The snowstorm of February 22 to 24, 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

243

Deaths

1

Injuries

9

Damage

$631,000

Episodes

40

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 Missouri, February 20 to 21, 20091 eventA fast moving clipper, brought heavy snow to Schuyler county, during the late evening hours February 20th, into the early morning hours of Februay 21st, 2009.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, February 20 to 21, 20094 injured · 8 eventsA strengthening low pressure system tracked from northern Kansas to central Missouri and then into Illinois. Meanwhile, a strong upper level trough dove southeast out of the northern Plains.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, February 20 to 21, 20092 eventsA strengthening low pressure system tracked from northern Kansas to central Missouri and then into Illinois. Meanwhile, a strong upper level trough dove southeast out of the northern Plains.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, February 20 to 21, 20099 eventsA strengthening low pressure system tracked from northern Kansas to central Missouri and then into Illinois. Meanwhile, a strong upper level trough dove southeast out of the northern Plains.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 21, 200917 eventsYet another winter storm affected South-central and Southeast Wisconsin with a combination of snow accumulations of 3 to almost 9 inches, and gusty northeast to northwest winds to 26 knots (30 mph).
• Winter Storm in Michigan, February 21 to 22, 200913 eventsAn Alberta Clipper produced six to ten inches of snow across southwestern lower Michigan from the early morning hours of February the twenty first through the early morning hours of February the twenty second.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 21 to 22, 200917 eventsA weak low pressure system and a strong upper disturbance moved across Lower Michigan on the 21st. This system produced heavy snow across much of Northern Lower Michigan.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 21, 20091 eventA strong front moved to the Bering Sea coast on the 20th and 21st producing strong wind and snow that resulted in a blizzard along the Kuskokwim Delta.
• Winter Weather in Illinois, February 21, 20091 death · 5 injured · 1 eventA weak area of low pressure moving through the Ohio Valley produced 1 to 3 inches of snow in north central and eastern Illinois. Somewhat higher amounts of 4 to 5 inches were reported in Knox County. The snowfall produced slippery travel conditions and numerous auto accidents.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 21, 20094 eventsLow pressure moved from near St. Louis to central Michigan. As the low moved across northern Illinois and southern Lake Michigan, a band of heavy snow fell from southwest to east-central Wisconsin. Strong northwest winds developed as the low reached Michigan.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 21 to 22, 200965 kt wind · 4 eventsA 1047 mb high across northern Alaska on the morning of the 21st gradually shifted east into northern Canada by the morning of the 22nd. A 968 mb low tracked north along the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Michigan, February 21 to 23, 20094 eventsA low pressure trough over Lake Superior aided in the generation of heavy lake effect snow from late on the 21st into the morning of the 23rd. The heaviest snow occurred at Eben Junction in Alger where storm snow totals measured more than 30 inches.
• Winter Weather in Kentucky, February 21 to 22, 200923 eventsA fast moving cold front, combined with colder air flowing over the higher terrain of Eastern Kentucky, resulted in a few inches of snow falling throughout the area on February 21st and 22nd.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 21 to 22, 20091 eventLocally heavy lake effect snow affected portions of northwest Wisconsin. The heaviest snow fell overnight. The greatest snowfall was in Iron County where totals ranged from 6 to 16 inches. Montreal reported 9 inches and Upson received 8 inches.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, February 21 to 22, 20092 eventsVery cold air dove southeast over Lake Michigan Waters, resulting in a period of heavy lake-effect snow during the morning hours of February 22nd.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 22 to 23, 20097 eventsA strong cold front passed during Saturday evening, the 21st. A brief period of rain occurred with the front. However, a quick change to snow occurred following the frontal passage as temperatures quickly dropped.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New York, February 22 to 23, 20099 eventsA strengthening low pressure system tracked northeast into the eastern Great Lakes by Sunday morning February 22nd, and into the Canadian Maritimes by Monday morning February 23rd.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, February 22 to 23, 20092 eventsCold moist air behind a cold front triggered upslope snow showers for locations along and west of the Allegheny front across eastern West Virginia. The snow began on the morning of the 22nd and lasted into the afternoon hours of the 23rd.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, February 22 to 23, 20091 eventCold moist air behind a cold front triggered upslope snow showers for locations along and west of the Allegheny front across western Maryland. The snow began during the morning of the 22nd and lasted into the afternoon of the 23rd.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 22, 20098 eventsSnow showers developed during the pre-dawn hours across the western mountains and continued through the morning.
• Winter Storm in California, February 22 to 24, 20092 eventsA moderate winter storm moved through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 22 to 23, 20092 eventsA strengthening low pressure system tracked northeast into the eastern Great Lakes by Sunday morning February 22nd, and into the Canadian Maritimes by Monday morning February 23rd.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 22 to 23, 20091 eventA northwest flow of cold air, combined with an upper disturbance, brought accumulating snows to the higher elevations of western Greenbrier County on February 22nd and 23rd. As much as 10 inches of snow fell across elevations above 2500 feet.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, February 22 to 23, 2009$140,000 · 13 eventsA very vigorous upper level disturbance ejected from south central Canada toward the Mid-Atlantic coast on February 22nd, which resulted in the development of a coastal storm south of New England by the afternoon.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, February 22 to 23, 200910 eventsAn area of low pressure in the mid-Mississippi Valley on the morning of the 21st moved northeast through the Great Lakes by the morning of the 22nd.
• Winter Storm and Dense Fog in California, February 22 to 25, 20092 eventsHigh clouds streaming into interior central California on February 20th heralded the arrival of the next winter storm. This storm moved through the region on the 21st and 22nd, bringing more rain and mountain snow.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 22 to 23, 20092 eventsCold northwest flow moving across the Great Lakes brought heavy bands of snow to the higher elevations of Northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland. Total snow accumulations were from 8 to 12 inches across the region.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, February 22 to 23, 20091 eventCold northwest flow moving across the Great Lakes brought heavy bands of snow to the higher elevations of Northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland. Total snowfall was from 8 to 12 inches across the region.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Vermont, February 22 to 23, 20093 eventsA strengthening low pressure system tracked northeast into the eastern Great Lakes by Sunday morning February 22nd, and into the Canadian Maritimes by Monday morning February 23rd.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, February 22 to 23, 200917 eventsAn area of low pressure in the mid-Mississippi Valley on the morning of the 21st moved northeast through the Great Lakes by the morning of the 22nd.
• Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, February 22, 20091 eventA low pressure system moving over the Cape Cod Canal spread snow across northwestern Massachusetts and portions of southern New Hampshire. Most snowfall totals were in the three to five inch range. The east slopes of the Berkshire mountains in Franklin County received six inches.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, February 22 to 23, 200913 eventsRapidly intensifying low pressure tracking northeast across the Gulf of Maine brought heavy snow to most of northern and eastern Maine.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, February 22 to 23, 20094 eventsAs a low pressure system strengthened off the East Coast, a cold northwesterly flow of air brought lake effect snow southeast of Lake Ontario. Snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 9 inches.
• Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Alaska, February 24 to 26, 2009$491,000 · 93 kt wind · 8 eventsAn intense hurricane force storm moved across the Aleutians into the eastern Bering Sea February 24th and 25th. This storm produced hurricane force wind as it moved through the region.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 24 to 26, 20094 eventsA 984 mb low in the southern Bering Sea tracked to the Yukon Delta on the afternoon of the 25th.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 24 to 26, 20092 eventsA powerful winter storm brought heavy snow to the Cascades of northwest Oregon.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, February 25 to 26, 20092 eventsA frontal system with a very cold air mass moved into western Washington.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 25 to 26, 20099 eventsA surface low passed to the south over the central plains, but a strong upper level disturbance and upper jet combined to produce winter storm conditions along and south of U.S. Highway 10 in Minnesota.
• Winter Storm in North Dakota, February 25 to 26, 20095 eventsA surface low passed to the south over the central plains, but a strong upper level disturbance and upper jet combined to produce winter storm conditions along and south of Interstate 94 in North Dakota.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 25 to 26, 20098 eventsA strong cold front and upper level system moved through the Northern Plains, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to much of northwestern South Dakota.

The snowstorm of January 17 to 19, 2009The snowstorm of February 26 to March 3, 2009Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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