The snowstorm of January 20 to 22, 2014

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

891

Deaths

13

Injuries

16

Damage

$28,000

Episodes

97

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.

• Winter Weather in Michigan, January 18 to 21, 20142 eventsA northwest flow of Arctic air in the wake of a cold front generated moderate lake effect snow showers at times downwind of Lake Superior from the 18th into the 21st.
• Winter Storm in New York, January 19 to 20, 2014$20,000 · 2 eventsAn arctic front dropped south across the region. An area of enhanced snow along the front resulted in eight to ten inches of snow across the north country. Winds of 20 to 30 mph gusted to 50 mph at times. Snow and blowing snow caused whiteout conditions.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 20, 20145 eventsA low pressure system tracked east from the TN/KY border through NC on 21 January 2014, and then strengthened off the Mid-Atlantic coast dumping heavy snow across the southern tier of Central Pennsylvania.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Illinois, January 20 to 21, 20142 eventsA low pressure system brought light snow to northeast Illinois during the afternoon of January 20th, but by mid evening, a single-band of Lake effect snow developed, taking aim on far eastern Lake County and portions of Cook County.
• Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 20 to 21, 201413 eventsBrisk winds and temperatures in the teens below zero caused wind chill values to drop to 35 and 45 degrees below zero during the evening of Monday, January 20th, through the early morning of Tuesday, January 21st.
• Extreme Cold in Maine, January 20 to 21, 20143 eventsTemperatures of 10 below to 20 below zero combined with winds around 10 mph to produce dangerous wind chills across northwest Maine from the evening of the 20th into the morning of the 21st. Wind chills during this time ranged from 30 below to 40 below zero.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Ohio, January 20 to 21, 201429 eventsDuring the overnight of January 20th, arctic air moved through the Ohio Valley with a strengthening surface low crossing east through the Tennessee Valley.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 20 to 21, 201412 eventsDuring the overnight of January 20th, arctic air moved through the Ohio Valley with a strengthening surface low crossing east through the Tennessee Valley.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Indiana, January 20 to 21, 20146 eventsDuring the overnight of January 20th, arctic air moved through the Ohio Valley with a strengthening surface low crossing east through the Tennessee Valley.
• Heavy Snow in Indiana, January 20 to 21, 20144 eventsJanuary 18th featured 500mb troughing across the eastern portion of the United States, with ridging anchored along the west coast, a pattern in place since the first of the year.
• Cold in Illinois, January 21, 20141 death · 1 eventTemperatures dipped to 0 F at O'Hare Airport on January 21st. An unidentified man in his 60s was found dead with hypothermia and cold exposure contributing factors in his death.
• Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 21, 20143 eventsJanuary 18th featured 500mb troughing across the eastern portion of the United States, with ridging anchored along the west coast, a pattern in place since the first of the year.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 21, 20144 eventsLow pressure developed along an arctic boundary moving into northern West Virginia and strengthened as it moved to the Mid Atlantic coast.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 21, 20142 eventsLow pressure developed along an arctic boundary moving into northern West Virginia and strengthened as it moved to the Mid Atlantic coast.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, January 21, 20141 eventLow pressure developed along an arctic boundary moving into northern West Virginia and strengthened as it moved to the Mid Atlantic coast.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 21, 201421 eventsA potent low pressure that moved across the Tennessee Valley and eventually through the Mid-Atlantic region, brought several inches of snow to eastern Kentucky on January 21, 2014.
• Heavy Snow and Cold in Ohio, January 21 to 22, 201410 eventsAs colder air was filtering south, a strong mid level disturbance moved up the Ohio River. Only a weak low pressure system was reflected at the surface, which passed to the south. Snow developed in southwestern Ohio by 0000E on the 21st.
• Heavy Snow and Cold in Kentucky, January 21 to 22, 20148 eventsAs colder air was filtering south, a strong mid level disturbance moved up the Ohio River. Only a weak low pressure system was reflected at the surface, which passed to the south. Snow developed in southwestern Ohio by 0000E on the 21st.
• Heavy Snow and Cold in West Virginia, January 21 to 22, 20141 death · $8,000 · 29 eventsAs colder air was filtering south, a strong mid level disturbance moved up the Ohio River. Only a weak low pressure system was reflected at the surface, which passed to the south. Snow developed in the southwestern Ohio by 0000E on the 21st.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 21, 201424 eventsA shortwave trough moved into the region while low pressure developed south of the Mid Atlantic. Upper level dynamics led to moderate to heavy snow to move into the region.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 21 to 22, 201415 eventsA shortwave trough moved into the region while low pressure developed south of the Mid Atlantic. Upper level dynamics led to moderate to heavy snow to move into the region.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, January 21, 201411 eventsA shortwave trough moved into the region while low pressure developed south of the Mid Atlantic. Upper level dynamics led to moderate to heavy snow to move into the region.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 21 to 22, 20141 death · 7 eventsAn Alberta clipper cold front passed across the central Appalachian Mountains, supported aloft by a strong upper level trough.
• Cold in Wisconsin, January 21, 20141 death · 1 eventArctic air and 5 to 10 mph winds resulted in minimum wind chill temperatures around 20 below zero Fahrenheit for several hours during the morning. One death at least partially due to hypothermia occurred in Beaver Dam.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, January 21, 20144 eventsAn Alberta clipper cold front passed across the central Appalachian Mountains, supported aloft by a strong upper level trough.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Indiana, January 21, 20141 eventA single band of lake effect snow produced extremely heavy snowfall primarily over Lake County. Reports of snowfall in excess of 3 inches an hour came in, with numerous reports of 20 to 24 inches of snow coming in from around Griffith Indiana.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 21 to 22, 20141 death · 13 eventsHeavy snow fell across east central and southeast Pennsylvania on the 21st and caused scores of accidents and tremendous traffic tie-ups on the afternoon of the 21st as well as least one storm related death.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 21 to 22, 201421 eventsA winter storm dropped heavy snow across New Jersey and in particular along the Interstate 95 corridor northeast through Monmouth County from the morning of the 21st into the early morning on the 22nd.
• Heavy Snow in New York, January 21 to 22, 201415 eventsLow pressure moving from the central Appalachians the morning of the 21st intensified off the Mid Atlantic coast and brought heavy snow to most of southeast New York on the 21st and 22nd.
• Heavy Snow in New Jersey, January 21, 20148 eventsLow pressure moving from the central Appalachians the morning of the 21st intensified off the Mid Atlantic coast and brought heavy snow to most of northeast New Jersey.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Delaware, January 21 to 22, 201416 injured · 4 eventsA winter storm dropped heavy snow in central and northern Delaware and a wintry mix in Sussex County from the 21st into the morning of the 22nd. The winter storm affected New Castle County the hardest. Delaware Governor Jack Markell declared a limited state of emergency.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, January 21 to 22, 20145 eventsA winter storm dropped heavy snow across the Maryland Eastern Shore from the morning of the 21st into the morning of the 22nd. The winter storm affected Cecil County the hardest. Snowfall averaged 4 to round 10 inches with the highest amounts in Cecil County.
• Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 21 to 22, 20141 eventA shortwave trough moved into the region while low pressure developed south of the Mid Atlantic. Upper level dynamics led to moderate to heavy snow to move into the region.
• Heavy Snow in North Carolina, January 21 to 22, 20146 eventsWidespread snow showers developed along the Tennessee border along and immediately behind a cold front during the late morning and continued through the evening hours across the Tennessee border counties.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, January 21 to 22, 20148 eventsLow pressure moving from the central Appalachians the morning of the 21st intensified off the Mid Atlantic coast and brought heavy snow to southern Connecticut on the 21st and 22nd.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 21 to 22, 201444 eventsCoastal low pressure intensifying off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced a widespread two to five inches of snowfall from the Virginia Piedmont to the Virginia Eastern Shore.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 21 to 22, 20144 eventsWidespread snow showers developed along the Tennessee border along and immediately behind a cold front during the late morning and moved east to the interior mountains, where occasional snow fell off and on through the day.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 21 to 22, 201412 eventsA strong cold front brought 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation to the eastern half of Middle Tennessee.
• Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 21 to 23, 201410 eventsLow pressure tracked along an arctic front bringing heavy snow and strong winds to much of southern New England. A snow band set up along the east coast, through portions of eastern Plymouth and Norfolk counties. Snow fell at a rate of 1-3 inches per hour within this band.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, January 21 to 22, 20141 eventLow pressure tracked along an arctic front bringing heavy snow and strong winds to much of southern New England.
• Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, January 21 to 22, 20147 eventsLow pressure tracked along an arctic front bringing heavy snow and strong winds to much of southern New England.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 21 to 22, 20145 eventsCoastal low pressure intensifying off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced a widespread two to five inches of snowfall over the Maryland Eastern Shore.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 21 to 22, 20149 eventsCoastal low pressure intensifying off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced a widespread two to five inches of snowfall from the Virginia Piedmont to the Virginia Eastern Shore.
• Extreme Cold and Cold in New York, January 21 to 24, 201432 eventsAn arctic air mass settled over the region during much of the week between Tuesday, January 21st and Friday, January 24th. Very cold air in place allowed for daytime high temperatures only in the single digits and teens and readings frequently below zero at night.
• Cold in Vermont, January 21 to 24, 20143 eventsAn arctic air mass settled over the region during much of the week between Tuesday, January 21st and Friday, January 24th. Very cold air in place allowed for daytime high temperatures only in the single digits and teens and readings frequently below zero at night.
• Cold in Massachusetts, January 21 to 24, 20142 eventsAn arctic air mass settled over the region during much of the week between Tuesday, January 21st and Friday, January 24th. Very cold air in place allowed for daytime high temperatures only in the single digits and teens and readings frequently below zero at night.
• Cold in Connecticut, January 21 to 23, 20142 eventsAn arctic air mass settled over the region during much of the week between Tuesday, January 21st and Thursday, January 23rd. Very cold air in place allowed for daytime high temperatures only in the single digits and teens and readings frequently below zero at night.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 21 to 22, 201423 eventsIn the wake of arctic cold front moving east through the area, light snowfall developed|across central North Carolina on the evening of the 21st and continued into the morning hours of the 22nd as an amplifying shortwave trough moved into the region.
• Cold in Pennsylvania, January 21 to 22, 20144 eventsBehind the storm system that produced snowfall on the 21st, arctic high pressure moved across the region producing low temperatures the morning of the 22nd near or just below zero, with wind chills from 10 to 30 degrees below zero across western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio,…
• Extreme Cold and Cold in West Virginia, January 21 to 22, 20143 eventsBehind the storm system that produced snowfall on the 21st, arctic high pressure moved across the region producing low temperatures the morning of the 22nd near or just below zero, with wind chills from 10 to 30 degrees below zero across western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio,…
• Cold in Ohio, January 21 to 22, 20142 eventsBehind the storm system that produced snowfall on the 21st, arctic high pressure moved across the region producing low temperatures the morning of the 22nd near or just below zero, with wind chills from 10 to 30 degrees below zero across western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio,…
• Extreme Cold in Maryland, January 21 to 22, 20141 eventBehind the storm system that produced snowfall on the 21st, arctic high pressure moved across the region producing low temperatures the morning of the 22nd near or just below zero, with wind chills from 10 to 30 degrees below zero across western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio,…
• Extreme Cold in Maine, January 21 to 22, 20143 eventsTemperatures of 15 below to 25 below zero combined with winds around 10 mph to produce dangerous wind chills across northwest Maine from the overnight hours of the 21st into the morning of the 22nd. Wind chills during this time ranged from 35 below to 45 below zero.
• Extreme Cold and Cold in Pennsylvania, January 22, 20144 deaths · 13 eventsStrong northwest winds behind the departing strong low pressure system coupled with another arctic air mass dropped low temperatures on the morning of the 22nd around zero (well below zero in the Poconos) and produced wind chill factors as low as around 15 degrees below zero,…
• Cold in New Jersey, January 22, 201421 eventsStrong northwest winds behind the departing strong low pressure system coupled with another arctic air mass dropped low temperatures on the morning of the 22nd into the single numbers with some below zero lows in the northwest part of the state in New Jersey.
• Cold in Maryland, January 22, 20145 eventsStrong northwest winds behind the departing strong low pressure system coupled with another arctic air mass dropped low temperatures on the morning of the 22nd into the single numbers to around 10 degrees along the Eastern Shore and produced wind chill factors as low as around…
• Extreme Cold in Delaware, January 22, 20144 eventsStrong northwest winds behind the departing strong low pressure system coupled with another arctic air mass dropped low temperatures on the morning of the 22nd into the single numbers in Delaware and produced wind chill factors as low as 10 degrees to 20 degrees below zero.
• Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 22, 20148 eventsArctic high pressure moved into the region with a strong pressure gradient between the departing low pressure. Gusty northwest winds and cold temperatures resulted in wind chill values below -20.
• Extreme Cold in Maryland, January 22, 20142 eventsArctic high pressure moved into the region with a strong pressure gradient between the departing low pressure. Gusty northwest winds and cold temperatures resulted in wind chill values below -20.
• Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 22, 20142 eventsArctic high pressure moved into the region with a strong pressure gradient between the departing low pressure. Gusty northwest winds and cold temperatures resulted in wind chill values below -20.
• Blizzard in North Dakota, January 22, 201418 eventsAnother cold front swept through the region with strong north-northwest winds in its wake. Winds generally gusted from 35 to 45 mph with the worst conditions again in open country outside of sheltered areas. U. S.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 22, 201413 eventsAnother cold front swept through the region with strong north-northwest winds in its wake. Winds generally gusted from 35 to 45 mph with the worst conditions again in open country outside of sheltered areas. U. S.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, January 22, 20148 eventsA band of one to two inches of snowfall during the early morning hours combined with strong north winds of 25 to 35 mph gusting over 40 mph created widespread white out conditions across the higher terrain of northeast South Dakota.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 22, 20142 eventsA band of one to two inches of snowfall during the early morning hours combined with strong north winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts exceeding 40 mph created widespread white out conditions across west central Minnesota.
• Cold in Wisconsin, January 22, 20141 eventTwo cars of a 100-car grain train derailed in downtown Janesville. A railroad switch malfunctioned due to the cold temperatures.
• Blizzard and Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 22 to 23, 201410 eventsA clipper low pressure system moving through the Upper Great Lakes produced periods of moderate to heavy snow and considerable blowing snow from the evening of the 22nd into the 23rd.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, January 22, 201417 eventsA strong arctic front surged southward across the Upper Midwest early Wednesday morning January 22nd. Prior to this front, light snow fell across the Upper Midwest, setting the stage for blowing snow once stronger winds developed.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, January 22, 20141 death · 1 eventOne person died on January 22nd in a three-vehicle accident. The accident occurred in Dekalb County around 10:15 am. Light snow was falling at the time with roads snow covered and slick.
• Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 22 to 23, 201424 eventsWind chill readings dropped to 40 below to 50 below zero over eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota.
• Extreme Cold in North Dakota, January 22 to 23, 201418 eventsWind chill readings dropped to 40 below to 50 below zero over eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota.
• Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 22 to 23, 201442 eventsA strong arctic front surged southward across the Upper Midwest early Wednesday morning January 22nd. After blizzard conditions subsided during the afternoon, skies cleared and temperatures dropped into the teens below zero.
• Extreme Cold and Cold in Iowa, January 22 to 24, 201424 eventsA strong Arctic air mass flooded into eastern Iowa on January 22, 2014 in the wake of a powerful cold front.
• Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 22 to 23, 201415 eventsThe combination of wind and cold temperatures resulted in a period of widespread dangerously cold wind chills around -40 to -45 degrees across much of northeast Minnesota.
• Extreme Cold and Cold in Illinois, January 22 to 24, 201412 eventsA strong Arctic air mass flooded into northwest Illinois on January 22, 2014 in the wake of a powerful cold front.
• Cold in Nebraska, January 22 to 23, 201429 eventsArctic high pressure built down across the central plains on January 22nd and 23rd. The high brought northwest winds of winds of 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts to the region.
• Cold in Iowa, January 22 to 23, 20148 eventsArctic high pressure built down across the central plains on January 22nd and 23rd. The high brought northwest winds of winds of 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts to the region.
• Extreme Cold in North Dakota, January 22 to 23, 201428 eventsWind speeds of 10 to 20 miles per hour combined with subzero temperatures to produce wind chill temperatures as low as 45 below zero during the evening of the 22nd and early morning of the 23rd.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 22 to 23, 20143 eventsLake Effect Snow Bands dropped over a foot of snow and cause significant travel impacts in Ottawa, Allegan, Van Buren Counties.
• Cold in Illinois, January 23, 20141 death · 1 eventTemperatures fell to -5 F on January 23rd. A man was dead found in his home with hypothermia and cold exposure contributing factors to his death.
• Extreme Cold in South Dakota, January 23, 20147 eventsThe combination of low temperatures in the teens below zero and northwesterly winds of 10 to 15 mph produced bitter cold wind chills of 35 below to 40 degrees below zero during the early morning hours on the 23rd.
• Cold in Illinois, January 23, 201412 eventsWind chill values dropped to between minus 10 and minus 15 across parts of southern Illinois, mainly along and north of a line from Carbondale to Harrisburg and Shawneetown. The lowest wind chills occurred during the early morning hours.
• Cold in Indiana, January 23, 20146 eventsWind chill values dropped to between minus 10 and minus 15 across southwest Indiana. The lowest wind chills occurred during the early morning hours. At Evansville, the actual low temperature was 5 degrees above zero.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 23, 20143 eventsWind chill values dropped to between minus 10 and minus 15 across parts of northwest Kentucky, mainly the Henderson and Owensboro areas. The lowest wind chills occurred during the early morning hours. At Owensboro, the actual low temperature was 4 degrees above zero.
• Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 23, 20148 eventsTemperatures reaching double digits below zero and northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph combined to produce wind chill readings of 35 to 40 below zero in southwest Minnesota on the morning of January 23rd.
• Extreme Cold in South Dakota, January 23, 20143 eventsTemperatures reaching double digits below zero and northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph combined to produce wind chill readings of 35 to 40 below zero in east central South Dakota near the eastern border of the state and north of Interstate 90 on the morning of January 23rd.
• Extreme Cold in Iowa, January 23, 20142 eventsTemperatures reaching double digits below zero and northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph combined to produce wind chill readings of 35 to 40 below zero in part of northwest Iowa near the northern border of the state on the morning of January 23rd.
• Blizzard in Alaska, January 23 to 24, 20141 eventWith strong high pressure persisting over the Arctic Ocean, a trough over western Alaska intensified northward early on the 23rd causing winds to increase over the western Arctic Coast.
• Extreme Cold in Wisconsin, January 23, 20143 eventsA strong arctic front surged southward across the Upper Midwest early Wednesday morning January 22nd. After blizzard conditions subsided during the afternoon, skies cleared and temperatures dropped into the teens below zero.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Louisiana, January 23 to 24, 20142 deaths · 18 eventsA cold air mass plunged south to the gulf coast while an upper level disturbance moved across the region. Rain, snow, and sleet moved into the region during the late afternoon of the 23rd and gradually turned to all snow across Central Louisiana.
• Winter Weather in Oklahoma, January 23, 20141 eventLight snow showers moved across the western Oklahoma Panhandle on the 23rd. The large scale lift needed to overcome the stable post-cold frontal airmass was provided by the combination of a weak shortwave trough moving southeastward out of the Rocky Mountains, and the…
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 23, 20142 eventsLight snow showers moved across the northwestern Texas Panhandle on the 23rd. The large scale lift needed to overcome the stable post-cold frontal airmass was provided by the combination of a weak shortwave trough moving southeastward out of the Rocky Mountains, and the…
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 23 to 24, 20145 eventsSome light wintry precipitation occurred on January 23. A mix of light sleet and snow occurred across the area southeast of a Menard to Brady to Junction line, with less than a tenth of an inch of accumulation.
• Extreme Cold in West Virginia, January 23, 20146 eventsA cold front moved through the region reinforcing cold air and gusty winds. Wind chill values were -20 and below in the Potomac Highlands.
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 23 to 24, 20145 eventsA cold front brought an arctic airmass to South Central Texas January 23rd. Warm moist air being forced up and over the cold surface air led to sleet, freezing rain, and snow across the area. The first report of sleet was at 4PM in Williamson County.
• Extreme Cold in Maryland, January 23, 20142 eventsA cold front moved through the region reinforcing cold air and gusty winds. Wind chill values were -20 and below in the Potomac Highlands.
• Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 23, 20142 eventsA cold front moved through the region reinforcing cold air and gusty winds. Wind chill values were -20 and below in the Potomac Highlands.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, January 23 to 24, 20148 eventsA cold air mass plunged south to the gulf coast while an upper level disturbance moved across the region. Rain, snow, and sleet moved into the region during the late afternoon of the 23rd and gradually turned to all snow across the East Texas Lakes Region.

The snowstorm of December 30, 2013 to January 3, 2014The snowstorm of January 28 to 29, 2014Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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