The snowstorm of December 7 to 11, 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

991

Deaths

13

Injuries

12

Damage

$7.5 million

Episodes

109

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 Maine, December 5 to 6, 20093 eventsLow pressure tracking just south of the Gulf of Maine brought heavy snow to portions of Downeast Maine. The snow began during the evening of the 5th and continued into the morning of the 6th.
• Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 5, 20091 death · $15,000 · 1 eventLight snow fell across the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. Snowfall accumulations totaled less than one half of an inch. However, slick roads contributed to an automobile accident that caused one fatality.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 5 to 6, 20092 eventsLight west winds produced disorganized but locally heavy lake effect snow just downwind of Lake Michigan. Pellston and Indian River picked up 7 to 9 inches of snow.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 6, 20091 eventAn outbreak of arctic air brought northeast upslope flow to western Deschutes County which produced heavy snowfall.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in California, December 6 to 7, 20091 death · 1 injured · 5 eventsA cold storm system dropped southward over interior Northern California, bringing heavy snow to the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains and locally significant accumulations down onto the Central Valley floor.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, December 6 to 8, 20091 death · 9 injured · $580,000 · 16 eventsA two pronged winter storm moved across the region during the period of December 6th through December the 8th, 2009.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 6 to 8, 20092 deaths · $536,000 · 67 kt wind · 38 eventsA potent storm system brought heavy snow and high winds across the state. Snowfall started on December 6th across the San Juan Mountains.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in California, December 6 to 9, 2009$1.0 million · 70 kt wind · 16 eventsA strong area of low pressure brought a wide swatch of precipitation into the Central California Interior. The precipitation arrived during the early morning hours of December 7th.
• Winter Storm in Utah, December 7 to 8, 200910 eventsA cold winter storm moved through Utah, bringing snow to much of the state. The heaviest snowfall occurred across southern and central Utah, with lighter amounts in the far northern parts of the state.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 7, 20092 eventsA weak low pressure system tracking northeast from Iowa moved across Lake Michigan on Monday December 7th, producing a localized lake enhanced band of snow which impacted northern parts of Muskegon and southern parts of Oceana counties.
• Winter Weather in New York, December 7, 20091 death · $7,000 · 1 eventResidual water puddles from heavy rain that occurred on Saturday the 5th resulted in slick roads as the puddles froze and frost developed on area roadways. This resulted in a thin layer of ice.
• Winter Weather in Texas, December 7, 20091 death · 10 eventsFreezing drizzle developed as warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico was flowed over the shallow Arctic Airmass that had invaded West Central Texas. The freezing drizzle impacted an area along and north of a line from Sterling City to Coleman and Cross Plains.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Arizona, December 7 to 8, 2009$1.2 million · 65 kt wind · 10 eventsAn intense winter storm passed through Arizona during the evening hours of December 7th and during the early morning hours of December 8th.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 7 to 9, 200924 eventsA sharp upper level trough shifted east out of the Rocky Mountains and across the Central Plains, bringing a round of heavy snow to south central Nebraska.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 7 to 9, 20096 eventsA sharp upper level trough shifted east out of the Rocky Mountains and across the Central Plains, bringing a round of heavy snow to north central Kansas.
• Winter Storm in California, December 7, 20092 eventsA powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Most of the significant snowfall occurred above 6000 feet where 8 to 12 inches of snow was reported. In addition, gusty south winds were reported.
• Winter Weather in Texas, December 7 to 8, 20091 eventIsentropic upglide increased over a dome of subfreezing air at the surface during the day and night of 12/07/09. Freezing drizzle and freezing fog resulted with roadways over west Texas becoming icy.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 7 to 9, 200913 eventsA powerful winter storm battered much of Northeast Kansas dumping up to 15 inches of snow across parts of the area. Many areas received over 6 inches of snow during the storm which began on Monday night and persisted into the early morning hours of Wednesday.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 7 to 9, 20093 deaths · 60 eventsA large and relatively slow moving storm brought a prolonged winter storm and even, for a time, blizzard conditions to eastern Nebraska and western Iowa from late on Dec. 7th through the early morning hours of Dec. 9th.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 7 to 9, 20098 eventsA strong low pressure system moved across the Central Plains on December 8th and 9th, 2009. Moderate to heavy snow accompanied this weather system from southwest Nebraska into eastern portions of north central Nebraska.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Iowa, December 7 to 9, 200916 eventsA large and relatively slow moving storm brought a prolonged winter storm and even, for a time, blizzard conditions to eastern Nebraska and western Iowa from late on Dec. 7th through the early morning hours of Dec. 9th.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 7 to 9, 20092 eventsA very intense storm system tracked from the Oklahoma Panhandle to western Illinois and then to Lake Huron. This had the lowest barometric pressure (975 mb or 28.79 inches) in the Midwest since the November 10, 1998 storm that also moved through the upper Midwest.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, December 7 to 9, 200921 eventsA very intense storm system tracked from the Oklahoma Panhandle to western Illinois and then to Lake Huron. This had the lowest barometric pressure (975 mb or 28.79 inches) in the Midwest since the November 10, 1998 storm that also moved through the upper Midwest.
• Blizzard in Missouri, December 7 to 9, 200917 eventsA powerful storm system brought heavy snow, ice and even blizzard conditions, to a large portion of the central plains, on December 7-9, 2009.
• Blizzard in Kansas, December 7 to 9, 20093 eventsA powerful storm system brought heavy snow, ice and even blizzard conditions to a large portion of the central plains on December 7-9, 2009.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 7 to 9, 200913 eventsA very intense storm system tracked from the Oklahoma Panhandle to western Illinois and then to Lake Huron. This had the lowest barometric pressure (975 mb or 28.79 inches) in the Midwest since the November 10, 1998 storm that also moved through the upper Midwest.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 7 to 9, 2009$430,000 · 44 eventsAn intense low pressure system moved into southern California during the afternoon and evening of the 7th, then tracked northeast across the central U.S.
• Blizzard and Winter Weather in South Dakota, December 8 to 9, 200917 eventsSnowfall of 6 to 10 inches over extreme southeast South Dakota was accompanied by north to northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with some gusts over 50 mph. The combination of snow and strong winds created widespread blizzard conditions with visibilities near zero.
• Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 8, 200910 eventsA low pressure area moved from the Central Rockies across the Central High Plains, producing an area of heavy snow over portions of northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska. Snowfall up to 11 inches was reported. Gusty north winds resulted in some blowing and drifting of snow.
• Blizzard in Iowa, December 8 to 9, 20091 death · 1 injured · 11 eventsSnowfall of 4 to 10 inches over all of northwest Iowa was accompanied by north to northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with some gusts over 50 mph. The combination of snow and strong winds created widespread blizzard conditions with visibilities near zero.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Iowa, December 8 to 9, 20098 eventsA large winter storm, producing heavy snow and strong winds, affected northeast Iowa from December 8 through December 9.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, December 8 to 9, 20092 eventsSnowfall of 6 to 10 inches over extreme northeast Nebraska was accompanied by north to northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with some gusts over 50 mph. The combination of snow and strong winds created widespread blizzard conditions with visibilities near zero.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 20091 injured · 13 eventsA large winter storm, producing heavy snow and strong winds, affected southwest and central Wisconsin from December 8 through December 9.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, December 8 to 9, 20098 eventsSnowfall of 4 to 10 inches over most of southwest Minnesota was accompanied by north to northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with some gusts over 50 mph. The combination of snow and strong winds created widespread blizzard conditions with visibilities near zero.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, December 8 to 9, 20097 eventsA large winter storm, with heavy snow and strong winds, affected southeast Minnesota from December 8 through December 9.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 8 to 9, 20096 eventsHeavy snow began falling during the early morning hours of December 8th and continued into the afternoon hours of December 9th. Strong winds caused blowing and drifting snow during the evening of December 9th and morning of December 10th.
• Heavy Snow in Nebraska, December 8, 20092 eventsA low pressure area moved from the Central Rockies across the Central High Plains, producing an area of heavy snow over portions of northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska. Snowfall up to 11 inches was reported. Gusty north winds resulted in some blowing and drifting of snow.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, December 8 to 9, 200928 eventsA powerful winter storm developed across the central plains Tuesday afternoon, and quickly intensified as it moved across the southern Great Lakes by Wednesday morning.
• Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 8, 200915 eventsA large upper level trough moved east through the western Plains on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009. Snow formed early in the morning and picked up in intensity by mid-morning.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 20099 eventsA powerful winter storm developed across the central plains Tuesday afternoon, and quickly intensified as it moved across the southern Great Lakes by Wednesday morning.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 8 to 10, 20098 eventsA large storm system moved through southern Wisconsin, spreading heavy snow across northwestern Wisconsin. The heaviest of the snow fell during the overnight hours of December 8.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 200919 eventsThis winter storm was the first, widespread storm to affect south-central and Southeast Wisconsin during the 20009-10 winter season.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 200924 eventsOne of the biggest winter storms in years pounded much of Wisconsin, including the northeast part of the state. Snow developed as low pressure rapidly deepened as it moved across Illinois into Lake Michigan.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, December 8 to 9, 20097 eventsLow pressure tracked up through the Great Lakes. Plenty of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico was drawn into this system to produce widespread precipitation.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, December 8 to 9, 20096 eventsLow pressure tracked up through the Great Lakes. Plenty of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico was drawn into this system to produce widespread precipitation.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, December 8 to 9, 20096 eventsLow pressure tracked up through the Great Lakes. Plenty of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico was drawn into this system to produce widespread precipitation.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Michigan, December 8 to 10, 200915 eventsA storm system developing over the Plains deepened rapidly as it tracked across the Lower Great Lakes region in the early morning hours of the 9th.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 8 to 9, 20092 eventsFreezing rain developed in some of the high valleys of the northern mountains during the evening. Ice accumulation was mainly confined to elevated surfaces. The freezing rain changed to rain soon after midnight.
• Ice Storm in West Virginia, December 8 to 9, 20092 eventsStrong low pressure moving across the Great Lakes brought of mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the ridges of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, December 8 to 9, 20092 eventsStrong low pressure moving across the Great Lakes brought of mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the ridges of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, December 8 to 9, 20092 eventsA mixture of wintry precipitation affected central Pennsylvania from the evening of the 8th through the early morning on the 9th as a fast moving winter storm tracked across the Great Lakes.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 8 to 9, 20092 eventsThe first snow storm of the season affecting southeast Lower Michigan produced widespread accumulations ranging from 1 inch near the Ohio Border to 6 inches over parts of the Tri-Cities region during the overnight.
• Blizzard in Iowa, December 8 to 9, 2009$2.5 million · 49 eventsAn intense low pressure system moved into southern California during the afternoon and evening of the 7th, then tracked northeast across the central U.S.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, December 8 to 9, 20098 eventsA winter storm brought heavy snow and freezing rain to the Poconos and an accumulating snow to the Lehigh Valley before it changed to sleet and then rain.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, December 8 to 9, 20098 eventsSnow developed from south to north during the evening hours of Tuesday night, December the 8th, continuing into the 9th. Over a foot of snow was reported across parts of Mason and Osceola counties.
• Ice Storm in Maryland, December 8 to 9, 20091 eventStrong low pressure moving across the Great Lakes brought of mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the ridges of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Cold in Illinois, December 8 to 9, 20092 deaths · 1 eventA 51 year old man died on Monroe Street in Chicago due to cold exposure. A 42 year old man died due to hypothermia from cold exposure near Belmont Road in Chicago. He was found unresponsive in an alley. Low temperatures were in the lower teens.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, December 8 to 9, 20095 eventsAn intense low pressure system brought a wintry mix of snow and sleet to northwest New Jersey during the early morning of the 9th before the precipitation changed over to rain.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, December 9 to 11, 200925 eventsA powerful low pressure system moved across Lower Michigan on the 9th. Snow surged northward ahead of the low, with intense snowfall rates on the morning of the 9th. By evening, snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches were common across all of Northern Michigan.
• Ice Storm in Virginia, December 9, 2009$2,000 · 2 eventsStrong surface low pressure raced from the High Plains early on December 8th to the upper Great Lakes by early on the 9th with heavy rains and some high elevation icing ahead of the cold front.
• Winter Storm in New York, December 9, 20091 eventLow pressure tracked from the mid Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes region from the evening of the 8th to the afternoon of the 9th. This storm spread snow northeast across central New York during the early morning of the 9th.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 9, 20091 eventA deep upper low tracking northeast through the Central United States was responsible for a rapidly intensifying low pressure system tracking into the Great Lakes.
• Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 9, 2009$21,000 · 9 eventsStrong low pressure moved over the Cape Cod Canal and coupled with a strong low level jet to produce a burst of heavy snow over much of Southern New England during the morning commute.
• Extreme Cold in Kansas, December 9, 200913 eventsWind chill values of -25 to -30 Fahrenheit were common on the morning of the 9th across all of northwest Kansas, southwest Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Air temperatures of -5 to -15 F combined with north winds to produce dangerously low wind chill readings.
• Extreme Cold in Nebraska, December 9, 20093 eventsWind chill values of -25 to -30 Fahrenheit were common on the morning of the 9th across all of northwest Kansas, southwest Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Air temperatures of -5 to -15 F combined with north winds to produce dangerously low wind chill readings.
• Extreme Cold in Colorado, December 9, 20093 eventsWind chill values of -25 to -30 Fahrenheit were common on the morning of the 9th across all of northwest Kansas, southwest Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Air temperatures of -5 to -15 F combined with north winds to produce dangerously low wind chill readings.
• Heavy Snow in New York, December 9, 200919 eventsA low pressure system originating over Texas moved northeast and across the central and eastern Great Lakes Wednesday, December 9th.
• Blizzard in Iowa, December 9, 200921 eventsAs the storm system intensified, blizzard conditions developed across much of eastern Iowa and extreme northeast Missouri on December 9, 2009.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, December 9, 2009$15,000 · 3 eventsStrong low pressure moved over the Cape Cod Canal and coupled with a strong low level jet to produce a burst of heavy snow over much of Southern New England during the morning commute.
• Heavy Snow in Vermont, December 9, 20093 eventsA low pressure system originating over Texas moved northeast and across the central and eastern Great Lakes Wednesday, December 9th.
• Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 9, 20092 eventsA low pressure system originating over Texas moved northeast and across the central and eastern Great Lakes Wednesday, December 9th.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, December 9, 20091 eventA deep upper low tracking northeast through the Central United States was responsible for a rapidly intensifying low pressure system tracking into the Great Lakes.
• Winter Storm in New York, December 9, 2009$8,000 · 4 eventsA very powerful low pressure system (980mb) moved across the Great Lakes into Ontario province Canada on December 9th. Despite the strength of this storm, impacts were marginal across northern New York with snow, blowing snow and mixed wintry precipitation.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in Vermont, December 9, 2009$205,000 · 76 kt wind · 21 eventsA very powerful low pressure system (980mb) moved across the Great Lakes into Ontario province Canada on December 9th.
• Cold in Nebraska, December 9, 200911 eventsArctic air that spilled in behind an early December Winter Storm/Blizzard that hit eastern Nebraska combined with northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph and produced dangerously cold wind chill values.
• Winter Storm in New Hampshire, December 9, 200911 eventsA large area of low pressure moved northeast through the Great Lakes and into southern Canada on the 9th. A secondary low developed off the East Coast and moved rapidly northeast. The low brought a moderate to heavy snowfall across the state.
• Blizzard in Missouri, December 9, 20092 eventsAs the storm system intensified, blizzard conditions developed across much of eastern Iowa and extreme northeast Missouri on December 9, 2009.
• Winter Storm in Maine, December 9, 200916 eventsA large area of low pressure moved northeast through the Great Lakes and into southern Canada on the 9th. A secondary low developed off the East Coast and moved rapidly northeast. The low brought a moderate to heavy snowfall across the state.
• Heavy Snow and High Wind in Maine, December 9 to 10, 200956 kt wind · 17 eventsIntensifying low pressure tracking along the Maine coast to New Brunswick brought heavy snow to northern and eastern Maine. Strong winds developed along the Downeast coast in advance of the low.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, December 9 to 11, 20097 eventsHigh winds and lake effect snow continued all day Thursday December 10th into Friday morning, resulting in very hazardous travel conditions with near whiteout conditions at times. Around a foot of lake effect snow fell across areas from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 9 to 10, 20092 eventsLake effect snow developed behind a strong cold front late December 9th, and continued into much of December 10th. Strong winds created whiteout conditions at times.
• Cold in Kansas, December 9 to 10, 200913 eventsA cold airmass continued to grip the entire region, resulting in another night of below zero air temperatures, and wind chill values of -15 to -25 degrees across eastern Colorado, southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.
• Cold in Colorado, December 9 to 10, 20093 eventsA cold airmass continued to grip the entire region, resulting in another night of below zero air temperatures, and wind chill values of -15 to -25 degrees across eastern Colorado, southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.
• Cold in Nebraska, December 9 to 10, 20093 eventsA cold airmass continued to grip the entire region, resulting in another night of below zero air temperatures, and wind chill values of -15 to -25 degrees across eastern Colorado, southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 10 to 12, 2009$236,000 · 10 eventsLake effect snows developed off Lakes Erie and Ontario in a well-aligned, cold, unstable west to southwest flow. Strong winds not along allowed the snow bands to extend well inland, but produced significantly reduced visibilities in blowing and drifting snow.
• Cold in Wisconsin, December 10, 200913 eventsStrong winds and plummeting temperatures combined to create wind chills of 20 below to 30 below on December 10 in the wake of a large winter storm.
• Cold in Iowa, December 10, 20098 eventsStrong winds and plummeting temperatures combined to create wind chills of 20 below to 30 below on December 10 in the wake of a large winter storm.
• Cold in Minnesota, December 10, 20097 eventsStrong winds and plummeting temperatures combined to create wind chills of 20 below to 30 below on December 10 in the wake of a large winter storm.
• Extreme Cold in Nebraska, December 10, 20093 eventsAn Arctic air mass invaded southeast Wyoming on December 9th and combined with strong winds to produce extremely cold wind chills on the morning of December 9th and again through the night into December 10th.
• Extreme Cold in Idaho, December 10, 20093 eventsExtreme cold temperatures caused several schools to close on December 10th in the Upper Snake Highlands and Caribou Highlands.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 10 to 11, 2009$10,000 · 2 eventsA favorable cold, unstable air flow over the relatively mild waters of Lake Ontario developed a nearly stationary fetch of lake effect snow bands from Lake Ontario into portions of northern New York during the morning of December 10th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 10 to 12, 20092 eventsA strong westerly flow of cold air moved across the relatively warmer waters of Lake Ontario resulting in the development of bands of snow which extended across northern Herkimer County into Hamilton County.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 10 to 11, 2009$500,000 · 2 eventsAn arctic cold front moved across the region on December 9th. Cold westerly winds behind this front caused lake effect snow showers to develop across northwestern Pennsylvania just before daybreak on the 10th.
• Winter Weather in Vermont, December 10 to 11, 2009$10,000 · 9 eventsA favorable cold, unstable air flow over the relatively mild waters of Lake Ontario developed a nearly stationary fetch of lake effect snow bands from Lake Ontario into portions of northern New York, which extrapolated into portions of Vermont, especially the higher elevations…
• Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Michigan, December 10 to 11, 20094 eventsArctic air pouring across Lake Superior on northwest winds generated more moderate to heavy lake effect snow for portions of west and north central Upper Michigan on the 10th and 11th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, December 10 to 11, 2009$225,000 · 2 eventsAn arctic cold front moved across the region on December 9th. Cold westerly winds blowing across Lake Erie behind this front caused flurries and light snow showers to develop by the late evening hours of the 9th.
• Cold in Pennsylvania, December 11, 20097 eventsArctic air behind a strong storm system brought wind chill values to between 10 and 15 below zero to the higher elevations of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Cold in West Virginia, December 11, 20092 eventsArctic air behind a strong storm system brought wind chill values to between 10 and 15 below zero to the higher elevations of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Cold in Maryland, December 11, 20091 eventArctic air behind a strong storm system brought wind chill values to between 10 and 15 below zero to the higher elevations of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 11, 20091 eventA heavy lake effect snow band produced six to eight inches of snow across northwest Warren County.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 11 to 12, 20091 eventAn intense lake effect snow band dropped south into the far northern part of Oneida County late Friday afternoon on the 11th, and continued until the early morning hours of the 12th. Storm total snowfall ranged from 8 to 17 inches.
• Winter Storm in Oregon, December 11 to 12, 20094 eventsWith abnormally cold air in place over much of northwest Oregon, a storm system moved over the region, bringing heavy precipitation, which fell as ice over many areas. Many major highways and interstates were closed due to icy conditions causing travel to be treacherous.
• Winter Storm in Washington, December 11 to 12, 20091 eventWith abnormally cold air already in place over much of southwest Washington, a storm system advanced across the region, bringing heavy precipitation, which fell as ice over many areas.
• Winter Storm in California, December 11 to 13, 20092 eventsA winter storm brought one to two feet of snow and strong winds to the higher elevations of the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
• Winter Storm in Utah, December 12 to 14, 200913 eventsA series of moist Pacific storm systems moved through Utah over a 3-day period. The storm brought wet, heavy snow to much of the state, with the heaviest snow across both the valleys and mountains of northern Utah.
• Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 12 to 13, 20095 eventsA strong Pacific storm system brought widespread heavy snow to extreme southern and eastern Idaho over the weekend of December 12th and 13th.
• Winter Storm in Montana, December 12 to 13, 20094 eventsAn arctic cold front moving across North Central Montana brought snow and cold temperatures to the area. Snow accumulations in excess of 8 inches were reported.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 12 to 13, 200920 eventsLight freezing rain developed during the evening hours across the mountains and portions of the foothills and piedmont of North Carolina. Ice accretion was mainly limited to elevated surfaces.
• Winter Weather in Georgia, December 12 to 13, 20091 eventLight freezing rain developed during the evening across the mountains of extreme northeast Georgia. Ice accretion was mainly limited to elevated surfaces.

The snowstorm of December 5 to 6, 2009The snowstorm of December 12 to 16, 2009Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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