The snowstorm of January 15 to 20, 1996

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

797

Deaths

7

Injuries

6

Damage

$1.6 million

Episodes

66

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 Oregon, January 15 to 16, 19961 eventA moist Pacific storm system continued to feed moisture into the Cascade Mountains, resulting in heavy snow. 11 inches of snow fell at Mt. Hood Meadows and Bennett Pass. 16 inches of snow fell at Lake of the Woods.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 16, 19961 eventMoisture from a Pacific storm system pushed into South Central Oregon producing Areas of heavy snow. 13 inches to 15 inches of snow fell in the Chiloquin area with 10 inches at Rocky Point and 9 inches at Lorella.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 16, 19969 eventsFreezing rain quickly coated roads, bridges, overpasses, and sidewalks over parts of Southeast and Southcentral Wisconsin. Ice accumulations were about 1/8 inch, however, the glazing resulted in about 300 vehicle accidents.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 16, 199622 eventsFreezing drizzle fell across most of central and northeast Wisconsin, resulting in ice-covered roads. Numerous accidents were reported, including one with a fatality on State Highway 96 in Outagamie county.
• Ice Storm in Oregon, January 16, 1996 to January 18, 19973 eventsCold air funneling through the Columbia River Gorge with overrunning moisture created freezing rain with heavy accumulations of glaze ice in the Gorge, Northern Cascades and extreme eastern Portland metropolitan area.
• Ice Storm in Washington, January 16 to 17, 19961 eventFreezing rain caused significant accumulations of ice in the Columbia Gorge. Scattered power outages and numerous minor traffic accidents were reported.
• Blizzard in Wyoming, January 16 to 18, 19965 eventsWinds to 55 Mph and snow created blizzard conditions over Northeast Wyoming. Temperatures fell to 20 to 30 below zero which dropped wind chill temperatures to 70 below zero.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, January 16 to 17, 19961 eventHeavy snow fell across portions of eastern Montana. Vida reported 5 inches.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, January 16 to 18, 19968 eventsStrong winds, snow and cold temperatures combined to produce blizzard conditions. During that time, winds gusted to as high as 55 MPH, creating wind chill temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17, 199621 eventsWinds of 35 to 45 Mph combined with 3 to 6 inches of snow produced blizzard conditions over Western South Dakota. Up to 12 inches of snow and 3 to 6 foot drifts were reported in the Faith and Martin areas.
• Blizzard in North Dakota, January 17 to 18, 199653 eventsA strong low pressure center located over the central plains combined with strong arctic high pressure moving south out of Canada to bring blizzard conditions to North Dakota.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 19961 death · $230,000 · 17 eventsA major winter storm with sustained winds of 40 mph and gusts to 65 mph dropped 5 to 6 inches of snow over Sheridan, Cherry, Grant, Thomas and Custer counties of North Central Ne. Three inches to trace amounts fell over Southwest and West Central Ne.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 19961 death · 23 eventsA major winter storm brought blizzard conditions with significant snowfall to western and central Minnesota. Snowfall reached a foot or more in Little Falls, Melrose, Alexandria and Staples with 6 to 11 inches in St. Cloud, Benson and Canby.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 19961 death · 1 injured · $490,000 · 31 eventsA blizzard spread across the area from the west. Snow accumulating 3 to 12 inches was accompanied by 50 to 60 mph winds and very cold temperatures. The blizzard was accompanied by wind chill readings around 70 below zero.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 199616 eventsTwo to ten inches of snow, high winds from 40 to 60 mph, and cold arctic air resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills from 40 below to 70 below for central and northcentral South Dakota from the middle morning of the 17th to the early morning of the 18th.
• Ice Storm in Iowa, January 17, 1996$25,000 · 4 eventsAn arctic cold front sagged slowly south into Iowa during the day on the 17th. Since this front moved south ahead of a major developing storm system, the intrusion of Arctic air was very shallow. Temperatures dropped into the upper teens and 20s in the wake of the front.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 199624 eventsA very strong winter storm brought blizzard conditions to South-Central Nebraska. Only 4 or less inches of snow fell across the region but this snow was driven by 60 to 90 mph winds. Temperatures fell over 30 degrees at the beginning of the event to readings near zero.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 19966 eventsSix to twelve inches of snow, high winds from 40 to 60 mph, and cold arctic air resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills from 40 below to 70 below from the early afternoon of the 17th to the late afternoon of the 18th.
• Winter Storm in Colorado, January 17, 19964 eventsVery strong winds behind an arctic cold front blasted across the Northeast Plains. High winds gusting at an estimated 93 mph (81 kts) whipped across Morgan County. Some highway and road signs were blown down along with several trees.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, January 17, 19963 eventsHigh winds caused damage across southern and central New Mexico and combined with snow to produce near blizzard conditions over the northeastern plains.
• Blizzard in North Dakota, January 17 to 18, 199613 eventsA strong low pressure system located over the Central Plains brought a combination of heavy snow, strong wind, and subzero temperatures to eastern North Dakota.
• Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 199612 eventsAn extended period of rain and freezing rain resulted in significant icing conditions over parts of east central and southern Minnesota. Over 1 inch of rain occurred over much of the area resulting in street flooding due to snow clogged sewers.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 199611 eventsSignificant rainfall of 1 inch across the area was followed by an abrupt change to colder weather. Temperatures dropped rapidly below freezing resulting in widespread icing and glaze.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 199614 eventsA strong low pressure system over the Central Plains brought a combination of heavy snow, strong wind, and subzero temperatures to northwest Minnesota. 16 inches of snow fell in Moorhead with most areas reporting 8 to 13 inches.
• Blizzard in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 1996$10,000 · 9 eventsDeep low pressure moving east across Kansas combined with Arctic high pressure diving southeast to produce blizzard conditions over North Central Nebraska. While most areas received 3 to 5 inches of new snow, parts of Brown County reported 6 to 8 inches.
• Blizzard in Kansas, January 17 to 18, 19966 eventsA very strong winter storm brought blizzard conditions to parts of North-Central Kansas. Only 4 or less inches of snow fell across the region but this snow was driven by 50 to 70 mph winds. Temperatures fell nearly 30 degrees at the beginning of the event to readings near zero.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 19962 eventsTwelve to 15 inches of snow, high winds from 40 to 60 mph, and cold arctic air resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills from 40 below to 70 below from the middle afternoon of the 17th to the early evening of the 18th.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996$90,000 · 8 eventsA blizzard moved over the area from the northwest with snow and winds up to 45 mph. New snowfall was generally 2 to 4 inches, but schools, businesses, and other activities were brought to a halt and travel was impossible at times with zero visibility and blocked roads.
• Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996$350,000 · 3 eventsFreezing rain caused severe icing which resulted in damage to trees and power lines. The damage was increased by strong winds which developed as the freezing rain changed to snow.
• Ice Storm in Iowa, January 17 to 18, 1996$230,000 · 6 eventsFreezing rain caused severe icing of roads and damage to trees and power lines. Indirect damage occurred because of power failures, including broken pipes. Strong winds following the freezing rain added to the damage.
• Cold in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 19962 injured · 1 eventIn two separate incidents, two men suffered from frostbite after their cars stalled. An 80 year old man from Battlecreek was traveling home when rain changed to snow and froze his accelerator pedal.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, January 17 to 19, 199613 eventsAn intense winter storm moved across the central plains, toward the Great Lakes, producing a variety of severe winter weather over northeast Minnesota and creating what many considered to be the worst storm since the Halloween Blizzard of 1991.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 17 to 19, 19967 eventsAn intense winter storm moved across the central plains, toward the Great Lakes, producing a variety of severe winter weather over Northwest Wisconsin. Warm air moved into the region ahead of the storm, causing precipitation initially in the form of freezing rain.
• Cold in Nebraska, January 17 to 19, 199630 eventsA blast of Arctic air invaded eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of the 17th. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around freezing.
• Winter Storm in Texas, January 17 to 18, 199617 eventsNear blizzard conditions closed down most of the north and central Texas panhandle. Interstate 40 was closed from Amarillo to the New Mexico state line.
• Cold in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 19968 eventsA blast of Arctic air invaded southwest Iowa during the evening of the 17th. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around freezing.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, January 17 to 18, 19963 eventsNear Blizzard conditions closed down the Oklahoma panhandle. All roads out of Guymon were closed by 10PM CST.
• Ice Storm in Washington, January 17 to 16, 19971 eventFreezing rain in the Columbia River Gorge resulted in significant ice accumulation. Scattered power outages and numerous minor traffic accidents were reported.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, January 17 to 18, 199623 eventsThe worst winter storm in years blasted across northcentral and northeast Kansas beginning Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday night. A powerful cold front led the charge producing scattered thunderstorms that quickly changed to sleet, freezing rain then snow.
• Ice Storm in Wisconsin, January 17 to 18, 19969 eventsFreezing rain resulted in ice accumulations ranging from one quarter inch in Eau Claire to 3 inches in the Ladysmith and Rice Lake areas. Scattered power outages resulted.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, January 18 to 20, 199613 eventsA complex synoptic situation lead to a wide variety of precipitation across Upper Michigan. Low pressure moved north into Northern Wisconsin during the morning of the 18th.
• Cold in Oklahoma, January 18 to 20, 19962 deaths · 50 eventsA strong arctic air mass settled in across Oklahoma early in the morning of the 18th, and remained over the state through the 20th, resulting in two deaths. Low temperatures fell into the single digits and high temperatures rose only to around 20 degrees on the 19th.
• Cold in Iowa, January 18 to 19, 199657 events
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 18, 199621 eventsA powerful cold front steamed through the region around sunrise dropping temperatures 20 degrees in less than half an hour. Temperatures fell from the mid 50s into the teens within a few hours and into the single digits below zero that night.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, January 18, 199613 eventsA powerful cold front steamed through the region around sunrise dropping temperatures 20 degrees in less than half an hour. Temperatures fell from the mid 50s into the teens within a few hours and the single digits below zero that night.
• Cold in Wisconsin, January 18, 19961 death · 1 eventCold temperatures in the single digits resulted in a hypothermia death of an elderly Elkhorn man.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 18 to 19, 19969 eventsHeavy snowfall in combination with near blizzard conditions across the area. Strong winds continued to severely reduce the visibility through much of the 19th due to blowing snow.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 18 to 19, 19964 eventsMoisture from a Pacific system pushes into the Cascades and Eastern Oregon producing heavy snow. In the Cascades 14 inches fell at Santiam Pass,13 inches at Crater Lake, and 12 inches at Bennett Pass and Tombstone.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 18 to 19, 19969 eventsHeavy snow fell over parts of central and western Wisconsin with amounts ranging from 5 to 10 inches. Montana and Mondovi had 11 and 10 inches respecitively, with 6 inches in the La Crosse area. Blowing and drifting left drifts of 2 to 4 feet.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 18 to 19, 19962 eventsAn intense low pressure system brought a heavy mixture of precipitation to north central Wisconsin. One to two inches of sleet fell during the early stages of the storm, followed by around six inches of snow.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 18 to 19, 19968 eventsA mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow fell across parts of central and northeast Wisconsin, with total accumulations of 2 to 4 inches reported. Ice-covered roads and winds gusting to 30 to 40 mph made travel hazardous.
• Blizzard in Iowa, January 18, 19961 death · 58 events
• Winter Storm in Illinois, January 18 to 19, 19962 injured · 35 eventsA major winter storm moved through Central Illinois January 18th and 19th. Severe thunderstorms moved through the area during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Afterward, temperatures began to drop quickly.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 18, 19963 eventsMoist Pacific air overran cold air trapped in the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Gorge producing heavy snow. In the Willamette Valley, 3 inches fell at Dallas, with 2 inches at Portland and Beaverton.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 18, 1996$40,000 · 8 eventsA major winter storm system moved through the central U.S. duing the night of the 17th and into the day on the 18th. Actually, there were two storm centers which affected Iowa.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 18 to 19, 19962 eventsMoisture from this same Pacific storm moved into extreme eastern Oregon late in the morning and continues until early on the 19th.Heavy snow accumulations include 8 inches at Tollgate, 7 inches at Canyon Mountain, and 6 inches at Auston and Tipton with 7 inches at Alkali Lake.
• Cold in Minnesota, January 18 to 19, 199642 eventsMore than 475 schools including those in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area were closed due to extreme cold and wind chill which lingered from the 18th when very cold air overspread the region. Wind chills were frequently 50 below zero or colder.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, January 18, 19961 eventUp to 3 inches of snow fell around the Tri Cities. There were dozens of accidents and I-82 was closed for 3 hours around 8 pm.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 18 to 19, 19961 eventMoisture flowing in from the Pacific overran cold air trapped in the Columbia Gorge. This produced heavy snow in the east end of the gorge. 18 inches of snow fell at Hood River and Parkdale.
• Cold in Nebraska, January 19, 1996$100,000 · 1 eventPipes froze and burst damaging four floors in an office building in Lincoln's Haymarket District.
• Cold in Alaska, January 20, 1996$6,000 · 1 eventVery cold temperatures and a lack of snow began to cause problems in subground plumbing. One example of this damage surfaced in south Anchorage, when an auxiliary pipe burst and sent water gushing knee-deep into some areas.
• Heavy Snow in New York, January 19, 1996$5,000 · 1 eventA cold westerly flow across Lake Ontario set up following the passage of a strong cold front. Rain turned to sleet and snow then a lake effect snow squall developed. Six inches of snow fell in Highmarket.
• Heavy Snow in New York, January 20, 1996$5,000 · 1 eventA cold westerly flow across Lake Ontario set up following the passage of a strong cold front. Rain turned to sleet and snow then a lake effect squall developed. Six inches of snow fell in Adams.
• Heavy Snow in New York, January 20, 1996$10,000 · 1 eventA cold westerly flow across Lake Ontario set up following the passage of a strong cold front. Rain turned to sleet and snow then a lake effect squall developed. Ten inches of snow fell in Redfield.
• Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 20 to 21, 19965 eventsA very moist Pacific storm spread major accumulations of snow to the Cascades, the mountains of eastern Oregon and the high plateau of central Oregon. 28 inches fell at Willamette Pass, 22 inches at Santiam Pass, 21 inches at Government Camp, and 12 inches at Crater Lake.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, January 20, 19961 injured · 1 eventHeavy snow fell in northeast Washington. 3 to 5 inches fell around the Spokane area bringing the total on the ground to 6 to 11 inches. Over 100 accidents and 1000 power outages were reported.

The Blizzard of 1996The snowstorm of February 1 to 4, 1996Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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