The snowstorm of April 4 to 7, 2009

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

230

Deaths

1

Injuries

2

Damage

$653,000

Episodes

40

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 Storm in Wyoming, April 2 to 4, 20092 eventsA Pacific storm system moved across the mountains of South Central Montana bringing periods of heavy snow. The storm moved slowly across Northern Wyoming and Southeast Montana resulting in a period of prolonged snowfall.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, April 3 to 4, 20096 eventsA strong spring storm moved across Central Plains, bringing heavy snow and gusty winds to northeastern Wyoming. Snowfall amounts ranged from six to 12 inches while strong northerly winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow across the plains.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 3 to 4, 200918 eventsA strong spring storm moved across the Central Plains, bringing heavy snow and gusty winds to western South Dakota. Snowfall amounts ranged from six to 12 inches, with as much as 20 inches in the northern Black Hills.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 3 to 4, 20097 eventsA strong area of low pressure moved across the Central Plains producing widespread snow over central and north central South Dakota. Along with the snow came strong north winds of 15 to 30 mph causing areas of blowing snow and poor visibilities.
• Blizzard and Winter Weather in Colorado, April 3 to 5, 20099 eventsAs the storm moved into the Northeast Plains the winds strengthened and produced blizzard conditions. Most of the Urban Corridor was spared from the heavy snow. The exception occurred from Fort Collins north to the Wyoming Border.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wyoming, April 3 to 4, 200912 eventsA powerful low pressure system tracked across eastern Colorado and Nebraska and produced strong winds and snow across southeast Wyoming.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, April 4 to 5, 20096 eventsA strong spring storm with heavy snow and strong northerly winds produced blizzard conditions across south central South Dakota. Snowfall amounts of six to 12 inches were common, with drifts several feet high in open areas.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, April 4 to 5, 2009$495,000 · 26 eventsA powerful spring storm system tracked northeast from southern Colorado into north central Kansas and eastern Nebraska on April 4th and 5th, 2009. Widespread snow occurred as north winds increased to 30 to 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph at times.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, April 4, 20091 eventCold air was entrenched over the northern inner channels of Southeast Alaska panhandle in early April. A strong low moved northeast into the Gulf of Alaska on April 4. The associated surface front approached the Southeast Alaska panhandle and stalled.
• Blizzard and Winter Weather in South Dakota, April 4 to 5, 200921 eventsHeavy snow was accompanied by winds gusting to around 40 mph from the north to northeast. The combination produced frequent visibilities of a quarter mile or less, while the snow accumulation and drifting made travel difficult to impossible. The snow accumulated up to 10 inches.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, April 4, 20099 eventsA powerful low pressure system deepened over eastern Colorado and moved across Nebraska, producing blizzard conditions over much of the Nebraska panhandle. Numerous roads were closed due to blowing and drifting snow and extremely low visibilities.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, April 4 to 5, 20094 eventsSnowfall of 3 to 7 inches was accompanied by strong north to northeast winds, gusting as high as 40 mph. This produced blowing snow with visibilities lowering to below a half mile at times.
• Winter Weather in Minnesota, April 4 to 5, 20096 eventsSnowfall of 3 to 7 inches was accompanied by strong north to northeast winds, gusting as high as 40 mph. This produced blowing snow with visibilities lowering to below a half mile at times.
• Blizzard in Alaska, April 4 to 5, 20092 eventsA storm moved into the Bering Sea April 4th. Th associated front moved across the Pribilof Islands on the 4th to the Bering Sea coast producing strong wind and snow that resulted in a blizzard in advance of the front.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 4 to 5, 2009$23,000 · 11 eventsIntense low pressure that tracked along the Kansas and Nebraska border and then across northern Missouri brought areas of heavy snow and blizzard conditions to sections of northeast Nebraska during the late afternoon and overnight hours of April 4th and 5th.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 4 to 5, 200912 eventsThe same strong storm system which caused severe weather across portions of the region on April 4th, brought a round of winter weather to portions of South Central Nebraska during the overnight hours and into the first half of the day on April 5th.
• Blizzard in Colorado, April 4 to 5, 20092 eventsA winter storm dropped 2-5 inches of snow, and strong northerly winds of 30-50 mph resulted in blizzard conditions across extreme eastern Colorado, northwest Kansas and parts of southwest Nebraska.
• Blizzard in Kansas, April 4 to 5, 20093 eventsA winter storm dropped 2-5 inches of snow, and strong northerly winds of 30-50 mph resulted in blizzard conditions across extreme eastern Colorado, northwest Kansas and parts of southwest Nebraska.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, April 4 to 5, 20091 eventA winter storm dropped 2-5 inches of snow, and strong northerly winds of 30-50 mph resulted in blizzard conditions across extreme eastern Colorado, northwest Kansas and parts of southwest Nebraska.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, April 5, 20092 eventsIntense low pressure that tracked along the Kansas and Nebraska border and then across northern Missouri brought areas of heavy wet snow to parts of western Iowa during the nighttime hours of April 4th and 5th.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, April 5, 2009$125,000 · 18 eventsA late season snow event took place over Iowa during the day on the 5th. Strong low pressure developed over Kansas on the 4th and advanced northeast into northwest Missouri by the early morning hours of the 5th.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, April 5 to 6, 200911 eventsA low pressure system tracking northeast through the Ohio River Valley produced a late season heavy snowfall across Southeast Michigan. Snowfall totals averaged 1 to 4 inches south of I-94, 4 to 8 inches between I-94 and I-69, and 1 to 4 inches north of I-69.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, April 5 to 6, 20091 eventDeep low pressure tracked across southeastern Ohio during the early morning hours of the sixth. Despite temperatures near or just above freezing, a band of moderate to locally heavy snow fell across portions of far southern Lower Michigan.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, April 5 to 6, 20092 injured · 3 eventsA spring snowstorm brought 4 to 8 inches of heavy wet snow to the south and southeast part of the county warning area on the evening of April 5th through the morning of April 6th. The snowfall resulted in numerous traffic accidents with at least one known fatality.
• Blizzard in Alaska, April 5 to 6, 20091 eventA 988 mb low approximatly 500 miles south-southwest of Saint Lawrence Island at 4 pm on the 5th slowly tracked to the northeast and was about 250 miles southwest by 4 am on the 7th.
• Winter Weather in Illinois, April 6, 20091 death · 1 eventA departing low pressure system brought a period of wet snow to parts of central Illinois during the early morning hours of April 6th. Accumulations of between 1 and 3 inches were common along and north of the I-72 corridor.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, April 6 to 8, 20092 eventsThe combination of cold air and moisture behind a cold front resulted in upslope snow showers across eastern West Virginia for locations along and west of the Allgheny front. Snow began during the evening of the sixth and lasted into the early morning hours of the eigth.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, April 6 to 8, 20091 eventThe combination of cold air and moisture behind a cold front resulted in upslope snow showers for locations along and west of the Allgheny front in Virginia. Snow began during the evening of the sixth and lasted into the early morning hours of the eigth.
• Winter Weather in Alabama, April 6, 20091 eventAn unseasonably deep trough of low pressure produced sleet and snow showers during the afternoon hours across portions of northern Alabama. During the nighttime hours, snow showers were reported in northeast Alabama, with some very minor accumulations in the higher elevations.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, April 6 to 7, 20091 eventAn unseasonably deep trough of low pressure produced sleet and snow showers during the afternoon hours in southern middle Tennesssee.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, April 6, 20091 eventA fast moving artic cold front moved quickly through Middle Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, April 5th.
• Heavy Snow in North Carolina, April 7 to 8, 20094 eventsAfter an extended period of snow showers, heavy snowfall accumulations were reached across the higher elevations of the southern and central mountains near the Tennessee border.
• Heavy Snow in North Carolina, April 7 to 8, 20093 eventsAfter an extended period of snow showers, heavy snowfall accumulations were reached across the northern mountains by mid-afternoon on the 7th.
• Heavy Snow in Virginia, April 7, 20091 eventAn upper level trough tracked through the region producing heavy snow across the higher elevations. Up to 10 inches of snow was reported across the mountains, while the lower elevations received 1 to 2 inches.
• Winter Weather in Kentucky, April 7, 200911 eventsWidespread light snow showers moved across eastern Kentucky on April 7. Snowfall accumulations from 1 to 4 inches in general. The highest reported snowfall totals occurred in Breathitt and Wolfe counties with 4 and 3 inches respectively in Jackson and Campton.
• Heavy Snow in Tennessee, April 7, 20093 eventsAn upper level trough tracked through the region producing heavy snow across the higher elevations. Up to 14 inches of snow was reported in the mountains, while 1 to 4 inches was reported in the northern valley.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, April 7, 20092 eventsLight to occasionally moderate snow showers that developed along the Tennessee border began affecting portions of the interior mountains during the daytime hours.
• Winter Weather in New York, April 7 to 8, 20091 eventCold and moist west to northwest winds blowing across the nearby Great Lakes, in the wake of a strong low pressure system led to the development snow showers and embedded heavier squalls across portions of northern Herkimer County, beginning Tuesday afternoon, and ending…
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, April 7 to 8, 2009$10,000 · 1 eventLow pressure east of Lake Ontario moved to the New England Coast. Colder air behind the low resulted in a general snowfall of 4 to 6 inches across the Eastern Lake Ontario Region.
• Blizzard in Alaska, April 8 to 10, 20093 eventsA storm moved from the north Pacific across the Aleutians to south of the Pribilof Islands to southwest of Kodiak Island. Blizzard conditions occurred in the western Aleutians on the 8th then in the Pribilof Islands on the 9th.

The snowstorm of March 30 to April 2, 2009The snowstorm of April 17 to 19, 2009Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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