The snowstorm of December 23 to 26, 2002

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

632

Deaths

0

Injuries

2

Damage

$4.1 million

Episodes

86

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.

• Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 22 to 23, 20021 eventHeavy snow fell in the Thompson Pass area of the zone from early Sunday through Monday afternoon. Snowfall totals reached 51 inches during this period.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 22, 200211 eventsFreezing rain developed during the early morning across the North Carolina mountains, and some roads and bridges became ice covered. A few traffic accidents resulted.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 22, 20021 eventHeavy Snow was reported by numerous trained spotters in the town of Haines. Overall, 14-16" of snow fell in this 12 hour period.
• Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 22 to 23, 20021 eventPalisades Ranger station on Mt Lemmon reported 12 inches of snow on the morning of the 23rd. Mt Lemmon Lodge also reported 10 inches of snow.
• Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 22 to 23, 20021 eventWorkers at Kitt Peak Observatory were initially snowed in during the event and could not estimate snow levels. Later on the 23rd, reports of 9 inches of snow were called in from Kitt Peak.
• Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 22 to 23, 20021 eventA spotter in the Chiricahua Mountain reported 7 inches of snow during the event.
• Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 22 to 23, 20021 eventAnother storm system dropped down along the Pacific coast with the center of circulation located off southern California on Saturday the 21st.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 22 to 23, 20021 event10 to 16 inches of snow fell in the Cloudcroft area, with the heaviest amounts east and south of town.
• Winter Storm in Texas, December 23 to 24, 20025 eventsA closed upper level low pressure system translated across the Southern Rockies and into the Southern Plains on the 23rd and 24th.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 23, 20024 eventsA surge of colder air across Lake Superior along with a west wind produced bands of lake effect snow over parts of Upper Michigan overnight on December 22nd and the morning of the 23rd. Twelve inches of snow was reported in Pelkie and along parts of Highways M26 and M38.
• Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 23, 20024 eventsAn upper level storm system moved through central New Mexico producing areas of heavy snow over mainly far southern Colorado. A general two to five inch snowfall occurred from Huerfano county through southern Pueblo county and Las Animas county through Baca county.
• Heavy Snow in Texas, December 23 to 24, 200219 eventsA strengthening low pressure system which moved south of the Texas panhandle combined with a cold Canadian air mass and low level moisture to produce heavy snow across all but the far southeast Texas panhandle.
• Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 20023 eventsA strengthening low pressure system which moved south of the Oklahoma panhandle combined with a cold Canadian air mass and low level moisture to produce heavy snow across all of the Oklahoma panhandle.
• Winter Storm in New Mexico, December 23 to 24, 20028 eventsA strong winter storm moved west to east over New Mexico producing heavy snow mainly over the central highlands and the Manzano and Sacramento mountains eastward towards Clovis and Tucumcari where amounts of 6 to 8 inches were reported.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 23, 2002$16,000 · 2 eventsA single plume of lake effect snow developed off Lake Ontario in an extremely cold, northwest flow. During it's peak, snowfall rates as high as five inches per hour were accompanied by thunder and lightning.
• Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 23 to 24, 200221 eventsSnow fell in an area generally along and south of a line from Syracuse, to Jetmore and Larned. Snowfall amounts at or above six inches fell along and south of a line from Johnson, to Montezuma to Bucklin.
• Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 23, 200225 eventsA winter storm brought moderate to occasionally heavy snow to portions of western, central, and northern Oklahoma during the morning and afternoon of the 23rd.
• Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 200213 eventsAn upper level system moved out of the southern rockies and across the southern plains including Oklahoma December 23rd and 24th.
• Heavy Snow in Arkansas, December 23 to 24, 20024 eventsHeavy snow began to fall across northwest Arkansas during the early afternoon hours of the 23rd in response to the approach of an upper level system moving out of the southern rockies into the southern plains.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 23, 2002$15,000 · 3 eventsLow pressure over eastern Canada resulted in a favorable trajectory off of the eastern Great Lakes for heavy bands of Lake Effect Snow. Accumulations in these areas impacted by the bands were between 6 and 12 inches.
• Heavy Snow in Missouri, December 23 to 24, 20023 eventsHeavy snow occurred over a small part of southeast Missouri during the evening of the 23rd and again on the afternoon of the 24th. The heavy snow was north of a Cape Girardeau to Marble Hill line.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 23 to 24, 200216 eventsA winter storm over parts of southern Illinois occurred in two parts. The first round consisted of a band of sleet and snow during the evening of the 23rd. Two to four inches of sleet and snow accumulated in a band from Carbondale to Harrisburg and Carmi.
• Winter Storm in Arkansas, December 23 to 24, 20022 injured · 3 eventsSnow starting falling over parts of north-central Arkansas during the afternoon hours on the 23rd. The snow gradually overspread the rest of the area by the early evening hours. Snow accumulations from 3 to 6 inches were common in the counties along the Arkansas/Missouri border.
• Winter Storm in Indiana, December 23 to 24, 20026 eventsAbout two inches of sleet, mixed with some snow, fell south of Interstate 64 during the night of the 23rd. Only an inch or less fell north of the interstate.
• Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 23 to 24, 20022 eventsOn the night of the 23rd, a band of heavy sleet mixed with some snow occurred near the Indiana state line. About two inches of sleet was reported from the Henderson area west across Union County. An inch or less of sleet and snow occurred in the Owensboro area.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 24, 20021 eventThe U.S. Customs Office in Pleasant Camp, AK along the Haines Highway reported receiving 14 inches of snow during this time.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 24, 20028 eventsA Christmas Eve snowstorm hit parts of Southeast Missouri dropping from 7 to 12 inches of snow across the area.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 24, 200231 eventsThe second of a series of winter storms to affect the Missouri Ozarks during the cool season of 2002-2003, brought significant snow accumulations to the region. The heaviest accumulation amounts were observed in a 60 mile wide band.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 24, 200215 eventsA Christmas Eve snowstorm his parts of Central and East Central Missouri. Snowfall amounts across the region ranged from 4 to 8 inches. While area children loved the Christmas snow, area adults had to deal with difficult travel conditions through Christmas Day.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 24, 20023 eventsThe second major winter storm of the 2002-2003 cool season blanketed extreme southeast Kansas with snow accumulations ranging from three to eight inches.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 24, 20028 eventsA Christmas Eve snowstorm his parts of Southwest Illinois. Snowfall amounts across the region ranged from 4 to 8 inches. While area children loved the Christmas snow, adults had to deal with difficult travel conditions through Christmas Day.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 24, 20026 eventsA Christmas Eve snowstorm hit parts of Southwest Illinois. Snowfall across the region ranged from 7 to 10 inches. While area children loved the Christmas snow, area adults had to deal with very difficult travel conditions.
• Heavy Snow in Illinois, December 24 to 25, 200218 eventsHeavy snow accumulations between 6 and 8 inches fell across a large part of Central and Southeast IL between noon on 12/24/02 and 4 AM on 12/25/02.
• Heavy Snow in Indiana, December 24 to 25, 200221 eventsLow pressure moved across the lower Ohio Valley on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day providing heavy snow to a large part of central Indiana. Snowfall amounts averaged 6 to 9 inches. The snow caused many automobile accidents.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, December 24 to 25, 200213 eventsLow pressure passed directly over the region between the evening of the 24th and midday on the 25th. This system brought a mixed bag of precipitation including snow, sleet, rain, and freezing drizzle.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, December 24 to 25, 200211 eventsLow pressure passed directly over the region between the evening of the 24th and midday on the 25th. This system brought mainly snow to Western and North Central Maryland.
• Winter Weather in West Virginia, December 24 to 25, 20028 eventsLow pressure tracked just southeast of the area between the evening of the 24th and midday on the 25th. This system dropped snow across the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia which resulted in a relatively rare "White Christmas".
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 24 to 25, 20024 eventsLow pressure tracked across Kentucky, southern Indiana and Ohio during the evening of December 24th and the morning of December 25th 2002. The storm left a band of snowfall between 5 and 7 inches across east central Illinois.
• Winter Storm in Indiana, December 24 to 25, 20024 eventsLow pressure tracked across Kentucky, southern Indiana and Ohio during the evening of December 24th and the morning of December 25th 2002. The storm left a band of snowfall between 5 and 7 inches across far northwest Indiana.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, December 24 to 26, 2002$100,000 · 8 eventsThe most significant Christmas Day winter storm since 1966 crippled the Poconos, brought heavy snow to the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the far northern suburbs of Philadelphia and a wintry mix to the rest of the Philadelphia suburbs.
• Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 24 to 25, 2002$3.0 million · 24 eventsAn area of low pressure developed along the Gulf Coast early on December 24th and then moved rapidly northeast. This low moved across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania during the morning hours of the 25th.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 24 to 25, 20026 eventsA winter storm caused snow to begin to fall along the I-94 corridor of southern lower Michigan at around 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve. It spread north to near I-96 by midnight. The maximum snowfall report of 9 inches was received from Jackson (Jackson county).
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, December 24 to 26, 20028 eventsThe most significant Christmas Day winter storm since 1966 affected the northern half of New Jersey with a wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain. This mix changed back to snow on Christmas Day and dropped up to around one foot of snow across northwest New Jersey.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, December 24 to 25, 20024 eventsOn Christmas Eve, a storm system moved up into the Ohio Valley and weakened, while another storm intensified off the East Coast.
• Winter Storm in Ohio, December 24 to 25, 200212 eventsA strong storm system tracked across the Ohio Valley late Christmas Eve into Christmas morning. A mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain fell across much of central and southwest Ohio. In the Dayton area, precipitation fell primarily as snow.
• Heavy Snow in Indiana, December 24 to 25, 200224 eventsLow pressure tracked from Kentucky into Ohio during the overnight hours of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day morning, spreading a large area of snow across the region. Most locations received 6 to 8 inches of snow.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 24 to 25, 2002$500,000 · 3 eventsAn area of low pressure developed along the Gulf Coast early on December 24th and then moved rapidly northeast. This low moved across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania during the morning hours of the 25th.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 24 to 26, 20027 eventsLow pressure formed off the middle Atlantic coast Christmas evening. This storm intensified as it moved north to be off Long Island, New York Christmas night. Light snow moved into northeast Pennsylvania around midnight on the 25th.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 25 to 26, 200218 eventsLow pressure formed off the middle Atlantic coast Christmas evening. This storm intensified as it moved north to be off Long Island, New York Christmas night. Light snow started moving into central New York around midnight on the 25th.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in Massachusetts, December 25 to 26, 2002$195,000 · 57 kt wind · 16 eventsA major winter storm impacted southern New England on Christmas Day, bringing heavy, wet snow and high winds to the Bay State.
• Winter Storm in Indiana, December 25, 20024 eventsA strong storm system tracked across the region late Christmas Eve into Christmas morning. Precipitation fell as a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow across southeast Indiana.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 25, 200236 eventsLow pressure developed along the western Gulf Coast during Tuesday morning, December 24th, and moved northeast into the Ohio Valley from late Tuesday into Tuesday night.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 25, 200211 eventsLight snow fell throughout the day across the North Carolina mountains, resulting in snowfall amounts of between a trace and 3 inches within the valleys. Four to six inch amounts were common in the higher elevations from Madison County northward.
• Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 25, 20028 eventsLow pressure tracked from Kentucky into Ohio during the overnight hours of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day morning, spreading a large area of snow across the region.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 25, 20025 eventsLow pressure tracked from Kentucky into Ohio during the overnight hours of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day morning, spreading a large area of snow across the region. Most locations received 6 to 8 inches of snow.
• Heavy Snow in Utah, December 25, 20024 eventsThose dreaming of a White Christmas woke up smiling along the Wasatch Front, as Mother Nature made many wishes come true. Though not a huge storm, it was a pleasant surprise to say the least.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 25 to 26, 20021 event6 inches of snow fell.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 25 to 26, 20021 event6 inches of snow fell.
• Winter Storm in Maryland, December 25 to 26, 20021 eventFreezing rain and sleet began in the early morning of Dec 25, changed to snow after sunrise on Christmas Day, and continued snowing into the morning of Dec 26. The ice from the freezing rain reached a quarter inch thick by 9:30 AM on the 25th.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, December 25 to 26, 200210 eventsOn the 24th, a rain and snow mixture fell during the onset of a developing coastal storm. The mixture changed to mainly rain during Christmas Eve. As the coastal storm strengthened, backlash snows formed during Christmas morning.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, December 25 to 26, 200210 eventsLow pressure off the coast of southeastern Virginia on the morning of the 25th moved northeastward to south of Nova Scotia by the morning of the 26th.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, December 25 to 26, 20022 eventsFreezing rain and sleet began in the early morning of Dec 25, changed to snow after sunrise on Christmas Day, and continued snowing into the morning of Dec 26. Preston county reached a quarter inch of ice glazing by 10 AM Dec 25.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 25, 2002$135,000 · 9 eventsLow pressure moved northeast along the Appalachians and brought a general heavy snow to much of the region on Christmas eve and Christmas day. A eight to twelve inch blanket of snow covered the area with higher amounts generally over the Finger Lakes Region.
• Winter Storm in Connecticut, December 25 to 26, 2002$15,000 · 1 eventA major winter storm impacted southern New England on Christmas Day, bringing heavy, wet snow to north central Connecticut. Rain fell through the morning, then by mid afternoon had changed to sleet and snow as far east as the Interstate 84 corridor.
• Winter Storm in New Hampshire, December 25 to 26, 2002$14,000 · 2 eventsA major winter storm impacted southern New England on Christmas Day, bringing heavy, wet snow to southwest New Hampshire. Snowfall totals of 10 to 16 inches were common in Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in Rhode Island, December 25 to 26, 2002$10,000 · 2 eventsA major winter storm impacted southern New England on Christmas Day, bringing heavy, wet snow and high winds to the Ocean State. The greatest snowfall accumulations were reported in northwest Providence County, where amounts of 4 to 7 inches were common.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, December 25 to 26, 200212 eventsLow pressure off the coast of southeastern Virginia on the morning of the 25th moved northeastward to south of Nova Scotia by the morning of the 26th.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 25 to 26, 20024 events5 to 7 inches of snow fell.
• Winter Storm in Massachusetts, December 25 to 26, 20021 eventA low pressure area from the Mississippi Valley rapidly redeveloped along the North Carolina coast early on Christmas morning.
• Winter Storm in Connecticut, December 25 to 26, 20021 eventA low pressure area from the Mississippi Valley rapidly redeveloped along the North Carolina coast, early on Christmas morning.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, December 25 to 26, 20021 eventFreezing rain and sleet began in the early morning of Dec 25, changed to snow after sunrise on Christmas Day, and continued snowing into the morning of Dec 26. Indiana county reported ice from the freezing rain was a quarter of an inch thick by 11 AM on the 25th.
• Winter Storm in New York, December 25 to 26, 200224 eventsA low pressure area from the Mississippi Valley moved northeastward and rapidly redeveloped along the North Carolina coast by early on Christmas morning.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 25 to 26, 200210 eventsOn Tuesday, December 24th, an area of low pressure began to develop over the Gulf coast states. That night, the storm intensified as it moved northeast, reaching the Virginia coastline by daybreak on December 25th.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, December 25 to 26, 20022 eventsA low pressure area from the Mississippi Valley rapidly redeveloped along the North Carolina coast early on Christmas morning.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, December 25 to 26, 2002$45,000 · 3 eventsA storm system along the coast of Virginia early on Wednesday, December 25th, moved northeast just south of New England. Snow spread across southern and eastern Vermont during Christmas Day and became heavy at times during the afternoon and night.
• Winter Storm in Maine, December 25 to 26, 20023 eventsRapidly intensifying low pressure tracking through the Gulf of Maine produced snowfall totals generally ranging from 8 to 12 inches...with localized totals of up to 15 inches across interior Downeast areas.
• Blizzard in Maine, December 25 to 26, 20022 eventsRapidly intensifying low pressure tracking through the Gulf of Maine produced blizzard conditions along the Downeast coast. The storm generally produced 12 to 18 inches of snow along the Downeast coast...with localized accumulations of up to 22 inches.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 25 to 26, 20021 event5 to 7 inches of snow fell.
• Heavy Snow in New Jersey, December 25 to 26, 20024 eventsOn Tuesday, December 24th, an area of low pressure began to develop over the Gulf coast states. That night, the storm intensified as it moved northeast, reaching the Virginia coastline by daybreak on December 25th.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, December 25 to 26, 20023 eventsOn Tuesday, December 24th, an area of low pressure began to develop over the Gulf coast states. That night, the storm intensified as it moved northeast, reaching the Virginia coastline by daybreak on December 25th.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, December 25 to 26, 2002$20,000 · 2 eventsA storm system along the coast of Virginia early on Wednesday, December 25th, moved northeast just south of New England. Snow spread across central Vermont during Christmas Day with difficult travel.
• Winter Storm in New York, December 25 to 26, 2002$5,000 · 1 eventA storm system along the coast of Virginia early on Wednesday, December 25th, moved northeast just south of New England. Snow spread across Essex county Christmas day, with periods of heavy snow across southern Essex county Christmas night, with difficult travel.
• Blizzard in Alaska, December 26, 20021 eventA small low pressure center that formed over northwest Alaska near Kotzebue drifted south a little ways while high pressure strengthened over Far East Russia.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 26, 20021 event6 to 10 inches of snow fell from the early morning of Dec 25 through noon the next day.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 26, 20025 eventsSnow fell over east central Kansas the evening of the 26th and produced amounts of 1 to 4 inches. The greatest amount of 3 to 4 inches occurred near Americus in Lyon county. Roads became slick and resulted in numerous vehicle accidents, but no injuries of note.
• Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 27 to 28, 20024 eventsHeavy snow fell in the central and eastern mountains of Idaho. 8 inches fell at Island Park. 10 inches fell at Macks Inn. 12 inches of snow fell in Ketchum. SNOTEL sites above 6500 feet recorded between 10 and 20 inches of snow in the Stanley and Sun Valley areas.

The snowstorm of January 29 to February 2, 2002The snowstorm of January 1 to 4, 2003Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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