The snowstorm of January 26 to 27, 2011

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

376

Deaths

6

Injuries

16

Damage

$195,000

Episodes

51

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 Idaho, January 24 to 25, 20111 eventA weak upper level system brough localized heavy snow in the Pocatello metro area with 5 to 7 inches reported throughout the Pocatello area.
• Winter Weather in Texas, January 24 to 25, 20115 eventsA fast moving upper storm system brought a brief round of wintry weather to the west Texas South Plains during the late evening hours of the 24th and the pre-dawn hours of the 25th.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 25, 20113 eventsOccasional light snow that fell during the first half of the day on the 25th accumulated around one inch in Sussex, Warren and Morris Counties. Untreated roads were slippery for the morning commute.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 25, 20112 eventsOccasional light snow that fell during the first half of the day on the 25th accumulated 1 to 2 inches over the higher terrain of the Poconos. Untreated roads were slippery for the morning commute.
• Extreme Cold in Alaska, January 25 to 26, 20111 eventTemperatures of 30 to 35 below zero combined with a northeast wind of 15 to 20 mph to produce wind chills of 60 to 65 below zero from approximately 0500AKST on the 25th through 0300AKST on the 26th.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 25 to 26, 20111 death · 1 injured · 20 eventsAn upper level storm system moved from western Arkansas across Tennessee. Moisture spread northward from the system, starting as light rain or mixed rain and snow in places south and east of Paducah.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 25 to 26, 20114 injured · 20 eventsA low pressure system developed along the Louisiana Coast during the day on January 25th, 2011 and moved northeast into Georgia. Rain associated with the system transitioned to snow across the Mid-South during the evening hours.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, January 25, 20111 eventA low pressure system developed along the Louisiana Coast during the day on January 25th, 2011 and moved northeast into Georgia. Rain associated with the system transitioned to snow across the Mid-South during the evening hours.
• Winter Weather in Mississippi, January 25 to 26, 20111 eventA low pressure system developed along the Louisiana Coast during the day on January 25th, 2011 and moved northeast into Georgia. Rain associated with the system transitioned to snow across the Mid-South during the evening hours.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Indiana, January 25 to 26, 20114 eventsAn upper level storm system moved from western Arkansas across Tennessee. Moisture spread northward from the system as colder air filtered in from the northwest. Heavy snowfall from 3 to 5 inches occurred east of Boonville in Spencer County.
• Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 25 to 26, 201110 eventsDuring the overnight hours on the 25th and the 26th of January, a strengthening closed low moved across Tennessee. North of this upper air system, a surface trough moved east across the Commonwealth, changing rain to snow.
• Heavy Snow in Indiana, January 25 to 26, 20112 eventsOn January 25th and the 26th, an intensifying closed upper low moved across the Tennessee Valley during the overnight hours. During the evening hours on the 25th, a surface trough moved eastward across Kentucky and southern Indiana.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 26 to 27, 201118 eventsA potent area of low pressure was located over the Tennessee Valley on the morning of Wednesday, January 26th. The warm front associated with the low triggered a period of mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, January 26 to 27, 201111 eventsA potent area of low pressure was located over the Tennessee Valley on the morning of Wednesday, January 26th. The warm front associated with the low triggered a period of mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 26, 20111 death · 36 eventsA broad upper level trough moved across Middle Tennessee during the morning hours on Wednesday, January 26th. Low level moisture spread across Middle Tennessee during this time period also.
• Winter Weather in Alabama, January 26, 20111 eventA strong upper level low trough swung through the Tennessee Valley during the morning hours of the 26th. Rainfall switched to a brief period of freezing rain in the higher elevations of northeast Alabama around 4 am as temperatures slipped to 32 degrees or just below.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 26, 20111 death · 1 injured · $10,000 · 27 eventsOn January 25th, a strong low pressure system developed along the Gulf coast and then tracked northeast up the east coast. The temperatures across eastern Kentucky were slightly too warm so the precipitation was rain before a change over to snow.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 26 to 27, 201122 eventsA potent area of low pressure was located over the Tennessee Valley on the morning of Wednesday, January 26th. The warm front associated with the low triggered a period of mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 26 to 27, 20115 eventsA protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected the Eastern Shore from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. The first phase of the storm affected Cecil County the most, while the second phase of the storm affected all of the Eastern Shore.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 26, 20112 eventsA strong upper level low trough swung through the Tennessee Valley during the morning hours of the 26th. Rainfall switched to wet snow around 4 am. The steady snow ended between 7 and 9 am.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Delaware, January 26 to 27, 20111 death · 5 injured · 3 eventsA protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected Delaware from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. The first phase of the storm affected mainly New Castle County, while the second phase of the storm affected all of the state.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, January 26 to 27, 20112 injured · $100,000 · 21 eventsA protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected nearly all of New Jersey from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 26 to 27, 20111 injured · 10 eventsA protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected Eastern Pennsylvania from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th.
• Winter Weather in Georgia, January 26, 20113 eventsA strong closed upper low was moving through the southeast U.S. from the 25th into the 26th. Widespread precipitation, mostly in the form of rain, accompanied this system.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 26 to 27, 20112 eventsA low pressure system moved from the Gulf of Mexico to the mid-atlantic coast spreading light snow and sleet over the Ohio valley.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, January 26 to 27, 20111 eventA low pressure system moved from the Gulf of Mexico to the mid-atlantic coast spreading light snow and sleet over the Ohio valley.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 26, 20119 eventsA fast-moving but intense winter storm moved through the region. This system brought moderate to heavy snow to the southern tier of central Pennsylvania, with accumulations ranging between 6 and 10 inches.
• Heavy Snow in New York, January 26 to 27, 20111 death · 17 eventsA period of moderate to heavy snow overspread the region Wednesday morning into Wednesday afternoon on January 26th in response to a subtropical moisture feed ahead of a Mid Atlantic low pressure system. This bout of snow produced 2 to 5 inches across the region.
• Heavy Snow in New Jersey, January 26 to 27, 20119 eventsA period of moderate to heavy snow overspread the region Wednesday morning into Wednesday afternoon on January 26th in response to a subtropical moisture feed ahead of a Mid Atlantic low pressure system. This bout of snow produced 2 to 5 inches across the region.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 26, 2011$75,000 · 9 eventsA cold rain pushed northeast into West Virginia during the Wednesday evening the 25th. A strong mid and upper level disturbance approached by dawn on Thursday the 26th.
• Winter Storm in Virginia, January 26, 20117 eventsA complex weather system moved through the region on Wednesday the 26th. An area of low pressure developed off the North Carolina coast, while an upper level low passed overhead.
• Winter Storm in North Carolina, January 26, 20112 eventsA complex weather system moved through the region on Wednesday the 26th. An area of low pressure developed off the North Carolina coast, while an upper level low passed overhead.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, January 26 to 27, 20118 eventsA period of moderate to heavy snow overspread the region Wednesday morning into Wednesday afternoon on January 26th in response to a subtropical moisture feed ahead of a Mid Atlantic low pressure system. This bout of snow produced 2 to 5 inches across the region.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 26 to 27, 20117 eventsAs low pressure developed off the southeast coast, rain changed to snow across the higher elevations of the North Carolina mountains during the morning, and gradually worked its way toward the valleys as colder air filtered into the region.
• Blizzard in West Virginia, January 26, 20112 eventsA complex weather system moved through the region on Wednesday the 26th. An area of low pressure developed off the North Carolina coast, while an upper level low passed overhead.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Connecticut, January 26 to 27, 20112 eventsAn area of low pressure developed along the mid Atlantic coast during the day Wednesday, January 26th. The low strengthened as it moved northeastward, passing just south and east of Cape Cod early Thursday morning, January 27th.
• Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, January 26 to 27, 20117 eventsA strong low pressure system moved up the coast and southeast of Nantucket producing up to a foot of snow across Rhode Island.
• Heavy Snow in North Carolina, January 26 to 27, 20112 eventsAs low pressure developed off the southeast coast, rain changed to snow across the higher elevations of the North Carolina mountains during the morning, and gradually worked its way toward the valleys as colder air filtered into the region.
• Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 26 to 27, 201119 eventsA strong low pressure system moved up the coast and southeast of Nantucket producing up to a foot of snow across Massachusetts.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, January 26 to 27, 20113 eventsA strong low pressure system moved up the coast and southeast of Nantucket producing up to a foot and a half of snow across Connecticut.
• Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 26, 20111 death · 1 eventA potent area of low pressure was located over the Tennessee Valley on the morning of Wednesday, January 26th. The warm front associated with the low triggered a period of mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, January 26 to 27, 201119 eventsLow pressure moving through the Mid Atlantic region produced between one half inch and three inches of snow across portions of central and eastern Virginia from Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night, January 26th.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, January 26 to 27, 20112 eventsLow pressure moving through the Mid Atlantic region produced between one half inch and two inches of snow across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore from Wednesday evening, January 26th into early Thursday morning, January 27th.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, January 26 to 27, 20111 eventAn area of low pressure that developed off the Carolina coast on the morning of the 26th moved northeast to just south of Nova Scotia by the morning of the 27th. The storm brought heavy snow to extreme southeastern New Hampshire during the early morning hours of the 27th.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, January 27, 20111 eventA strong low pressure system moved up the coast and southeast of Nantucket producing up to nine inches of snow in eastern Hillsborough County.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 26 to 27, 201169 kt wind · 3 eventsA powerful North Pacific storm produced high wind and blizzard conditions in the Central Aleutians and high wind in the eastern Aleutians. The peak winds in the Eastern Aleutians was 68 KT and winds peaked at 69 KT on the Alaska Peninsula.
• Blizzard in Alaska, January 27 to 28, 20111 eventA 960 mb low moving north crossed the Aleutians during the afternoon hours on the 27th and weakened to 974 mb 200 miles west of Saint Matthew island by 3 pm AKST on the 28th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, January 28 to 29, 20112 injured · $10,000 · 7 eventsA clipper low pressure system moving down from south central Canada brought moderate to heavy snow to portions of west and south central Upper Michigan from the evening of the 28th into the morning of the 29th.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, January 28 to 29, 20113 eventsA negatively-tilted inverted trough developed along an International Falls-Hibbing-Duluth-Hayward-Wausau line.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 28 to 29, 20112 eventsA negatively tilted inverted trough developed along an International Falls-Hibbing-Duluth-Hayward-Wausau line on January 29th. Lake moisture enhanced snowfall in the onshore flow east of the trough axis.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 28 to 29, 20111 eventA fast moving area of low pressure moved across Wisconsin and produced 6 to 8 inches of snow in Vilas County during the late afternoon and evening hours of January 28th.

Southeastern Snowstorm of 2011The Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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