The snowstorm of December 30, 2020 to January 3, 2021

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

734

Deaths

1

Injuries

1

Damage

$735,000

Episodes

97

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 South Dakota, December 28 to 29, 20204 eventsAn upper level system brought snowfall to much of western South Dakota overnight. The heaviest snow generally fell across far southwestern South Dakota, where three to five inches were reported in many areas.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Nebraska, December 28 to 29, 202021 eventsOnly a few days after South Central Nebraska had melted off the vast majority of lingering snow cover from earlier in the month, a moderately-strong winter storm rolled through between the evening of Monday the 28th and afternoon of Tuesday the 29th, dropping a fresh blanket of…
• Winter Weather in Wyoming, December 28 to 29, 20201 eventAn upper level system brought snowfall to much of the area overnight. The heaviest snow generally fell in the Newcastle area, where three to five inches of snow was reported.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 29, 20201 eventLake effect snow developed southeast of the lower Great Lakes on west-northwest flow. While already in cold advection behind an initial cold front, a secondary cold front dropped southeast, hanging up along Lake Ontario.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 29, 20201 eventA lake effect snow band developed during the early morning hours of the 29th and drifted south across extreme northern Onondaga county. The heaviest snow totals were found in the Brewerton, NY area, where 13.5 inches of snow fell.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 29, 202027 eventsA winter weather system impacted the area bringing wide swaths of 5 to 7 inches of snow. Farther to the south, ice accumulated on top of the snowfall.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Dakota, December 29, 202024 eventsBroad warm advection developed early on December 29 as a strong trough aloft sheared northeast through the central and northern Plains. A period of strong frontogenesis shifted northeast, accompanied by a deep dendritic layer which produced snowfall rates up to an inch per hour.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, December 29, 20206 eventsA winter weather system impacted the area bringing wide swaths of 5 to 7 inches of snow. Farther to the south, ice accumulated on top of the snowfall.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Missouri, December 29 to 30, 20201 death · 1 injured · $10,000 · 15 eventsA strong system ejected eastward into the central part of the country just after Christmas. Precipitation started out as snow, but as warm air aloft moved in it switched over to liquid rain, freezing on contact with all sub-freezing surfaces at ground level.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 29, 20202 eventsBroad warm advection developed early on December 29 as a strong trough aloft sheared northeast through the central and northern Plains. A period of strong frontogenesis shifted northeast, accompanied by a deep dendritic layer which produced snowfall rates up to an inch per hour.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 29, 202016 eventsA shortwave trough ejected east out of the base of a longwave western US trough, lifting across the southern plains and into Iowa. Strong frontogenesis led to a band of heavy snow on the leading edge of the system on the morning of the 29th.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 29, 20205 eventsA mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain developed in the early morning of December 29th and quickly become primarily freezing rain.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, December 29, 20207 eventsBroad warm advection developed early on December 29 as a strong trough aloft sheared northeast through the central and northern Plains.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 29, 20202 eventsA strong system ejected eastward into the central part of the country just after Christmas. While the temperatures at the surface remained well below freezing, temperatures just off the surface remained warm enough to melt any ice that was produced in the cloud.
• Winter Weather in Minnesota, December 29, 20205 eventsBroad warm advection developed early on December 29 as a strong trough aloft sheared northeast through the central and northern Plains.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, December 29, 20202 eventsA winter storm moved through parts of northeast and eastern Iowa and produced enough snow to cause travel impacts. There was also some freezing drizzle before the snow fell.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, December 29 to 30, 202019 eventsA potent winter storm produced widespread heavy snow, along with freezing rain and sleet, across the region in the afternoon of the 29th and into the early morning hours of the 30th. 8 to 12 inches of snow fell in the heaviest band between Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 20.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 29 to 30, 20208 eventsA potent winter storm produced widespread heavy snow, along with freezing rain and sleet, across the region in the afternoon and through the evening of the 29th into the early morning hours of the 30th.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 29, 20201 eventA winter storm brought a round of freezing drizzle and some heavy snow to parts of southwest Wisconsin during the afternoon and early evening of December 29th. Travel was impacted by snow covered roads.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, December 29 to 30, 202016 eventsA winter storm moved across northern Illinois from the afternoon of December 29th through the early morning of December 30th. Moderate to heavy snow spread across northern Illinois by late afternoon with snow quickly accumulating on roads making for a slow afternoon commute.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, December 29 to 30, 20204 eventsAn upper level trough deepened as it pivoted across Minnesota late on the 29th into the 30th and its associated surface low brought widespread snowfall to the region as it passed.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 29 to 30, 202020 eventsA surge of relatively mild and moist air aloft brought a swath of moderate to heavy snow to southern WI. The heaviest snow fell along and south of a line from Darlington to Jefferson to Port Washington, with nearly a foot of snow in portions of Green and Rock Counties.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, December 29 to 30, 20202 eventsA winter storm moved across northwest Indiana during the late afternoon of December 29th into the early morning of December 30th. A period of heavy snow occurred in the late afternoon into the evening when 2 to 3 inches of snow fell.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 29 to 30, 20203 eventsAn upper level trough deepened as it pivoted across Minnesota late on the 29th into the 30th and its associated surface low brought widespread snowfall to the region.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, December 29 to 30, 20208 eventsA low pressure system deepening over the Upper Great Lakes spread moderate snow across much of west and central Upper Michigan from the evening of the 29th into the morning of the 30th.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, December 29 to 31, 20202 eventsHeavy mountain snow over the Cascades at the end of December.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 30, 20201 eventA deep upper level low dug into the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Cold air moving into the region ahead of the low caused rain showers to turn to snow and snow showers.
• Winter Weather in Texas, December 30, 20202 eventsFollowing a round of thunderstorms on the evening of the 29th, colder air filtered into the region behind a cold front. Lingering precipitation, after the thunderstorm activity dissipated, changed from rain to snow as the colder air advected into the area.
• Heavy Snow in Texas, December 30 to 31, 202029 eventsA deep upper level low dug into the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Cold air ahead of the low caused rain showers to change to snow that quickly accumulated and remained on the ground for over a day.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, December 30 to 31, 20201 eventArctic air moving across Lake Superior in a northwest flow generated moderate lake effect snow showers over Houghton County from the 30th into the morning of the 31st.
• Winter Weather in Montana, December 30 to 31, 20204 eventsMoisture ahead of an upstream trough caused increasing cloudiness across the region from west to east. Perturbations in the flow of the overhead ridge caused mountain snow showers along the divide that would eventually expand to the mountains of Southwest and Central Montana.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, December 30 to 31, 20204 eventsThe month ended with a lot going on in the central United States. A powerful storm system in Texas brought a variety of precipitation types depending on the temperature during the last two days of 2020. Freezing rain was reported in northwest Arkansas on the 30th.
• Winter Weather in California, December 30 to 31, 20202 eventsA weak frontal system passed over northern California during the early morning hours of December 31. This system ended up producing light to moderate snow at times over the Sierra causing some travel delays and reduced visibilities.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Texas, December 31, 202024 eventsA winter storm dumped heavy snow from Roscoe south to Sterling City, Barnhart and Ozona. This storm also produced a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow over the remainder of West Central Texas.
• Winter Storm in Texas, December 31, 20206 eventsA cold front brought cold air to South Central Texas on December 30 and then stalled along the coast. On the 31st an area of low pressure developed along the front as an upper level trough moved from northern Mexico into Texas.
• Ice Storm and High Wind in California, December 31, 202056 kt wind · 3 eventsA low pressure system dropped southward just east of the Sierra Nevada during the morning of December 31.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, December 31, 202011 eventsA strong upper level low which brought thunderstorms and snow to the region on the 29th and 30th finally moved northeastward out of northern Mexico on the 31st.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, December 31, 20202 eventsA complex winter storm impacted much of Oklahoma to end the year. It began as rain which then transitioned to several hours of freezing rain for portions of southern and central Oklahoma as temperatures near the surface cooled.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, December 31, 202029 eventsA storm system lifted northward through Arkansas and into Missouri from New Years Eve into New Years Day. Freezing rain spread into southeast Kansas and southern and central Missouri during the evening hours of Thursday, December 31.
• Winter Weather in Oklahoma, December 31, 20202 eventsAn upper level low pressure system moved from northern Mexico, across Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and western Arkansas on December 31st and January 1st.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, December 31, 20201 eventAn upper level low pressure system moved from northern Mexico, across Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and western Arkansas on December 31st and January 1st.
• Winter Weather in Kansas, December 31, 2020$10,000 · 3 eventsA storm system lifted northward through Arkansas and into Missouri from New Years Eve into New Years Day. Freezing rain spread into southeast Kansas during the evening hours of Thursday, December 31.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Missouri, January 1, 2021$545,000 · 29 eventsA storm system lifted northward through Arkansas and into Missouri from New Years Eve into New Years Day. Freezing rain spread into southeast Kansas and southern and central Missouri during the evening hours of Thursday, December 31.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, January 1, 2021$50,000 · 3 eventsA storm system lifted northward through Arkansas and into Missouri from New Years Eve into New Years Day. Freezing rain spread into southeast Kansas during the evening hours of Thursday, December 31.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, January 1, 202117 eventsA surface low occluded prior to it reaching the forecast area with a new surface low developing and tracking further east.
• Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, January 1, 202116 eventsA complex winter storm impacted much of Oklahoma to begin the year. It began as rain which then transitioned to several hours of freezing rain for portions of southern and central Oklahoma as temperatures near the surface cooled.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, January 1, 202111 eventsA strong upper level low which brought thunderstorms and snow to the region on the 29th and 30th of December finally moved northeastward out of northern Mexico on the 31st.
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 1, 20217 eventsA winter storm dumped heavy snow from Roscoe south to Sterling City, Barnhart and Ozona. This storm also produced a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow over the remainder of West Central Texas.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, January 1 to 2, 20215 eventsA brief stint of snow and freezing rain was observed across the higher terrain of the Ozark and Boston Mountains. Outside of this region, only a cold rain was observed.
• Heavy Snow in Texas, January 1, 20212 eventsA strong cold front and a trailing upper low led to widespread precipitation across the region late New Years Eve and New Years Day.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, January 1, 20212 eventsAn upper level low pressure system moved from northern Mexico, across Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and western Arkansas on December 31st and January 1st.
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, January 1, 20211 eventAn upper level low pressure system moved from northern Mexico, across Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and western Arkansas on December 31st and January 1st.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, January 1, 202122 eventsDuring the overnight hours on New Years Eve, into the morning of New Years moderate freezing rain moved into southern, western, and central Missouri.
• Winter Weather in Illinois, January 1, 202111 eventsLight accumulations of ice glazed elevated surfaces, such as trees and power lines. Icing of up to one-tenth inch was measured on flat surfaces. There was little impact on travel. The ice was mainly from the Marion and Carbondale area north and west.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, January 1, 20215 eventsLight accumulations of ice glazed elevated surfaces, such as trees and power lines. Icing of up to one-tenth inch was measured on flat surfaces. There was little impact on travel. The ice was mainly from the Cape Girardeau area north and west.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Indiana, January 1, 20215 eventsFreezing rain developed across northwest Indiana during the morning of January 1st and continued into the early afternoon.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, January 1, 20215 eventsDuring the overnight hours on New Years Eve, into the morning of New Years moderate freezing rain moved into far eastern Kansas.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, January 1, 20212 eventsA surface low occluded prior to it reaching the forecast area with a new surface low developing and tracking further east.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 1, 202122 eventsMainly freezing rain fell across east central Illinois during the morning of January 1st producing a widespread area of one quarter inch or more of ice accumulation south of Interstate 80.
• Winter Weather in Ohio, January 1, 20217 eventsA warm front lifted northward over the region. Cold air at the ground was slow to respond and some light ice accumulations were noted.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, January 1, 20212 eventsA weaker winter storm moved into the area and added more ice and snow to the snow pack received the other day. This system moved in from the south and brought along a strong pull of warm air aloft. This led to a lot more ice accumulation than was expected prior to the event.
• Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 1, 20211 eventA warm front lifted northward over the region. Cold air at the ground was slow to respond and some light ice accumulations were noted.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, January 1, 2021$120,000 · 12 eventsA strong winter storm located over central Texas, took an unusual path straight north-northeast into southern Kansas during the early morning hours of January 1st, 2021. This New Years Day storm led to a swath of heavy snow falling along or just west of the Kansas Turnpike.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, January 1, 20211 eventA mixture of snow, sleet and some freezing rain occurred across northeast Kansas on Friday January 1st. Any ice accumulation was limited to the far southeast counties in NWS Topeka's service area and remained less than one quarter inch.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, January 1 to 2, 202124 eventsA period of freezing rain created difficult travel and isolated instances of tree and power line damage. Ice accretions generally ranged between 0.10 and 0.20.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 1, 202117 eventsLow pressure tracking from eastern Oklahoma during the early morning of January 1st to northern Indiana by the evening of the 1st brought a prolonged period of freezing rain to much of central Illinois.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 1 to 2, 202112 eventsA weaker winter storm moved into the area and added more ice and snow to the snow pack received the other day. This system moved in from the south and brought along a strong pull of warm air aloft. This led to a lot more ice accumulation than was expected prior to the event.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, January 1, 202111 eventsA weaker winter storm moved into the area and added more ice and snow to the snow pack received the other day. This system moved in from the south and brought along a strong pull of warm air aloft. This led to a lot more ice accumulation than was expected prior to the event.
• Winter Weather in Ohio, January 1, 20214 eventsStrong moisture advection combined with crossing low pressure to produce precipitation on January 1st. Subfreezing temperatures during the morning were slow to warm during the day, creating a period of freezing rain across the region.
• Winter Weather in Ohio, January 1, 20218 eventsA period of freezing rain created difficult travel and isolated instances of tree and power line damage. Ice accretions generally ranged between 0.10 and 0.20.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 1, 20216 eventsStrong moisture advection combined with crossing low pressure to produce precipitation on January 1st. Subfreezing temperatures during the morning were slow to warm during the day, creating a period of freezing rain across the region.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 1, 20214 eventsLow pressure tracked through the Ohio Valley and toward the Great Lakes. Warmer air aloft overran colder air in place associated with high pressure over New England, resulting in some freezing rain.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, January 1, 20214 eventsLow pressure tracked through the Ohio Valley and toward the Great Lakes. Warmer air aloft overran colder air in place associated with high pressure over New England, resulting in some freezing rain.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 1, 20212 eventsLow pressure tracked through the Ohio Valley and toward the Great Lakes. Warmer air aloft overran colder air in place associated with high pressure over New England, resulting in some freezing rain.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, January 1 to 2, 20215 eventsA period of freezing rain, followed by a brief burst of heavy snow, created difficult travel and isolated instances of tree and power line damage. Ice accretions generally ranged between 0.10 and 0.20.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 1, 202113 eventsLow pressure moving across the Ohio River Valley spread a swath of several inches of snow across southeast WI. Snow covered roads led to some vehicle slide-offs and accidents.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 1 to 2, 20216 eventsLow pressure tracking through the Great Lakes began to redevelop over the interior mid-Atlantic on January 1. Meanwhile, surface high pressure retreated northward from New England into southern Canada.
• Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, January 1, 20212 eventsAn ice storm impacted much of central Pennsylvania with anywhere from a trace of ice in the Lower Susquehanna Valley up to a half an inch of ice accumulation in the southern Alleghenies and Laurel Highlands.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 1 to 2, 20213 eventsLow pressure tracking through the Great Lakes began to redevelop over the interior mid-Atlantic on January 1. Meanwhile, surface high pressure retreated northward from New England into southern Canada.
• Winter Weather in New York, January 1 to 2, 20215 eventsA low pressure system brought a wintry mix of precipitation to the region during the evening hours of Friday, January 1st into the morning of Saturday, January 2nd, 2021. Snowfall totals were minimal and ranged from about 0.5 inches up to 3 inches.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New York, January 1 to 2, 20217 eventsA weak to moderate upper level and surface storm system moved across the northeast, including New England late on New Year's into January 2nd. Snowfall was a general 4 to 8 inches across northern NY with the higher amounts across the northern Adirondacks in Clinton county.
• Winter Storm in New Hampshire, January 1 to 2, 20211 eventLow pressure moved through the Ohio River Valley late on the 1st and tracked into New York early on the 2nd. A secondary low pressure began to develop early on the 2nd in the vicinity of Chesapeake Bay.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Vermont, January 2, 202112 eventsA weak to moderate upper level and surface storm system moved across the northeast, including New England late on New Year's into January 2nd. Snowfall was a general 4 to 8 inches across northern VT with the higher amounts across the counties bordering with Canada.
• Winter Storm in Maine, January 2, 20216 eventsLow pressure moved through the Ohio River Valley late on the 1st and tracked into New York early on the 2nd. A secondary low pressure began to develop early on the 2nd in the vicinity of Chesapeake Bay.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, January 2, 20219 eventsA fast moving intensifying low tracked across the Gulf Of Maine during the 2nd. Snow developed across the region during the early morning hours of the 2nd...then persisted through much of the afternoon.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Washington, January 2 to 3, 20213 eventsSeveral weather systems moved across Western Washington at the beginning of the new year, bringing with them widespread lowland rain, heavy mountain snow, and gusty winds to the area.
• Cold in Alaska, January 2, 20211 eventCombination of cold temperatures and strong winds produced dangerous wind chills around 65 below in the Brooks Range on January 2nd 2021.
• Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 2 to 3, 20213 eventsAn upper-level wave and its associated weak surface low tracked slowly northward from the Ozarks around midday January 2nd into northern Indiana by the early morning of January 3rd.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, January 3, 20215 eventsA narrow band of moderate to heavy snow brought snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches. The new snow combined with ice already on trees resulted in some downed tree limbs and power outages.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, January 3, 20212 eventsLow pressure tracked to our west and transferred its energy to a weak coastal low.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 3 to 4, 20214 eventsA pair of upper level disturbances passing over the mid-Atlantic brought a somewhat long duration but fairly low impact winter weather event to the area from the morning of January 3 into the predawn hours of January 4.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 3 to 4, 20214 eventsA pair of upper level disturbances passing over the mid-Atlantic brought a somewhat long duration but fairly low impact winter weather event to the area from the morning of January 3 into the predawn hours of January 4.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 3, 20212 eventsA band of moderate to briefly heavy snow lingered near I-80 behind departing low pressure during the afternoon of January 3rd, producing accumulating snow in some areas.
• Winter Weather in New York, January 3 to 4, 20218 eventsA light to moderate snowfall event occurred as an upper level low tracked near the region. This resulted in a swath of 4 to 6 inches of snow from the Schoharie valley into the Capital Region.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 3 to 4, 20215 eventsA stacked low pressure system moved from the Ohio Valley to Western New York State during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. Meanwhile, an intensifying surface low pressure system tracked along the Mid-Atlantic coast.
• Winter Weather in New York, January 3 to 4, 20211 eventA weak wave of low pressure developed off the Middle Atlantic coast during the morning of January 3, 2021. The low then tracked north-northeast away from the Middle Atlantic. but south and east of Long Island during the late day on January 3, 2021.
• Winter Weather in Connecticut, January 3 to 4, 20211 eventA weak wave of low pressure developed off the Middle Atlantic coast during the morning of January 3, 2021. The low then tracked north-northeast away from the Middle Atlantic. but south and east of Long Island during the late day on January 3, 2021.

The snowstorm of December 14 to 18, 2020The snowstorm of January 30 to February 3, 2021Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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