The snowstorm of January 10 to 13, 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

259

Deaths

7

Injuries

7

Damage

$1.5 million

Episodes

41

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 Texas, January 9, 20133 eventsA large cutoff low moved just south of the Big Bend region, then northeastward into West Central Texas. Moderate to heavy rainfall fell over much of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, with heavy snow falling in the Davis, Glass and Chinati Mountains.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Montana, January 9 to 11, 201328 eventsA low pressure system moving through the region brought heavy snow to the majority of Central Montana, starting in Northwest Montana and spreading south and east over time.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 9, 20132 deaths · 1 eventAn unusual freezing rain event occurred across portions of Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, and Armstrong counties on the morning of January 9th. Temperatures early morning on the 9th were in the teens, then warmed rapidly ahead of an approaching cold front into the mid and upper 30s.
• Blizzard in Alaska, January 9, 20131 eventA strong 980 mb low in the southern Bering Sea brought blizzard conditions to Wales on the 9th, as indicated by the AWOS.
• Winter Storm in Idaho, January 10 to 11, 2013$2,000 · 11 eventsA powerful Pacific storm with a strong cold frontal passage caused 9 inches to as much as 44 inches in the southeast Idaho mountains with 3 to as much as 8 inches of snow in the Snake River Plain and valleys.
• Winter Storm in Utah, January 10 to 12, 20137 injured · $1,000 · 12 eventsA cold and powerful storm system moved into Utah beginning on the 10th of January. The heaviest snow in many locations fell on the 11th, before snow showers tapered off on the 12th.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in California, January 10 to 11, 201352 kt wind · 4 eventsA cold January storm rolled across the area, bringing some heavy snow and gusty winds to the area. In the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, strong and gusty northerly winds were reported.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, January 10 to 13, 20137 eventsAn area of light to moderate rain moving north through Wisconsin produced light freezing rain across portions of west and central Upper Michigan late evening on the 10th into the early morning of the 11th.
• Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 10 to 11, 20135 eventsAn ice storm affected parts of central and north central Minnesota Thursday (1/10) evening into midday Friday (1/11). Freezing rain and sleet began to move into the forecast area mid Thursday evening and spread over the entire forecast area by midnight.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 11 to 12, 20132 eventsAn upper level storm system tracked southeast from east central Wyoming through the western Nebraska Panhandle.
• Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 11, 20136 eventsAhead of an area of surface low pressure off to the west and southwest, temperatures on the morning of the 11th were right around 32F with dew points also around 32F. Portions of Minnesota from Wadena to Bemidji were socked in with fog and freezing rain.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, January 11 to 12, 201315 eventsA strong winter storm moved across the Central Plains, bringing snow and gusty winds to much of western South Dakota. The heaviest snow fell across southwestern South Dakota, where five to ten inches of snow was reported.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, January 11, 20132 eventsA strong winter storm moved across the Central Plains, bringing snow and gusty winds to much of northeastern Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell across the Wyoming Black Hills, where nine inches of snow was reported.
• Blizzard in Alaska, January 11, 20131 eventA 984 mb low moved north over the eastern Bering Sea on the 11th and gradually weakened by early on the 12th north of the Bering Strait. This system brought blizzard conditions to Wales, and near-blizzard conditions to Gambell, Savoonga, and Teller.
• Blizzard in North Dakota, January 11 to 12, 201311 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from the central plains on the morning of the 11th to the Minnesota arrowhead by the morning of the 12th. This system brought 3 to 8 inches of snow to the region.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, January 11, 20134 deaths · $1.0 million · 1 eventJanuary 11, 2013 a powerful upper level low pressure system moved through the Plains and brought winter weather conditions to western and north central Nebraska. Snow and blowing snow was forecasted for the eastern Panhandle and the western Sandhills of Nebraska.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in North Dakota, January 11 to 12, 201314 eventsA strong winter storm brought a wide variety of severe winter weather to the Northern Plains region the 11th and 12th. The first wave of winter weather arrived during the morning hours of the 11th in the form of light freezing rain.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 11 to 12, 201311 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from the central plains on the morning of the 11th to the Minnesota arrowhead by the morning of the 12th. This system brought 2 to 4 inches of snow and some light freezing rain to Norman and Clay counties.
• Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 11 to 12, 20136 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from the central plains on the morning of the 11th to the Minnesota arrowhead by the morning of the 12th. This system brought 2 to 4 inches of snow and some light freezing rain to the region.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 11 to 12, 20133 eventsSurface low pressure tracked from the central plains on the morning of the 11th to the Minnesota arrowhead by the morning of the 12th. This system brought 3 to 8 inches of snow to the region.
• Blizzard and Ice Storm in Alaska, January 11 to 14, 201312 eventsA low pressure center of 976 mb near the Pribilofs on the afternoon of the 12th moved north to the Bering Strait 0900AKST on the 14th weakening to 986 mb, then continued north to the central Chukchi sea through the morning of the 15th, weakening to 1002 mb.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, January 12, 20137 eventsAn upper level disturbance, produced some light snow across western Missouri, south of the Missouri River, on January 12, 2013. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 3 inches.
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 12 to 13, 20135 eventsA shortwave trough rotated around the base of a long wave trough positioned across the 4 corners region on the 12th. The forcing provided by this shortwave brought warm moist air over a cold airmass which had moved into the Panhandle during the early morning hours of the 12th.
• Winter Weather in Kansas, January 12, 20131 eventAn upper level disturbance, produced some light snow across eastern Kansas on January 12, 2013. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 3 inches in Linn County.
• Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Michigan, January 12 to 15, 20134 eventsArctic air flooding across Lake Superior in the wake of a cold front generated heavy lake effect snow showers across the Keweenaw Peninsula from the 12th into the morning of the 15th.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, January 13, 20133 eventsSleet and freezing rain caused some hazardous travel conditions. North of a line from Cape Girardeau to Marble Hill, about one-eighth inch of icing occurred, mainly on elevated objects. Some slick spots developed on roads, especially bridges and overpasses.
• Winter Weather in Illinois, January 13, 20131 death · 13 eventsSleet and freezing rain caused some hazardous travel conditions. North of a line from Anna to Vienna and Harrisburg, less than one-quarter inch of icing occurred, mainly on elevated objects. Some slick spots developed on roads, especially bridges and overpasses.
• Ice Storm in Mississippi, January 13 to 14, 2013$270,000 · 12 eventsA strong cold front brought a shallow and very chilly air mass southward into the ArkLaMiss the night of January 13th. The cold air undercut relatively mild air aloft, thus setting the stage for freezing rain over northwest portions of the ArkLaMiss on January 14th.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, January 13 to 14, 20132 eventsA deep pool of arctic air combined with a weak upper level low pressure system allowed widespread light to moderate snowfall to develop over northern and eastern New Mexico.
• Extreme Cold in Idaho, January 14, 20133 eventsDue to temperatures below 20 degrees below zero schools closed in Marsh Valley, Bear Lake, Idaho Falls, Bonneville, and West Jefferson on the 14th.
• Winter Weather in Louisiana, January 14, 20138 eventsA strong cold front moved through Northwest Louisiana during the evening hours of January 13th and the predawn hours of January 14th. Rain and a few storms accompanied the passage of this cold front.
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 14, 20137 eventsA strong cold front moved through Northeast Texas during the evening hours of January 13th and the predawn hours of January 14th. Rain and a few storms accompanied the passage of this cold front.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, January 14, 20134 eventsA strong cold front moved through the southern half of Arkansas during the evening hours of January 13th and through the overnight hours of January 14th. Rain and a few storms accompanied the passage of this cold front across the southern half of the state.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, January 14, 201311 eventsOn the 14th, a front had stalled to the southeast of Arkansas. As an area of low pressure traveled along the front, moisture was thrown back into the cold air over Arkansas.
• Winter Weather in Mississippi, January 14, 20139 eventsAn upper level disturbance tracked through Southern Mississippi during the morning of January 14th, 2013. Precipitation spread northward into North Mississippi as a result. Temperatures were near or just below freezing thus the precipitation fell in the form of freezing rain.
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, January 14, 2013$100,000 · 2 eventsA strong cold front brought a shallow and very chilly air mass southward into the ArkLaMiss the night of January 13th. The cold air undercut relatively mild air aloft, thus setting the stage for freezing rain over northwest portions of the ArkLaMiss on January 14th.
• Ice Storm in Louisiana, January 14, 2013$100,000 · 2 eventsA strong cold front brought a shallow and very chilly air mass southward into the ArkLaMiss the night of January 13th. The cold air undercut relatively mild air aloft, thus setting the stage for freezing rain over northwest portions of the ArkLaMiss on January 14th.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 14, 2013$44,000 · 6 eventsAs a plume of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico streamed into Middle Tennessee during the afternoon through evening hours on Monday, January 14th, with sub-freezing temperatures near the surface across the mid state, ice accumulations due to freezing rainfall occurred, resulting…
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 14, 20131 eventMuch colder air filtered into the region behind a strong cold front. This shallow cold air mass, combined with over-running precipitation across the area, resulted in periods of freezing rain across portions of southern middle Tennessee.
• Winter Weather in West Virginia, January 14 to 15, 20132 eventsA cold front stalled to the south of the Mid Atlantic region and waves of low pressure moved along it. Northerly flow caused temperatures to get below freezing in the higher elevations west of the Allegheny Front.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, January 14 to 15, 20131 eventA cold front stalled to the south of the Mid Atlantic region and waves of low pressure moved along it. Northerly flow caused temperatures to get below freezing in the higher elevations west of the Allegheny Front.

The snowstorm of December 28 to 31, 2012The snowstorm of January 15 to 16, 2013Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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