The snowstorm of February 19 to 23, 2011

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

710

Deaths

2

Injuries

19

Damage

$11 million

Episodes

92

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 Idaho, February 17 to 18, 20111 eventTen inches of snow fell at Vienna Mine, Swede Peak, Garfield Ranger Station, Galena Summit SNOTEL sites. 12 inches of snow was recorded at Dollarhide.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Michigan, February 18 to 28, 2011$30,000 · 59 kt wind · 8 eventsStrong west winds in the wake of a powerful cold front resulted in downed trees and power lines over portions of west and north central Upper Michigan on the 18th. Lake effect snow and extreme blowing snow also resulted in blizzard conditions over the Keweenaw Peninsula.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in Michigan, February 18 to 19, 201155 kt wind · 2 eventsA cold front crossed Northern Michigan early in the morning of the 18th. Gusty winds kicked in behind the front, and eventually lake effect snow did as well.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 18, 20112 eventsA 970 mb low that was in the Gulf of Anadyr at 0900AKST on the 17th moved north into the southern Chukchi Sea and weakened to 976 mb about 300 miles northwest of Barrow by 0900AKST on the 18th.
• Winter Storm in Alaska, February 18 to 20, 201111 eventsAll of SE Alaska was in cold air with the arctic front offshore on 2/18. A moderate gale center moved into the western Gulf of Alaska, which was just enough to cause the front to move over the Panhandle for heavy snow on the night of the 18th into the afternoon of the 20th.
• Heavy Snow in Arizona, February 19, 2011$50,000 · 1 eventA cold Pacific storm brought heavy snow to the higher elevations of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Locally heavy rain also occurred in the valleys.
• Winter Storm in Utah, February 19 to 20, 20117 eventsA moist Pacific storm system moved into the Great Basin late on February 18th, bringing heavy snow to both the mountains and valleys of Utah.
• Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 19 to 20, 20112 eventsEleven inches of snow fell at Smiley Mountain and Hailey. 10 inches of snow fell at Bear Canyon with 9 inches at Bald Mountain.
• Winter Weather in New York, February 19, 20112 eventsAn arctic cold front moved across the region early in the morning Saturday, February 19th. Lake enhanced snow showers occurred in the Mohawk Valley in the wake of the boundary as the cold air moved over the relatively warmer waters of Lake Erie.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 19 to 20, 201110 eventsA 966 mb low along the northern coast of Kamchatka at 0900AKST on the 19th moved into the Gulf of Anadyr as a 980 mb low at 0300AKST on the 20th. The low continued to gradually weaken to 988 mb in the southern Chukchi Sea by 1500AKST on the 20th.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 19 to 20, 20111 eventA strong storm in the northern Gulf of Alaska produced snow and strong wind through Thompson Pass that resulted in a blizzard through the pass Saturday morning through Sunday morning.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 19 to 20, 201122 eventsA strong storm system moved across the Rockies and Northern Plains, bringing heavy snow to western and south central South Dakota. Snowfall amounts were in the six to 12 inch range, with as much as 18 inches from northwestern into west central South Dakota.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 19 to 20, 201110 eventsA strong storm system tracked northeast across western and north central Nebraska during the overnight hours on February 19th through the morning hours on February 20th.
• Heavy Snow in Nebraska, February 19 to 20, 20112 eventsA Pacific storm system moved across the central Rockies and High Plains and brought heavy snow to portions of the region.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 19 to 20, 20111 eventA strong storm moved into the norther Bering Sea pushing a front to the Bering Sea coast. Strong wind and snow in advance of the front produced a blizzard along the coast of the Kuskokwim Delta.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in North Dakota, February 19 to 21, 201115 eventsStrong low pressure moving across the Central Plains brought moderate to heavy snow and blizzard conditions to parts of southwest and south central North Dakota. This episode started in the evening of February 19th, and ended during the early morning hours of February 21st.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, February 19 to 20, 20113 eventsA strong winter storm moved across the Rockies and Northern Plains, bringing heavy snow to extreme northeastern Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell across northern Campbell and Crook Counties and the Wyoming Black Hills, where five to nine inches of snow were reported.
• Ice Storm in Nebraska, February 20, 20111 eventLow pressure moved from northeast Colorado to southeast Nebraska during the morning of Feb. 20th as an upper level disturbance lifted northeast across Nebraska into South Dakota.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 20 to 21, 201124 eventsWidespread moderate to heavy precipitation fell as heavy snow over the northern and western part of the area, and as freezing rain and sleet in far southeast South Dakota.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, February 20, 20118 eventsFreezing rain and sleet produce up to a half inch of glazing near the northern border of Iowa, with additional sleet accumulations in the area. The precipitation changed to snow in the northern part of the county with up to 2 inches of snow accumulation.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Minnesota, February 20 to 21, 20118 eventsWidespread moderate to heavy precipitation fell as heavy snow over the northern part of the area, with a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow near the southern border of the state. Up to 12 inches of snow fell in the heavy snow area.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, February 20, 20114 eventsStrong low pressure in western Iowa and associated warm front lifted northward across the region during the early morning hours on February 20, 2011. Warm air advection ahead of the system produced a band of thunderstorms across northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois.
• Ice Storm and Lightning Strike in Iowa, February 20, 2011$202,000 · 7 eventsA strong low pressure system moved out of the southwest U.S. into Iowa during the overnight hours of the 19th through the day on the 20th. A strong push of warm air took place. The warm air was advected across cold air at the surface.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 20 to 21, 201141 eventsDuring the early morning of Sunday, February 20th, a large area of precipitation developed along the leading edge of very warm air across far southwest Minnesota.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, February 20 to 21, 20112 injured · $252,000 · 8 eventsA winter storm came out of the southwest United States and brought freezing rain and a little bit of snow to northeast Iowa from February 20th into the 21st. The freezing rain created ice accumulations that ranged from a tenth of an inch up to a quarter of an inch.
• Winter Weather in Illinois, February 20, 20113 eventsStrong low pressure in western Iowa and associated warm front lifted northward across the region during the early morning hours on February 20, 2011. Warm air advection ahead of the system produced a band of thunderstorms across northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, February 20 to 21, 20111 injured · $6,000 · 13 eventsA winter storm came out of the southwest United States and brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to western Wisconsin from February 20th into the 21st.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 20 to 21, 20113 eventsA strong winter storm system tracked across Nebraska and then into Iowa on the 20th, swinging an inverted trough into the southern Red River Valley. This brought 6 to 10 inches of snow to the area along with gusty north-northeast winds.
• Winter Storm in North Dakota, February 20 to 21, 20112 eventsA strong winter storm system tracked across Nebraska and then into Iowa on the 20th, swinging an inverted trough into the southern Red River Valley. This brought 6 to 10 inches of snow to the area along with gusty north-northeast winds.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, February 20, 201126 eventsAn intense upper level low pressure area moved across the region Sunday into Monday morning bringing very heavy snowfall to all of the region.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 20 to 21, 20117 eventsA winter storm came out of the southwest United States and brought snow and sleet to southeast Minnesota from February 20th into the 21st. Snow accumulations over the 2 days ranged from 5 to 11 inches.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20 to 21, 20117 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from eastern Iowa to just south of Chicago producing a winter storm with a mixed-bag of precipitation types and wind gusts of 22 to 33 knots (25 to 34 mph) that affected South Central and Southeast Wisconsin from February 20th into early February…
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20, 20115 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from eastern Iowa to just south of Chicago producing a winter storm with a mixed-bag of precipitation types and wind gusts of 22 to 33 knots (25 to 34 mph) that affected South Central and Southeast Wisconsin from February 20th into early February…
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20, 20112 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from eastern Iowa to just south of Chicago producing a winter storm with a mixed-bag of precipitation types and wind gusts of 22 to 33 knots (25 to 34 mph) that affected South Central and Southeast Wisconsin from February 20th into early February…
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20 to 21, 20119 eventsDuring the early morning of Sunday, February 20th, a large area of precipitation developed along the leading edge of very warm air across far southwest Minnesota.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Indiana, February 20 to 21, 201110 eventsPeriods of freezing rain created hazardous driving conditions across northeast Indiana February 20th into the morning hours of February 21st as moisture lifted northward over a nearly stalled out frontal boundary. Ice accretions ranged from a glaze to 0.30 across the area.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Ohio, February 20 to 21, 20118 eventsPeriods of freezing rain created hazardous driving conditions across northwest Ohio February 20th into the morning hours of February 21st as moisture lifted northward over a nearly stalled out frontal boundary. Ice accumulations generally ranged between a glaze and 0.30.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, February 20 to 21, 20114 eventsIce accumulations between 0.25 and 0.50 impacted portions of southern Michigan as a steady freezing rain fell north of a stalled out frontal boundary during the afternoon and evening hours of February 20th.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, February 20 to 21, 201123 eventsA storm brought heavy wet snow from Holland to Lansing and points north during the afternoon and evening hours of Sunday, February 20th. South of those areas up to three quarters of an inch of freezing rain.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20 to 21, 201117 eventsA potent storm system moved out of the Rockies and across the nation's mid-section into Iowa and Illinois on February 20-21. Abundant moisture ahead of this storm led to the development of snow across central and east-central Wisconsin during the day February 20th.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 20 to 21, 2011$5.0 million · 14 eventsA big winter storm impacted southeast Michigan, with 5 to 10 inches of snow falling across the majority of the area. Snow turned to ice near the Ohio border, where a major ice storm occured.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 201111 eventsA low pressure system tracked east from the Plains states, spreading heavy snow over north-central Pennsylvania. The heavy snow started during the afternoon on the 20th and tapered off during the early morning on the 21st.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, February 20 to 21, 20116 eventsLow pressure tracked across Indiana and Ohio on the night of the 20th. Northern Michigan would be on the northern fringe of the heavy snow swath. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 7 inches were common near and south of the M-55 corridor, dwindling to much less to the north.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, February 20, 20112 eventsAn intense upper level low pressure area moved across the region Sunday into Monday morning bringing very heavy snowfall to west central Minnesota.
• Winter Storm in Alaska, February 20 to 21, 20112 injured · 1 eventA 988 mb low in the southern Chukchi Sea at 1500AKST on the 20th weakened to 1003 mb near Barrow by 0300AKST on the 21st. The low caused a strong front to cross the area during the early morning hours on the 21st.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 20113 eventsLow pressure moved along a frontal boundary draped across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania and brought mixed freezing rain and snow to the Upper Ohio Valley.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 2011$700,000 · 3 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked slowly east across the Ohio Valley on February 20th and 21st. A warm front stretching east from this low caused snow to develop over northwestern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon hours of the 20th.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 20 to 22, 20114 eventsLow pressure from the Four Corners area reached southern Minnesota on February 20th. Six to eight inches of snow fell along and south of a line from Grantsburg through Spooner, Hayward to Phillips.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, February 20 to 22, 20111 eventLow pressure from the Four Corners reached southern Minnesota on February 20th. Six to twelve inches of snow fell over southern Pine County, south of Hinckley.
• Winter Storm in Ohio, February 20 to 22, 2011$4.6 million · 15 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked slowly east across the Ohio Valley on February 20th and 21st. A warm front stretching east from this low moved north into northern Ohio on the 20th and caused freezing rain to develop from west to east during the evening hours.
• Cold in Illinois, February 20 to 21, 20111 death · 1 eventA 70 year old Chicago man died in his home from hypothermia due to cold exposure. Low temperatures were in the lower to middle 20s.
• Heavy Snow in New York, February 20 to 21, 2011$75,000 · 3 eventsLow pressure moved rapidly from Illinois to Pennsylvania and spread a general snowfall across the western southern tier of New York Low pressure moved rapidly from Illinois to Pennsylvania and spread a general snowfall of up to a foot of snow across the western southern tier of…
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 20112 injured · 6 eventsA fast moving low pressure system dropped heavy snow over parts of the Poconos and an accumulating snow to the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the far northern Philadelphia suburbs on the 21st.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 20116 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked across the central United States and into|the Ohio Valley during the early morning hours of February 21st.
• Winter Storm in New York, February 20 to 21, 20112 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked across the central United States and into |the Ohio Valley during the early morning hours of February 21st.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 21, 20116 eventsA fast moving low pressure system dropped heavy snow over parts of northwest New Jersey and plowable snows as far south as the Raritan Basin in New Jersey. Snow began around Midnight EST in northwest New Jersey and fell at its heaviest between Midnight EST and 6 a.m.
• Heavy Snow in New Jersey, February 21, 20114 eventsA weak low pressure system tracking along a warm front south of the region Sunday night into Monday morning on February 21st brought a moderate to heavy snowfall to the region.
• Heavy Snow in New York, February 21, 20112 eventsA weak low pressure system tracking along a warm front south of the region Sunday night into Monday morning on February 21st, brought a moderate to heavy snowfall to the region.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, February 21 to 22, 201111 eventsLow pressure moving along a stalled front turned mixed precipitation to heavy wet snow the afternoon of the 21st across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The snow continued into the early morning of the 22nd.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 21 to 22, 20114 eventsLow pressure moving along a stalled front turned mixed precipitation to heavy wet snow the afternoon of the 21st across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The snow continued into the early morning of the 22nd.
• Heavy Snow in Ohio, February 21 to 22, 20116 eventsLow pressure moving along a stalled front turned mixed precipitation to heavy wet snow the afternoon of the 21st across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The snow continued into the early morning of the 22nd.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, February 21 to 22, 201119 eventsA long-duration snow affected all of South Central and Southeast Wisconsin from the afternoon hours of February 21st to almost daybreak February 22nd. Just prior to the snow, light freezing drizzle glazed untreated roads and other surfaces.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, February 21 to 22, 201110 eventsA fast-moving low pressure system tracked south of Pennsylvania across the Virginia's and North Carolina, bringing moderate to heavy snow to south-central Pennsylvania. The snow started during the late afternoon on the 21st and ended early in the morning on the 22nd.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 21 to 22, 20112 eventsA 1004 mb low just north of Prudhoe Bay at 0900AKST on the 21st moved rapidly east and weakened to 1008 mb just south of Banks Island by 1500AKST.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, February 21 to 22, 201112 eventsA cold front passed through the region on the evening of the 21st. High pressure to the north allowed for plenty of cold air to move into the region during the nighttime hours of the 21st.
• Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 21 to 22, 201111 eventsA cold front passed through the region on the evening of the 21st. High pressure to the north allowed for plenty of cold air to move into the region during the nighttime hours of the 21st.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 21 to 22, 20116 eventsA winter storm dropped 3 to 6 inches of snow in and around the local Philadelphia area and 1 to 3 inches of snow across Berks, Upper Montgomery and Bucks Counties.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Delaware, February 21 to 22, 20118 injured · 4 eventsA winter storm dropped heavy snow across New Castle County and a sleet and snow mixture in the rest of Delaware from the evening of the 21st until around sunrise on the 22nd.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, February 21 to 22, 201122 eventsA cold front passed through the region on the evening of the 21st. High pressure to the north allowed for plenty of cold air to move into the region during the nighttime hours of the 21st.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 21 to 22, 20119 eventsA winter storm dropped 3 to 6 inches of snow across most of the southern half of New Jersey from the evening of the 21st into the early morning of the 22nd. Little if any snow fell north of Interstate 195 in New Jersey.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Maryland, February 21 to 22, 20115 eventsA winter storm dropped heavy snow across Cecil and Kent Counties and a wintry mix of rain to sleet and snow across the rest of the Eastern Shore from the evening of the 21st until around sunrise on the 22nd.
• Winter Weather in District of Columbia, February 21 to 22, 20111 eventA cold front passed through the region on the evening of the 21st. High pressure to the north allowed for plenty of cold air to move into the region during the nighttime hours of the 21st.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 21 to 24, 201110 eventsA low pressure system off the Pacific Northwest Coast brought snow showers...heavy at times...to western Oregon.
• Winter Storm in Montana, February 22 to 24, 20112 eventsAn upper level trough moving across the Rocky Mountain Front brough heavy snow. Eight to ten inches of snow were reported.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, February 22 to 24, 20117 eventsA low pressure system off the Pacific Northwest Coast brought snow showers...heavy at times...to southwest Washington. An intense band of showers brought higher accumulations of snow over the Interstate 5 Corridor in Cowlitz County.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 22 to 26, 20111 injured · 31 eventsA 968 mb low in the central Bering Sea at 2100AKST on the 23rd moved to the Gulf of Anadyr as a 976 mb low at 0900AKST on the 24th. The low tracked to the northeast as a 978 mb low in the southern Chukchi Sea at 2100AKST on the 24th.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Washington, February 23 to 24, 20111 death · 1 injured · 8 eventsSnow fell over much of western Washington. Amounts varied from 1-10 inches with one site in Mount Vernon reporting 16 inches.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 23, 201177 kt wind · 2 eventsAn intense north Pacific storm moved through the Aleutians producing high wind and snow that resulted in blizzard conditions in Shemya.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 24, 20119 eventsA winter storm moved across the region, bringing snow to portions of western South Dakota. Five to ten inches of snow accumulated across southwestern South Dakota.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wyoming, February 24, 20112 eventsA winter storm passed through the region, bringing heavy snow to parts of northeastern Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell across Weston County, where six to 12 inches of snow accumulated.
• Winter Storm and Hail in Kansas, February 24, 20112 injured · $125,000 · 0.75 in hail · 9 eventsPeriods of light freezing drizzle, light sleet and light snow produced a glaze of ice across portions of central and east-central Kansas, mainly along and north of Highway 50. Ice accumulations ranged from one-eighth to one-quarter inch.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, February 24, 20119 eventsMuch of Northeast Kansas received a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow during the day of February 24th.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, February 24 to 25, 20115 eventsA potent winter storm moved across the area, with a variety of precipitation,|beginning in the morning hours of February 24, 2011. The activity diminished to light|snow, and ended in the early morning hours of February 25, 2011.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, February 24 to 25, 201126 eventsA potent winter storm moved across the area, with a variety of precipitation,|beginning in the morning hours of February 24, 2011. The activity diminished to light|snow, and ended in the early morning hours of February 25, 2011.
• Heavy Snow in Kansas, February 24, 20111 eventA fast-moving winter storm produced areas of light freezing drizzle from Leoti to Hill City in northwest Kansas. Further north, heavy snow was reported across much of Norton county, where observers reported six to eight inches of snow.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Nebraska, February 24, 201110 eventsThis Thursday featured one of the most intense, narrow snow bands of the 2010-2011 winter season across South Central Nebraska, targeting locations between Interstate 80 and the Kansas border.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, February 24, 20113 eventsAlthough it only affected a small sliver of North Central Kansas, this Thursday featured one of the most intense, narrow bands of snow of the 2010-2011 winter season within the area.
• Winter Storm in Utah, February 24 to 27, 201114 eventsA cold and slow-moving upper-level trough moved across the Great Basin over a three-day period, producing heavy snow all the way from Utah's northern mountains down to Utah's valleys that border with Arizona.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, February 24, 20114 eventsAn upper level disturbance that tracked across the central plains brought an area of 3 to 5 inches of snow to southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa. The snow briefly lowered visibilities to 1/4 mile or less in some areas.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, February 24, 20111 eventAn upper level disturbance that tracked across the central plains brought snow to southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa during the evening commute on Feb. 24th.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 24, 20113 eventsA low pressure system moved east across southern Missouri into the lower Ohio River Valley during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 24th. A narrow band of moderate to occasionally heavy snow developed over southern Iowa on the north edge of this storm.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, February 24 to 25, 20112 eventsLow pressure tracked from eastern Oklahoma to northern Arkansas and then into the Ohio Valley on February 24-25, 2011. This storm system spread snow, briefly heavy, across portions of southeast Iowa, western Illinois and extreme northeast Missouri.

The snowstorm of February 9 to 11, 2011The snowstorm of February 24 to 27, 2011Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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