The snowstorm of March 1 to 4, 2000
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 3 regions on its Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the South.
What the offices filed during it
Winter weather episodes east of the Rockies from the day before the storm began to the day after it ended, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The storm by region
Each region’s thresholds are its own, so the same depth of snow counts for more in the South than in the Northeast.
| Region | Index | Category | Area with snow (sq mi) | People under snow | Above the top threshold (sq mi) | People above it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | 0.44 | Below category 1 | 86,739 | 2,434,047 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio Valley | 0.00 | Below category 1 | 51,144 | 5,386,063 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Rockies and Plains | 0.00 | Below category 1 | 57,573 | 874,536 | 0 | 0 |
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.
The toll the offices filed
- Events
- 17
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 10
- Damage
- None recorded
- Episodes
- 9
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.
Episode by episode
- Heavy Snow in California, February 29, 2000Tuolumne Meadows and Mammoth Mountain both reported an additional 6 inches of new snow.
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, March 2 to 3, 2000A mixture of rain and snow quickly turned to snow around noon. Snow amounts of 6 inches or more were common in parts of Scott, Lane, Ness and Trego counties. The greatest amounts were in northern Lane county where a 10 to 12 inch swath was reported.
- Winter Storm in Kansas, March 2, 2000Seven to Nine inches of snow fell over Gove and southern Sheridan Counties making it one of the most significant snowfall events of the winter.
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 3 to 4, 2000A small low pressure center formed over Kotzebue sound, and interacted with high pressure over the arctic basin to cause intermittent blizzard conditions and several hours of high wind at only Point Lay. The winds and blizzard let up as the low pressure center dissipated.
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 4 to 5, 2000Heavy snow fell across the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon overnight. Meacham (4000 ft) received 12 inches of snow according to an Oregon Dept. of Transportation road report. Other snow totals included 10 inches at Ukiah (3350 ft) and 6 inches at Tollgate (5200 ft) .
- Blizzard in Alaska, March 5, 2000Local blizzard conditions developed along the outer coast of the Kuskokwim Delta early Sunday. Lowest conditions were reported at Mekoryuk on Nunivak Island early Sunday where visibilities reached 1/4 mile or less in blowing snow.
- Winter Storm in Arizona, March 5 to 6, 2000Snow accumulated to between 2 and 4 inches in the higher elevations of southern Gila county and northern Maricopa county. A hiker died along the Seven Springs trail, northwest of Bartlett Lake, due to hypothermia.
- Heavy Snow in Utah, March 5 to 7, 2000A hefty little storm moved through Southern Utah, dropping 1-2 feet of fresh powder over the high country. Brian Head received 26 inches of snow, with 18 inches at Midway and 14 inches at Bryce Canyon National Park.
- Winter Storm in Arizona, March 5 to 7, 2000A winter storm dropped between 1 and 1 1/2 inches of rain in the Tucson area, with nearby mountains receiving about 24 inches of snow. Temperatures hovered around freezing and approximately 500 illegal aliens surrendered themselves to nearby homes or passing motorists.
More
The snowstorm of February 24 to 26, 2000The snowstorm of March 7 to 10, 2000Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.