southeast Iowa during the day on the first. A band of precipitation developed behind the front and set up over northwest Iowa.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, May 1 to 2, 20138 eventsA very unusual snow event unfolded across portions of south central Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin on the evening of Wednesday, May 1st.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, May 1 to 2, 2013$50,000 · 9 eventsA very unusual snow event unfolded across portions of south central and east central Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin on the evening of Wednesday, May 1st.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, May 1 to 2, 20134 eventsA unseasonably cold upper level system brought snow, or sleet that changed to snow to much of western Iowa on May 1st into the early morning hours of May 2nd. Snow and sleet intensities were enhanced by scattered thunderstorms that moved across the area.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, May 1 to 3, 20135 eventsAn unusually late and strong winter storm brought a narrow band of heavy snow of up to about 20 inches to parts of northwest Wisconsin. The main band of over 14 inches of snow stretched from about Rochester, MN to Ashland, WI.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, May 1 to 5, 2013$120,000 · 6 eventsA narrow but intense band of snow set up across portions of southeast Minnesota during the evening hours of May 1st and continued into the 2nd.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, May 1 to 3, 20135 eventsA low pressure system moving along a stalled cold front just east of Upper Michigan produced heavy snow and freezing rain over portions of western Upper Michigan from the evening of the 1st into the 3rd.
• Cold in Texas, May 1 to 2, 201314 eventsA cold front moved through the Texas Panhandle during the day on the 1st, and the post frontal airmass allowed temperatures to drop below freezing quickly after sunset. These subfreezing temperatures threatened sensitive vegetation during the start of the growing season.
• Winter Weather in Kansas, May 2, 20137 eventsAlthought not heavy, an anomolous event of snow falling during the month of May in Kansas is noteworthy. A strong cold front had moved through ushering in unseasonably cold temperatures.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, May 2, 20132 eventsA narrow but intense band of snow set up across portions of northeast Iowa during the evening hours of May 1st and continued into the 2nd.
• Cold in Oklahoma, May 2, 20133 eventsA cold front moved through the Oklahoma Panhandle during the day on the 1st, and the post frontal airmass allowed temperatures to drop below freezing quickly after sunset. These subfreezing temperatures threatened sensitive vegetation during the start of the growing season.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, May 2, 20131 eventA narrow but intense band of snow set up across portions of western Wisconsin during the evening hours of May 1st and continued into the 2nd. Amounts of 3 to 8 inches were reported across Buffalo County with 6 inches or more common across the northern half of the county.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, May 2 to 3, 201320 eventsA strong cold front with unseasonably cold temperatures moved through the area during the day on May 2, 2013. An upper level storm system then passed across western Missouri, during the evening and overnight hours of May 2 and 3, 2013.
• Winter Weather in Kansas, May 2 to 3, 20132 eventsA strong cold front with unseasonably cold temperatures moved through the area during the day on May 2, 2013. An upper level storm system then passed across extreme eastern Kansas, during the evening and overnight hours of May 2 and 3, 2013.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, May 2 to 3, 2013$1.3 million · 12 eventsThe system that affected the state the previous day continued to affect Iowa as a large upper level low pressure system intensified to the south of the state. Initially, cold air settled into the state during the evening of the 2nd.
• Cold in Texas, May 2 to 3, 201320 eventsA residual cold airmass over the Texas Panhandle from a cold frontal passage earlier in the week allowed temperatures to drop below freezing during the evening hours of the 2nd.
• Cold in Oklahoma, May 2 to 3, 20133 eventsA residual cold airmass over the Oklahoma Panhandle from a cold frontal passage earlier in the week allowed temperatures to drop below freezing during the evening hours of the 2nd.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, May 3 to 5, 201312 eventsA very slow-moving upper level low pressure system made its way across Arkansas early in May, bringing an historic weather event to the state. Snow fell in parts of northwest Arkansas, making it the first time snow had ever fallen in the state in the month of May.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, May 3 to 5, 20131 eventA weakening but moist low pressure center moved northeast across the eastern Alaska Range on the 4th and 5th producing heavy snow over the area. The Mentasta Lake/Bartell Creek Cooperative observer measured 29 inches of new snow from the evening of the 2nd through the 4th.
• Cold in Oklahoma, May 4, 20133 eventsThe residual cold airmass over the Oklahoma Panhandle from a cold frontal passage earlier in the week had begun to modify. This kept overnight low temperatures from cooling as quickly as previous nights.
• Cold in Texas, May 4, 201312 eventsThe residual cold airmass over the Texas Panhandle from a cold frontal passage earlier in the week had begun to modify. This kept overnight low temperatures from cooling as quickly as previous nights.
• Cold in Oklahoma, May 5, 20132 eventsThe residual cold airmass over the Oklahoma Panhandle from a cold frontal passage earlier in the week had begun to modify. This kept overnight low temperatures from cooling as quickly as previous nights.
• Cold in Texas, May 5, 20132 eventsThe residual cold airmass over the Texas Panhandle from a cold frontal passage earlier in the week had begun to modify. This kept overnight low temperatures from cooling as quickly as previous nights.

The snowstorm of April 22 to 24, 2013The snowstorm of October 2 to 7, 2013Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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