The snowstorm of March 11 to 15, 2010
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 1 region on its Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Rockies and Plains | 0.04 | Below category 1 | 78,254 | 541,472 | 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
- 57
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 1
- Damage
- $20,000
- Episodes
- 12
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 New Mexico, March 9 to 11, 2010Two quick hitting storms crossed New Mexico, the first one arrived late on the 9th and the second one early on the 11th. Temperatures were cold enough for mostly snow to fall, with widespread light to moderate amounts across western and northern portions of the state.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 10, 2010A potent low pressure system moved into the north central Gulf of Alaska on the 10th resulting in blizzard conditions on the Alaska Peninsula and heavy snow on the southern Kenai Peninsula.
- Heavy Snow in Texas, March 10, 2010An upper low pressure system and strong cold front moved across the Texas Panhandle during the day. Heavy snow fell across the extreme northwest Texas Panhandle. No damage or injuries were reported.
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Washington, March 11, 2010Brief high wind in the Admiralty Inlet area. Heavy snow in the central Cascades.
- Winter Weather in Texas, March 11, 2010Snowfall on the morning of the 11th resulted in light accumulations over portions of the central South Plains. Although only a dusting of snow was experienced at most locations, 1 inch accumulations were observed in Littlefield (Lamb County) and Plainview (Hale County).
- Blizzard in Alaska, March 11 to 12, 2010An intense storm moved into the central Aleutians on March 11th producing blizzard conditions over the western and central Aleutians.
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Alaska, March 12 to 14, 2010Warm moist air aloft moved over the cooler temperatures in SE Alaska on 3/12 which caused heavy snowfall for most of the northern sections. This snow was followed by a rapidly developing storm moving up from the SW over the Gulf of Alaska on 3/12 and 3/13.
- Heavy Snow in California, March 12 to 13, 2010Heavy snow fell at elevations above 5000 feet. Snow amounts up to 15 inches were measured at ski resorts in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. This along with gusty winds caused significant travel difficulties on mountain roads.
- Blizzard in Alaska, March 13 to 14, 2010An intense storm in the Gulf of Alaska produced strong northwest wind and snow over the western Alaska Peninsula resulting in blizzard conditions from King Cove west.
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in New York, March 13 to 14, 2010A low pressure system developed over the mid Atlantic region Friday night, March 12th, then moved very gradually northward to the Delmarva region over the weekend. A very strong low level jet developed to the north of the low and tapped abundant moisture.
- Blizzard in Alaska, March 14, 2010An intense storm in the Gulf of Alaska produced snow and string wind through Thompson Pass resulting in blizzard conditions.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, March 14 to 15, 2010A strong closed upper low pressure system slid south across western New Mexico while dragging a strong back door cold front across the eastern plains.
More
The snowstorm of March 7 to 15, 2010The snowstorm of March 18 to 24, 2010Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.