The snowstorm of February 24 to 28, 2013

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

514

Deaths

4

Injuries

18

Damage

$15 million

Episodes

79

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.

• Blizzard in Alaska, February 22 to 23, 20131 eventA 961 mb low near the Western Aleutian Islands the morning of February 22 moved to just south of the Pribilof Islands that night and then slowly weakened as it continued to move eastward.
• Winter Weather in Texas, February 22 to 23, 20131 eventAn upper level trough of low pressure over southern Colorado and northern New Mexico moved eastward across the northern Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 22nd to cause light snow showers across Dallam County.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 22 to 23, 20136 eventsA powerful winter storm pulled through a cold front and heavy snow and strong winds caused blizzard conditions at times throughout southeast Idaho. Some roads were closed in the Upper Snake and Caribou Highlands.
• Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 22 to 23, 20131 eventA strong 1045 mb high pressure center over the Arctic Ocean produced moderate winds along the North Slope.
• Winter Storm in Utah, February 23 to 24, 201316 injured · 8 eventsA strong cold front entered Utah on the morning of February 23, producing gusty winds and heavy snow, primarily across the northern half of the state. Snow showers continued through the night and into the morning of the 24th, especially east and south of the Great Salt Lake.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, February 23 to 27, 20135 eventsA low pressure system tracking through the Lower Great Lakes dropped moderate snow over much of the east half of Upper Michigan on the 27th.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 23, 20132 eventsStrong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean and low pressure in the Bering Strait produced blizzard conditions at a few locations along the Arctic Coast during the 23rd. At Wainwright in zone 201, the visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 23, 20132 eventsThe combination of a low pressure system that moved off the North Carolina coast and an occluded front that moved through Pennsylvania overnight produced pockets of freezing rain over the higher terrain of the Poconos during the afternoon and early evening on the 23rd.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 23 to 24, 20131 eventThe combination of a low pressure system that moved off the North Carolina coast and an occluded front that moved through New Jersey overnight produced pockets of freezing rain over the higher terrain of Sussex County during the afternoon and evening on the 23rd.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, February 23 to 25, 20136 eventsAn area of low pressure moving east from the Great Lakes and another low moving northeast along the East Coast brought heavy snow to most of central and eastern New Hampshire. Snowfall amounts ranged up to 6 to 14 inches across most of the area.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, February 23 to 25, 201316 eventsAn area of low pressure moving east from the Great Lakes and another low moving northeast along the East Coast brought heavy snow to most of Western Maine. Snowfall amounts ranged up to 6 to 14 inches across most of the area.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 23 to 25, 20138 eventsA coastal low moved southeast of southern New England. As this occurred, an inverted trough set up, bringing snow to much of the area. Snow amounts were low (under 3 inches) for much of the area. However, the higher elevations ended up with 6+ inches of snow.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Hampshire, February 23 to 25, 20133 eventsA coastal low moved southeast of southern New England. As this occurred, an inverted trough set up, bringing snow to much of the area. Snow amounts were low (under 3 inches) for much of the area. However, the higher elevations ended up with 6+ inches of snow.
• Winter Weather in Montana, February 23, 20131 death · 1 eventA Cody, Wyoming man lost his life in a fatal wreck on U. S. Highway 310 in Carbon County. Montana Highway Patrol reported the 51-year-old man was driving a pickup northbound in snowy conditions. His truck fish-tailed into the other lane, hitting a semi trailer coming southbound.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Colorado, February 24, 20137 eventsA storm system near the Four Corners region produced heavy upslope snowfall in and near the Front Range with blizzard conditions further east as it made its way across southern Colorado.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, February 24 to 25, 20131 death · 13 eventsA slow moving upper level storm system sliding southeast out of the Great Basin interacted with a potent back door cold front sliding south down the Front Range to produce widespread heavy snowfall, strong to damaging winds, and blizzard to near blizzard conditions for much of…
• Blizzard in Texas, February 24 to 25, 2013$13 million · 20 eventsBetween the evening hours of February 24 and the afternoon hours of February 25th, widespread snowfall totals of 5 to 13 inches with a maximum of 19 inches of snow were reported across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle.
• Blizzard and Hail in Texas, February 24 to 25, 20132 injured · 1.25 in hail · 23 eventsA powerful upper level storm system brought a wide variety of hazardous weather conditions to the South Plains and Rolling Plains of Wext Texas from the evening of the 24th through the daytime on the 25th.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, February 24 to 25, 20131 eventA Pacific frontal system brought heavy snow to the Mt Baker area of the North Cascades.
• Blizzard in Oklahoma, February 24 to 25, 2013$1.3 million · 2 eventsBetween the evening hours of February 24 and the afternoon hours of February 25th, widespread snowfall totals of 1 to 15 inches of snow were reported across the Oklahoma Panhandle. This snowfall crippled the Panhandle in ways not seen since the 1957 and 1934 blizzards.
• Winter Weather in Oklahoma, February 24 to 25, 20131 eventBetween the evening hours of February 24 and the afternoon hours of February 25th, widespread snowfall totals of 1 to 15 inches of snow were reported across the Oklahoma Panhandle. This snowfall crippled the Panhandle in ways not seen since the 1957 and 1934 blizzards.
• Blizzard in Kansas, February 25 to 26, 201311 eventsOnly 5 days after a big winter storm hit Southwest Kansas with up to 21 inches of snow, another very strong winter storm tracked across parts of our forecast area.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 25, 20131 eventA strengthening low passed south of the Alaska Peninsula on February 25th as it made its way to the Gulf of Alaska. This low was analyzed between 974 and 978 mb at this time and the Alaska Peninsula was in the cold sector of the storm.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Oklahoma, February 25 to 26, 20131 death · $220,000 · 31 eventsA strong winter storm system moved from west Texas into southern Oklahoma overnight on the 24th and lasted through the morning hours of the 26th. Very heavy snowfall occurred to the north and west of the upper low, mainly over parts of northwest Oklahoma.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Kansas, February 25 to 26, 201326 eventsA combination of high winds and high snow fall amounts caused treacherous conditions across much of South Central and portions of Central and Southeast Kansas.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, February 25, 20132 eventsA strong winter storm system moved from west Texas into southern Oklahoma overnight on the 24th and lasted through the morning hours of the 26th. Very heavy snowfall occurred to the north and west of the upper low, blanketing portions of north Texas in considerable snowfall.
• Cold in Illinois, February 25, 20131 death · 1 eventTemperatures around 20 contributed to the death of 56-year-old man.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, February 25 to 27, 201326 eventsA major winter storm swept through the Plains, February 25th through the 27th, resulting in the second round of heavy snows, that the region had experienced in under a week.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, February 25 to 26, 20132 eventsA winter storm brought moderate to heavy snowfall to portions of southeastern Kansas and central Missouri. Total snowfall generally ranged from four to eight inches.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, February 25 to 27, 20135 eventsA major winter storm swept through the Plains, February 25th through the 27th, resulting in the second round of heavy snows, that the region had experienced in under a week. Temperatures near freezing led to a heavy wet snow that was slow to accumulate at the onset of the event.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, February 25 to 26, 201310 eventsA winter storm brought moderate to heavy snowfall to portions of southeastern Kansas and central Missouri. Total snowfall generally ranged from four to eight inches with locally higher totals of nine to eleven inches in central Missouri.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, February 25 to 26, 20138 eventsA slow moving storm system tracked across north Texas into Arkansas. Northeast Kansas was on the far northwest fringe of the storm system.
• Heavy Snow in Missouri, February 25 to 26, 20138 eventsThunder snow hits parts of Central and Northeast Missouri stating late night on 2/25 and continuing during the early morning of 2/26. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 - 7 inches in Central MO to 8 - 9 inches in Northeast MO.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, February 25 to 26, 20133 eventsA strong storm system moved from the southern Rockies into the Southern Plains on the 25th and 26th. Rain began across the area during the early morning hours of the 25th and changed to snow from west to east across northeastern Oklahoma during the evening.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 26, 20137 eventsFreezing rain developed across the Blue Ridge areas around midnight. While many areas transitioned to rain during the overnight, cold air locked in along the eastern escarpment resulted in a mostly freezing rain event there.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 26, 20135 eventsRain and freezing rain began across the southern mountains shortly after midnight and continued through the pre-dawn hours. Many locations saw mainly rain. However, cold air locked in near the escarpment resulted in an all-freezing rain event there.
• Heavy Snow in Illinois, February 26, 20133 eventsLow pressure tracking from Oklahoma into the Ohio River Valley brought heavy snow to west-central Illinois during the morning and early afternoon of February 26th.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 26, 20137 eventsLight freezing rain developed during the early morning hours across the northern foothills and northwest Piedmont and continued into the mid-morning hours before temperatures warmed above freezing.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 26 to 27, 2013$130,000 · 26 eventsA strong low pressure system, both surface and aloft, moved out of the southwest U.S. through the central states into the northeast U.S. during the 25th through 27th of February. The surface low moved out of Oklahoma into Missouri on the morning of the 26th.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, February 26 to 27, 20132 eventsA large and slow moving intense low pressure system tracked out of the southern Plains and into southern Illinois and then to Lake Erie on February 26-27, 2013. In the meantime, an upper level low pushed across western Illinois and into the western Great Lakes region.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 26, 20134 eventsAs low pressure progressed through the Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley it brought relatively mild moisture into the central Appalachians. Cold high pressure was in place at the surface along and east of the Appalachians when the moisture arrived.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, February 26 to 27, 201313 eventsA large and slow moving intense low pressure system tracked out of the southern Plains and into southern Illinois and then to Lake Erie on February 26-27, 2013. In the meantime, an upper level low pushed across western Illinois and into the western Great Lakes region.
• Ice Storm in Virginia, February 26, 20134 eventsAs low pressure progressed through the Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley it brought relatively mild moisture into the central Appalachians. Cold high pressure was in place at the surface along and east of the Appalachians when the moisture arrived.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, February 26 to 27, 201321 eventsA large and slow moving intense low pressure system tracked out of the southern Plains and into southern Illinois and then to Lake Erie on February 26-27, 2013. In the meantime, an upper level low pushed across western Illinois and into the western Great Lakes region.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, February 26, 201319 eventsA strong low pressure system lifting northeast through the Midwest and Great Lakes brought a period of moderate freezing rain to northern Indiana on February 26th. Ice accretions near a tenth of an inch were common.
• Ice Storm and Strong Wind in West Virginia, February 26, 2013$15,000 · 3 eventsWith low pressure in the lower Ohio Valley and high pressure off the New England coast, a strong southeast wind flow developed during the day on the 26th. Wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph were common over the high terrain in the mountainous counties.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 26, 20131 eventA complex area of low pressure produced significant ice accumulation over the western ridges in Somerset County. The freezing rain transitioned to a wintry mix of snow and sleet during the evening and overnight period with a minor accumulation by the morning of the 27th.
• Winter Weather in Ohio, February 26, 20138 eventsA strong low pressure system lifting northeast through the Midwest and Great Lakes brought a period of moderate freezing rain to northwest Ohio on February 26th. Ice accretions near a tenth of an inch were common.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, February 26, 201315 eventsA secondary low pressure system formed over the Carolinas as the primary system moved northward and was located across the Central Plains/Ohio Valley. High pressure over New England and northerly winds brought below freezing temperatures across the Potomac Highlands.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 26, 20138 eventsA secondary low pressure system formed over the Carolinas as the primary system moved northward and was located across the Central Plains/Ohio Valley. High pressure over New England and northerly winds brought below freezing temperatures across the Potomac Highlands.
• Ice Storm in West Virginia, February 26, 20132 eventsA deepening low pressure system that developed over the Ohio Valley and moved northeastward brought mixed precipitation areas along the mountains in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Ice Storm in Maryland, February 26, 20131 eventA deepening low pressure system that developed over the Ohio Valley and moved northeastward brought mixed precipitation areas along the mountains in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, February 26, 20132 eventsA secondary low pressure system formed over the Carolinas as the primary system moved northward and was located across the Central Plains/Ohio Valley. High pressure over New England and northerly winds brought below freezing temperatures across the Potomac Highlands.
• Heavy Snow in Illinois, February 26 to 27, 20135 eventsA snow storm dropped heavy snow across portions of northeastern Illinois. Areas generally saw 6 to 10 inches of snow, however a few sites in Lake County reported around a foot of snow.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 26 to 27, 201310 eventsA winter storm affected parts of South-central and Southeast Wisconsin with steady moderate to heavy snow.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, February 26 to 27, 20135 eventsA strong low pressure system lifting northeast through the Midwest and Great Lakes brought a period of heavy snow and freezing rain to southern Michigan. Snow totals near 6 inches and ice accretions near a tenth of an inch were common.
• Blizzard and Winter Weather in Colorado, February 26, 20134 eventsAnother storm system moving through the region produced heavy snow in the Front Range Foothills.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, February 26 to 27, 20131 eventA strong low pressure system originating near Texas tracked northeast into the Ohio Valley. As the low lifted north, a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow commenced Tuesday afternoon. A changeover to snow began between 4-7 PM for most areas.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, February 26 to 27, 201310 eventsYet another winter weather event affected parts of South-Central and Southeast Wisconsin inland away from Lake Michigan. Steady snow, at a moderate to at times heavy intensity, accumulated during the early evening of February 26th through the morning hours of February 27th.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 26 to 27, 20132 eventsA low pressure system that moved from Texas northeast across southern New Jersey brought a wintry mix of precipitation to the Poconos and affected the higher terrain plateau the most on the 26th into the 27th.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 26 to 27, 20131 eventA low pressure system that moved from Texas northeast and eventually across southern New Jersey brought a wintry mix of precipitation to northwest New Jersey and affected the higher terrain of Sussex County the most on the 26th into the 27th.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 26 to 27, 20131 eventHeavy snow fell in Manitowoc County, and winds gusted to over 40 mph near Lake Michigan, as a low pressure system moved across southern Illinois to near Detroit, MI. Lake enhancement contributed to the high snowfall totals.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in New York, February 26 to 28, 201350 kt wind · 8 eventsAn area of low pressure over the Ohio Valley approached the region during the late evening of Tuesday, February 26th. Snow, moderate to heavy at times in some areas, broke out over the region for the overnight hours.
• Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 27 to 28, 20131 eventAn area of low pressure over the Ohio Valley approached the region around midnight on Wednesday, February 27th. Snow, moderate to heavy at times, broke out across the Berkshires during the early morning hours.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Vermont, February 27 to 28, 20133 eventsAn area of low pressure over the Ohio Valley approached the region after midnight on Wednesday, February 27th. Snow, moderate to heavy at times, broke out across the southern Green Mountains during the early morning hours.
• Winter Storm in New York, February 27 to 28, 2013$10,000 · 2 eventsA dissipating low pressure system across the Great Lakes and strengthening low pressure around the Delmarva peninsula accounted for a general 3 to 8 inch snowfall across northern New York on February 27th.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, February 27 to 28, 2013$20,000 · 2 eventsA dissipating low pressure system across the Great Lakes and strengthening low pressure around the Delmarva peninsula accounted for a general 1 to 3 inches in the central and northern Valleys with 3 to 6 inch snowfall across higher terrain in central and northern Vermont and 6…
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, February 27 to 28, 20134 eventsAn area of low pressure moving northeast along the East Coast brought heavy snow to sections of Western Maine. The heaviest snow fell in Sullivan, Carroll, and southern Coos Counties where 6 to 10 inches of snow fell.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 27 to 28, 20132 eventsLow pressure tracking along the southern coast of New England brought snow to much of the interior of Massachusetts. Closer to the low (closer to the coasts) snow changed over to rain.
• Winter Weather in New Hampshire, February 27, 20131 eventLow pressure tracking along the southern coast of New England brought snow to much of the interior of Massachusetts and southwestern New Hampshire. Closer to the low (closer to the coasts) snow changed over to rain.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, February 27 to 28, 20136 eventsAn area of low pressure moving northeast along the East Coast brought heavy snow to sections of Western Maine. The heaviest snow fell in Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin Counties where 3 to 9 inches of snow fell.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 27 to 28, 20137 eventsSnow showers developed during the late evening of the 27th and continued off and on for several days.
• Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 28, 20132 eventsA large area of low pressure was centered off the New England coast. A disturbance with enough moisture produced snow showers with accumulating snow in the higher elevations.
• Blizzard in Alaska, February 28, 20131 eventStrong high pressure over Russia and low pressure over Alaska produced blizzard conditions on the western Arctic Coast on the 28th. At Point Lay, the visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less. There was a peak wind gust of 45kt (52 mph) at the Point Lay AWSS.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, February 28, 20134 eventsA slow moving frontal boundary across northern Maine helped focus deep Atlantic moisture and strong lift across the region. Snow developed through the late morning and early afternoon hours of the 28th.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 1 to 2, 20137 eventsSnow showers developed during the late evening of February 27th and continued off and on until the afternoon hours of March 2nd.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, March 1, 20134 eventsA slow moving frontal boundary across northern Maine helped focus deep Atlantic moisture and strong lift across the region. Snow developed through the late morning and early afternoon hours of February 28th.
• Winter Weather in Alabama, March 1 to 3, 20135 eventsA prolonged period of snow showers and snow flurries produced snow accumulations beginning during the afternoon of the 1st and ending the morning of the 3rd. Amounts ranged from a few tenths of an inch up to 1.5 inches.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, March 1 to 3, 20133 eventsA prolonged period of snow showers and flurries produced snow accumulations beginning during the afternoon on the 1st and ending the morning of the 3rd. Amounts ranged from a few tenths of an inch up to two inches on the Cumberland Plateau.

The snowstorm of February 19 to 24, 2013The snowstorm of March 3 to 9, 2013Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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