The snowstorm of March 11 to 15, 2018

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

507

Deaths

3

Injuries

0

Damage

$1.6 million

Episodes

64

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 Storm in Montana, March 10, 20181 eventA late winter storm brought heavy snow, along with blowing and drifting snow, to Carter County.
• Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 10, 20183 deaths · 10 eventsDuring the morning of March 10, an approaching weak mid-level wave brought a brief pulse of warm advection.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, March 10, 20183 eventsDuring the morning of March 10, an approaching weak mid-level wave brought a brief pulse of warm advection. With cold temperatures at the surface and warmer temperatures aloft, a mix of precipitation types occurred.
• Winter Weather in Minnesota, March 10, 20183 eventsDuring the morning of March 10, an approaching weak mid-level wave brought a brief pulse of warm advection. With cold temperatures at the surface and warmer temperatures aloft, a mix of precipitation types occurred.
• Winter Storm in Alaska, March 10 to 11, 20181 eventCooler air inland along the Haines Highway with continued light northwest surface winds kept the temperatures from warming during warm moist air overrunning. Storm total snow 16.0 inches at Haines Customs. Impact was snow removal by DOT.
• Heavy Snow in Illinois, March 11, 2018$30,000 · 5 eventsA mid to upper-level low moved southeast across the mid Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley during the afternoon and evening of the 11th. This induced the formation of a surface low pressure system over the southeastern states.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, March 11 to 12, 2018$20,000 · 13 eventsA mid to upper-level low moved southeast across the mid Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley during the afternoon and evening of the 11th. This induced the formation of a surface low pressure system over the southeastern states.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Indiana, March 11, 2018$10,000 · 6 eventsA mid to upper-level low moved southeast across the mid Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley during the afternoon and evening of the 11th. This induced the formation of a surface low pressure system over the southeastern states.
• Winter Storm in Kentucky, March 11 to 12, 2018$150,000 · 27 eventsA winter storm produced a band of 4-10 inches of snowfall across central Kentucky during the evening hours March 11 through the morning hours March 12.
• Winter Storm in Indiana, March 11 to 12, 2018$20,000 · 2 eventsA winter storm produced heavy snow across extreme portions of southern Indiana March 11 and 12. The highest amounts were across southern Perry, southern Crawford, and Hancock counties were 4 to locally 6 inches were reported.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, March 11 to 12, 201815 eventsAn upper level low moved into the TN and OH Valley region and then into the Appalachians from Sunday evening, March 11th into Monday, March 12th.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, March 11 to 12, 201817 eventsA strong storm system brought light snow to the northern half of Middle Tennessee and much of the Upper Cumberland in the early morning hours on March 12. Several counties reported over 2 inches of wet snow on mainly elevated surfaces.
• Heavy Snow in Tennessee, March 12 to 13, 20183 eventsAn area of low pressure moved across the Southern Appalachian Region producing higher elevation snowfall; mainly across Southwest Virginia and Extreme Northeast Tennessee. The snow began late Sunday night and tapered off to flurries on Tuesday in these higher terrain areas.
• Heavy Snow in Virginia, March 12 to 13, 20183 eventsAn area of low pressure moved across the Southern Appalachian Region producing higher elevation snowfall; mainly across Southwest Virginia and Extreme Northeast Tennessee. The snow began late Sunday night and tapered off to flurries on Tuesday in these higher terrain areas.
• Heavy Snow in Virginia, March 12, 2018$46,000 · 18 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked northeast along the U.S. east coast. Ample moisture wrapped westward around this low where it encountered temperatures cold enough at all levels of the atmosphere to produce widespread snowfall.
• Heavy Snow in North Carolina, March 12, 20185 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked northeast along the U.S. east coast. Ample moisture wrapped westward around this low where it encountered temperatures cold enough at all levels of the atmosphere to produce widespread snowfall.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 12, 20184 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked northeast along the U.S. east coast. Ample moisture wrapped westward around this low where it encountered temperatures cold enough at all levels of the atmosphere to produce widespread snowfall.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, March 12, 20187 eventsLow pressure passed by to the south and high pressure filtered in cold air from the north. A tight gradient developed with the precipitation, but it was far enough to the north for snow to develop over central Virginia.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 12 to 13, 201816 eventsA low pressure system crossed southern West Virginia on the 12th. A mesoscale snow band set up in the I-64 corridor, resulting in a very tight band of extremely heavy snow. At times, snowfall rates were in the 2-3 inches per hour range.
• Winter Weather in Kentucky, March 12, 20181 eventA low pressure system crossed from southern Kentucky into southern West Virginia on the 12th. A mesoscale snow band set up just south of I-64, resulting in a very tight band of moderate to heavy snow.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 12, 20187 eventsPrecipitation developed across the northern foothills and northwest Piedmont during the early morning in association with a frontal zone and associated low pressure.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, March 12 to 13, 20183 eventsAn upper disturbance moving across Lake Superior generated moderate lake enhanced snow over portions of central Upper Michigan from the afternoon of the 12th into the 13th.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, March 12 to 13, 201834 eventsLow pressure tracking northeast off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced between one inch and three inches of snow across portions of central, south central, and southeast Virginia.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 12 to 13, 20183 eventsLow pressure tracking northeast off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced between one inch and three inches of snow across portions of northeast North Carolina.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 12, 201817 eventsA vigorous upper level trough and associated mid-level deformation band produced one to four inches of wet snow across northern portions of the North Carolina Piedmont.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 12 to 13, 201811 eventsLow pressure along an occluded front in the Tennessee Valley redeveloped off the North Carolina Coast on Monday Night March 12th and underwent rapid deepening as it moved northeast toward to the 40 North/70 West benchmark coordinates on the Tuesday Morning March 13th.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 12 to 13, 20183 eventsLow pressure along an occluded front in the Tennessee Valley redeveloped off the North Carolina Coast on Monday Night March 12th and underwent rapid deepening as it moved northeast toward to the 40 North/70 West benchmark coordinates on the Tuesday Morning March 13th.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New York, March 12 to 13, 201810 eventsA strong area of low pressure tracked well offshore of the eastern seaboard, but tracked close enough to eastern Long Island to bring heavy snow bands during the morning and early afternoon on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New York, March 12 to 15, 201825 eventsDuring the late evening hours of March 12th, a rapidly developing area of low pressure was off the mid-Atlantic coast. Light snow began to overspread the region in association with this system and began to increase in intensity towards daybreak on March 13th.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 12 to 14, 20181 eventUpper low brought periods of snow to the high terrain from late on the 12th through the afternoon of the 14th.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Rhode Island, March 12 to 13, 2018$12,000 · 8 eventsLow pressure along the Carolina coast March 12 moved up the coast and passed offshore of Southern New England on March 13, moving off through the Maritimes on March 14.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Connecticut, March 12 to 13, 20188 eventsA strong area of low pressure tracked well offshore of the eastern seaboard, but tracked close enough to southeast Connecticut to bring heavy snow bands during the morning and early afternoon on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Massachusetts, March 13 to 14, 2018$484,000 · 67 kt wind · 22 eventsLow pressure along the Carolina coast March 12 moved up the coast and passed offshore of Southern New England on March 13, moving off through the Maritimes on March 14.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Connecticut, March 13, 20183 eventsLow pressure along the Carolina coast March 12 moved up the coast and passed offshore of Southern New England on March 13, moving off through the Maritimes on March 14.
• Winter Storm in Connecticut, March 13, 20182 eventsShortly after midnight on Tuesday, March 13th, a rapidly developing area of low pressure was off the mid-Atlantic coast. Light snow began to overspread the region in association with this system and began to increase in intensity towards daybreak.
• Winter Storm in Massachusetts, March 13, 20182 eventsShortly after midnight on Tuesday, March 13th, a rapidly developing area of low pressure was off the mid-Atlantic coast. Light snow began to overspread the region in association with this system and began to increase in intensity towards daybreak.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 13 to 14, 201815 eventsLow pressure off the Southeast U.S. coast on the morning of the 12th intensified rapidly as it moved slowly northeast to just southeast of Cape Cod by the morning of the 13th. The low continued its slow movement to Nova Scotia by the morning of the 14th.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, March 13 to 15, 20183 eventsShortly after midnight on Tuesday, March 13th, a rapidly developing area of low pressure was off the mid-Atlantic coast. Light snow began to overspread the region in association with this system during the early morning hours and began to increase in intensity towards daybreak.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Maine, March 13 to 14, 201822 eventsLow pressure off the Southeast U.S. coast on the morning of the 12th intensified rapidly as it moved slowly northeast to just southeast of Cape Cod by the morning of the 13th. The low continued its slow movement to Nova Scotia by the morning of the 14th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Vermont, March 13 to 15, 2018$185,000 · 16 eventsAnother Nor'easter swept across eastern New England on March 13th and remained nearly stationary across eastern Quebec/Nova Scotia on the 14th-15th.
• Winter Storm in Maine, March 13 to 15, 201814 eventsIntensifying low pressure tracked toward Nova Scotia on the 13th...then lifted across New Brunswick during the 14th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New York, March 13 to 15, 2018$70,000 · 9 eventsAnother Nor'easter swept across eastern New England on March 13th and remained nearly stationary across eastern Quebec/Nova Scotia on the 14th-15th.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 13 to 15, 2018$100,000 · 2 eventsA broad area of low pressure crossed the Great Lakes region while a disturbance on its south side crossed western North Carolina. This system, combined with cold air at the surface helped to produce snowfall amounts ranging from 4 inches to nearly 8 inches across Watauga county.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 13 to 14, 20181 eventA broad area of low pressure crossed the Great Lakes region while a disturbance on its south side crossed southeast West Virginia.
• Winter Storm in New York, March 13 to 15, 20187 eventsAnother March noreaster impacted the Eastern Great Lakes region. A deepening surface low 'bombed' off the Atlantic shoreline and brought a combination of synoptic and lake enhanced snow to the region.
• Heavy Snow in North Carolina, March 13 to 14, 20184 eventsSnow showers developed across the northern mountains in response to a strong and moist northwest flow developing in the wake of a cold front. While snow showers were initially light, they increased in intensity, becoming moderate to heavy during the pre-dawn hours.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 13 to 14, 20183 eventsSnow showers developed across portions of the central mountains in response to a strong and moist northwest flow developing in the wake of a cold front.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 13 to 14, 20182 eventsCold air flowing over the mountains caused snow for locations along and west of the Allegheny Front.
• Heavy Snow in New York, March 13 to 15, 20188 eventsA persistent moist northwest flow of unseasonably cold air led to a prolonged period of snow for a large part of central New York and far northeast Pennsylvania from the late evening of the 13th and morning hours of the 14th to the early morning hours of the 15th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, March 14, 2018$350,000 · 2 eventsDeep low pressure off the coast of Nova Scotia maintained a cold west to northwest flow across the eastern Great Lakes. Lake effect snow bands developed downwind of Lake Erie late on March 13th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, March 14, 2018$150,000 · 1 eventDeep low pressure off the coast of Nova Scotia maintained a cold west to northwest flow across the eastern Great Lakes. Lake effect snow bands developed downwind of Lake Erie late on March 13th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New York, March 14 to 15, 20182 eventsA strong low pressure system over Nova Scotia retrograded westward on March 14th, resulting in moist westerly winds across eastern New York. This set the stage for persistent upslope snow in the northern and central Taconics lasting into the early morning hours of March 15th.
• Winter Storm in Massachusetts, March 14 to 15, 20182 eventsA strong low pressure system over Nova Scotia retrograded westward on March 14th, resulting in moist westerly winds across western Massachusetts. This set the stage for persistent upslope snow in the Berkshires lasting into the early morning hours of March 15th.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 14, 20187 eventsAn area of moderate to heavy snow showers moved off the Blue Ridge and across the foothills and portions of the far western Piedmont around sunrise. Although the snow was brief, generally only lasting around an hour in most locations, up to an inch of snow quickly accumulated.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 14 to 15, 20181 eventA persistent moist northwest flow of unseasonably cold air led to a prolonged period of snow for a large part of central New York and far northeast Pennsylvania from the late evening of the 13th and morning hours of the 14th to the early morning hours of the 15th.
• Winter Storm in Montana, March 15, 20181 eventA compact shortwave trough moved northward along and near the Continental Divide in Montana. This system delivered accumulating snow to most of the mountains of North-Central and Southwest Montana.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 16, 201824 eventsAn upper level system moved across the Northern and Central Plains, bringing snow to much of western and south central South Dakota. Much of the area received six to 12 inches of snow, with the exception being far northwestern South Dakota, which saw lighter amounts.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 16, 20185 eventsA potent low pressure system produced moderate to heavy snowfall over the northern Nebraska Panhandle. Snow totals varied between six and ten inches.
• Heavy Snow in California, March 16 to 17, 20182 eventsAfter a brief break between systems on March 15, another low pressure system brought widespread precipitation to the area on March 16 and 17.
• Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 16, 201816 eventsAreas from far southern South Dakota and northeast Nebraska into adjacent northwest Iowa were on the northern fringes of an area of low pressure moving across the Central Plains. Light ice accumulations were followed by light snowfall, resulting in slick roadways.
• Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 16, 20185 eventsA strong upper level low pressure trough wrapped in a mixed bag of precipitation across central South Dakota during the morning and afternoon hours.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 16, 20183 eventsA winter storm brought areas of light freezing rain, followed by a period of heavy snowfall to much of Sheridan County and Cherry County during the morning into the afternoon hours. Freezing rain around a tenth of an inch with local amounts up to a quarter inch were reported.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, March 16, 20182 eventsAreas from far southern South Dakota and northeast Nebraska into adjacent northwest Iowa were on the northern fringes of an area of low pressure moving across the Central Plains. Light ice accumulations were followed by light snowfall, resulting in slick roadways.
• Winter Weather in Iowa, March 16, 20189 eventsAreas from far southern South Dakota and northeast Nebraska into adjacent northwest Iowa were on the northern fringes of an area of low pressure moving across the Central Plains. Light ice accumulations were followed by light snowfall, resulting in slick roadways.

The snowstorm of March 5 to 8, 2018The snowstorm of March 20 to 22, 2018Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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