The snowstorm of December 27 to 30, 1999
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 3 regions on its Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Ohio Valley.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Valley | 0.35 | Below category 1 | 192,084 | 38,467,338 | 0 | 0 |
| Northeast | 0.29 | Below category 1 | 163,629 | 48,022,654 | 0 | 0 |
| Upper Midwest | 0.28 | Below category 1 | 240,528 | 23,499,678 | 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
- 36
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $121,000
- Episodes
- 14
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
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 26, 1999Arctic air moving over the Great Lakes produced lake effect snow over portions of northwest lower Michigan. The heaviest snow fell in a band producing 6 to 7 inches of snow.
- Winter Storm in West Virginia, December 26 to 27, 1999Strong, persistent northwest winds behind a cold front produced orographically enhanced snows to the higher elevations of Preston and Tucker Counties.
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, December 26 to 27, 1999Strong, persistent northwest winds behind a cold front produced orographically enhanced snows across the higher elevations of Fayette County.
- Winter Storm in Maryland, December 26 to 27, 1999Strong, persistent northwest winds behind a cold front produced orographically enhanced snows to the higher elevations of Garrett County.
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 26 to 27, 1999An arctic air mass in the wake of a strong cold front brought locally heavy lake effect snow to Oneida, Onondaga and Madison counties. Specific snowfall reports included: Baldinsville 12"; Clay 9"; Morrisville 8.4"; Cazenovia 7"; and Boonville 8".
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 26 to 27, 1999Locally heavy snowbands set up on a west to northwest wind off Lakes Erie and Ontario. The heaviest snow fell close to Lake Ontario from Orleans to Northern Cayuga Counties with six to nine inches across the Rochester metro area.
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 26, 1999Lake effect snow accumulated about 8 inches across northwestern parts of Warren County.
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 27 to 28, 1999Lake effect snow bands developed around midday and tapered off late in evening. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 4 to 8 inches in Geauga County and inland portions of Ashtabula County.
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 27 to 28, 1999Lake effect snow bands developed around midday and tapered to flurries late in the evening. Snowfall totals were generally 6 to 10 inches with a maximum of 14 inches measured in northern Crawford County.
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 27 to 28, 1999Arctic air moving over the Great Lakes produced lake effect snow over northwest lower Michigan. The heaviest snow fell around Traverse City and portions of eastern Manistee county. These locations received up to 6 inches of snow.
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 28, 1999An Alberta Clipper system moved through the Great Lakes region, producing a short period of moderate to heavy snow across western lower Michigan. Although snow was reported across all of lower Michigan, the heaviest snow fell west of US-131.
- Winter Storm in West Virginia, December 28 to 29, 1999Another round of persistent northwest flow behind a strong cold front produced orographically enhanced snows across the higher elevations of Preston and Tucker Counties. Snowfall totals of 4 to 7 inches were reported at several locations over the mountain ridges of the counties.
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, December 28 to 29, 1999Another round of persistent northwest flow behind a strong cold front produced orographically enhanced snows across the higher elevations of Fayette and Westmoreland Counties.
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 28 to 31, 1999Large low pressure 600 miles northeast of Prudhoe Bay drifted southwest to 450 miles northeast of Prudhoe Bay with a weather front moving southeast over the Beaufort Sea.
More
The snowstorm of December 22 to 25, 1999The snowstorm of January 1 to 3, 2000Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.