The snowstorm of March 12 to 15, 2017

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

728

Deaths

8

Injuries

10

Damage

$753 million

Episodes

78

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 Tennessee, March 11 to 12, 201726 eventsA late winter snow event affect Middle Tennessee from Saturday, March 11 into early Sunday, March 12. Light snow begin falling in the early morning hours on March 11 across the northern half of Middle Tennessee, which continued through the morning before ending.
• Cold in New York, March 11, 20172 eventsA cold Arctic airmass combined with blustery northwest winds gusting to near 40 mph combined to create very cold wind chills on the morning of Saturday, March 11. Wind chill values were as low as -22F at Big Moose, NY.
• Cold in Vermont, March 11, 20172 eventsA cold Arctic airmass combined with blustery northwest winds gusting to near 40 mph combined to create very cold wind chills on the morning of Saturday, March 11. Wind chill values mostly ranged from -15 to -24F, but were as low as -28F at Peru and Woodford State Park, VT.
• Cold in Massachusetts, March 11, 20171 eventA cold Arctic airmass combined with blustery northwest winds gusting to near 40 mph combined to create very cold wind chills on the morning of Saturday, March 11. Wind chill values were as low as -21F at East Windsor, MA.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, March 11, 201717 eventsA arctic front moved through the region changing rain to snow. Snow, occasionally heavy, fell into the early evening. One to four inches fell over much of West Tennessee.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Arkansas, March 11, 201713 eventsA cold front pushed to the south across Arkansas on March 10th, and it started turning cooler and dried out. Data showed storm systems forming along the front, and pulling moisture back into the region on the 11th.
• Winter Weather in Arkansas, March 11, 20177 eventsA arctic front moved through the region changing rain to snow. Snow, occasionally heavy, fell into the early evening. One to three inches fell over Northeast Arkansas.
• Winter Weather in Missouri, March 11, 20172 eventsA arctic front moved through the region changing rain to snow. Snow, occasionally heavy, fell into the early evening. About two inches fell over the Missouri Bootheel.
• Winter Weather in Georgia, March 11 to 12, 20176 eventsWith a cold and dry low-level air mass in place across the region, two quick-moving short waves brought a mix of rain, sleet and snow to the far north Georgia mountains.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 11 to 12, 201718 eventsAn upper level disturbance interacting with an unseasonably cold air mass resulted in light to moderate snow overspreading the North Carolina mountains late on the 11th, continuing through the overnight hours before tapering off on the morning of the 12th.
• Winter Weather in Tennessee, March 11 to 12, 20173 eventsLight snow fell across southern middle Tennessee late on the 11th into the early morning hours of the 12th. Most locations reported from one-half to two inches.
• Winter Weather in Alabama, March 11 to 12, 20172 eventsLight snow fell across far north Alabama along the Tennessee border. Up to one inch was reported in Lauderdale County.
• Winter Weather in South Carolina, March 12, 20172 eventsAn upper level disturbance interacting with an unseasonably cold air mass resulted in light to moderate snow overspreading the South Carolina mountains late on the 11th, continuing through the overnight hours before tapering off on the morning of the 12th.
• Winter Weather in Georgia, March 12, 20171 eventAn upper level disturbance interacting with an unseasonably cold air mass resulted in an area of snow that moved quickly across the northeast Georgia mountains during the morning of the 12th.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 12, 201715 eventsAn upper level disturbance interacting with an unseasonably cold air mass resulted in an area of snow that moved quickly across much of the western Piedmont and foothills of North Carolina during the morning of the 12th.
• Winter Weather in South Carolina, March 12, 201710 eventsAn upper level disturbance interacting with an unseasonably cold air mass resulted in an area of snow that moved quickly across portions of Upstate South Carolina during the morning of the 12th. Precipitation began as rain in many areas, but quickly changed to snow.
• Heavy Snow in South Dakota, March 12, 201714 eventsA strong upper level low pressure area sliding southeast over the region brought heavy snow to part of north central and all of northeast South Dakota. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 10 inches occurred with this system.
• Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 12 to 13, 201716 eventsA strong but fairly fast Alberta Clipper type winter storm moved across the Northern Plains, and through the Midwest Sunday, and into Monday morning.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, March 12 to 13, 201714 eventsA low pressure system slid off the Rockies and eastward along the Nebraska/South Dakota border through the day on the 12th before taking a southeastward turn and down through eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa during the evening and overnight hours on the 12th and into the…
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 12 to 13, 20176 eventsHeavy snow fell on most of northeast Iowa on March 12 and 13th as a storm system moved out of the Dakotas and tracked across western and central Iowa. The snow moved into the area during the afternoon of March 12th and continued into the morning of the 13th.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, March 12 to 13, 20177 eventsHeavy snow fell on most of northeast Iowa on March 12 and 13th as a storm system moved out of the Dakotas and tracked across western and central Iowa. The snow moved into the area during the afternoon of March 12th and continued into the morning of the 13th.
• Winter Storm in Alaska, March 12 to 15, 20178 eventsOn 3/12 the arctic front was over the central Panhandle as another in a series of storms moved northward from off the Pacific Northwest. By the afternoon of 3/12 the storm center had deepened to 981 MB off Dixon Entrance forcing warm moist air over the arctic air in place.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 12 to 13, 201711 eventsA major winter storm took aim on portions of eastern South Dakota and resulted in a band of 4 to 8 inches of snow by the time it left the area. Strong northwest winds also caused travel issues with reduced visibility as the snow was falling.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 12 to 13, 20178 eventsA major winter storm impacted large portions of southwest Minnesota and resulted in a band of 6 to 12 inches of snow by the time it left the area. Strong northwest winds also caused travel issues with reduced visibility as the snow was falling.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Iowa, March 12 to 13, 20178 eventsA major winter storm took aim on portions of northwest Iowa. A widespread 6 to 8 inches of snow fell across portions of the area, which impacted travel across the area.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 12 to 13, 20172 eventsHeavy snow fell on parts of western Wisconsin on March 12 and 13th as a storm system moved out of the Dakotas and tracked across western and central Iowa. The snow moved into the area during the afternoon of March 12th and continued into the morning of the 13th.
• Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, March 12 to 14, 20175 deaths · 10 injured · 20 eventsA significant lake effect snowstorm occurred over eastern WI with snowfall totals of 1 to 2 feet. Hundreds of vehicles were involved in accidents and slide-offs including several large chain-reaction accidents on I-41 and I-43 on March 13th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Minnesota, March 13, 20171 eventA very narrow lake effect snow band developed over West Duluth and gradually shifted to Superior, WI during the wee hours of the morning of March 13th. The snow came down fast, at one point dropping 7 in just a few hours.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Wisconsin, March 13, 20171 eventA very narrow lake effect snow band developed over West Duluth and gradually shifted to Superior, WI during the wee hours of the morning of March 13th. The snow came down fast, at one point dropping 7 in just a few hours.
• Winter Weather in Kentucky, March 13, 20172 eventsA surface low pressure system tracked east through Kentucky. Cold air in the wake of this low interacted with an upper disturbance to produce a period of snowfall for the region.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 20171 eventLow pressure crossed the Ohio Valley, with cold northeast winds in place across northern Michigan. This resulted in lake-enhanced snowfall off of Lake Huron into northeast lower Michigan.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, March 13, 20172 eventsA surface low pressure system tracked east through Kentucky. Cold air in the wake of this low interacted with an upper disturbance to produce a period of snowfall for the region.
• Winter Weather in Ohio, March 13 to 14, 201728 eventsA surface low pressure system tracked east through Kentucky. Cold air in the wake of this low interacted with an upper disturbance to produce a period of snowfall for the region.
• Winter Storm in Ohio, March 13 to 15, 2017$600,000 · 3 eventsAn area of low pressure over Missouri at daybreak on March 13th moved east across the Tennessee Valley and to the East Coast by early on the 14th. The low rapidly intensified as it moved northeast up the East Coast by daybreak on the 15th.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, March 13 to 15, 2017$350,000 · 2 eventsAn area of low pressure over Missouri at daybreak on March 13th moved east across the Tennessee Valley and to the East Coast by early on the 14th. The low rapidly intensified as it moved northeast up the East Coast by daybreak on the 15th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, March 13 to 14, 201727 eventsThe northern and southern branches of the jet phased together, which resulted in coastal low pressure on the 13th. The coastal low tracked up the Mid-Atlantic Coast during the morning hours of the 14th before moving out to sea later in the day.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, March 13 to 14, 201718 eventsThe northern and southern branches of the jet phased together, which resulted in coastal low pressure on the 13th. The coastal low tracked up the Mid-Atlantic Coast during the morning hours of the 14th before moving out to sea later in the day.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 13 to 15, 201710 eventsA developing Nor'easter moved up the East Coast on the 14th. The strengthening storms brought widespread snowfall to the mountains of West Virginia, starting late on the 13th with the heaviest snow tapering off late on the 14th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Illinois, March 13 to 14, 20172 eventsA quick-moving system on Sunday night, March 12 into early Monday, March 13, brought widespread snow, then lake effect snow started Monday night and persisted through Tuesday, March 14.
• Winter Weather in District of Columbia, March 13 to 14, 20171 eventThe northern and southern branches of the jet phased together, which resulted in coastal low pressure on the 13th. The coastal low tracked up the Mid-Atlantic Coast during the morning hours of the 14th before moving out to sea later in the day.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, March 13 to 14, 20173 deaths · 29 eventsA Miller-B East Coast winter storm affected the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States over this two day period, producing heavy snow for the interior and snow to sleet to rain closer to the coast.
• Winter Storm in New York, March 13 to 15, 2017$1.1 million · 17 eventsLow pressure over the Great Lakes combined with low pressure lifting north along the Atlantic coast to bring significant snowfall to the entire region. Snow began across the region during the late evening into the early overnight hours of the 13th-14th.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, March 13 to 14, 201711 eventsThe northern and southern branches of the jet phased together, which resulted in coastal low pressure on the 13th. The coastal low tracked up the Mid-Atlantic Coast during the morning hours of the 14th before moving out to sea later in the day.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 14 to 15, 2017$20,000 · 8 eventsA major winter storm developed over eastern North Carolina during the early morning hours of March 14th. The winter storm tracked northeast during the day on the 14th reaching the Gulf of Maine by the late evening of the 14th.
• Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 14, 201710 eventsAs low pressure moved up the East Coast, light precipitation developed over western North Carolina during the evening of the 13th, beginning as rain in most locations.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in New Jersey, March 14, 201710 eventsRapidly deepening low pressure tracked up the eastern seaboard on Tuesday March, 14 bringing blizzard conditions to Western Passaic county. Heavy snow and sleet along with strong winds occurred across the rest of Northeast New Jersey.
• Winter Weather and Heavy Rain in Maryland, March 14, 20173 eventsLow pressure systems across the Ohio Valley and Carolinas phased. This led to a rapidly developing storm which tracked just offshore. Wind, coastal flooding, heavy rain and snow all occurred.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, March 14, 2017$6,000 · 3 eventsIntense low pressure moving east northeast across Virginia and off the Delmarva coast produced minor ice accumulations from freezing rain and strong winds across portions of central Virginia.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in Delaware, March 14, 201752 kt wind · 2 eventsLow pressure systems across the Ohio Valley and Carolinas phased. This led to a rapidly developing storm which tracked just offshore. Wind, coastal flooding, heavy rain and snow all occurred.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in New York, March 14 to 16, 201727 eventsA very significant coastal snowstorm impacted the region March 14 through 16, featuring extremely heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions. The bulk of the snowstorm occurred during the day on Tuesday, March 14th.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in New York, March 14, 201712 eventsRapidly deepening low pressure tracked up the eastern seaboard on Tuesday March, 14 bringing blizzard conditions to portions of the Lower Hudson Valley. Heavy snow and sleet along with strong winds occurred across the New York City Metro.
• Blizzard in Connecticut, March 14 to 15, 20172 eventsA very significant coastal snowstorm impacted the region March 14 and 15, featuring extremely heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions. The bulk of the snowstorm occurred during the day on Tuesday, March 14th. Storm total reports of 16 to 20 inches were received.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in New York, March 14 to 15, 201718 eventsA major winter storm developed over eastern North Carolina during the early morning hours of March 14th. The winter storm tracked northeast during the day on the 14th reaching the Gulf of Maine by the late evening of the 14th.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 14 to 15, 20172 eventsLow pressure system that ejected out of the Rockies and into the midwest interacted with and deepened an upper trough over the region on the 13th. As a result, a coastal low developed.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 14 to 15, 20171 eventLow pressure system that ejected out of the Rockies and into the midwest interacted with and deepened an upper trough over the region on the 13th. As a result, a coastal low developed.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, March 14 to 15, 20171 eventLow pressure system that ejected out of the Rockies and into the midwest interacted with and deepened an upper trough over the region on the 13th. As a result, a coastal low developed.
• Blizzard in Massachusetts, March 14 to 16, 20172 eventsA very significant coastal snowstorm impacted the region March 14 through 16, featuring extremely heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions. The bulk of the snowstorm occurred during the day on Tuesday, March 14th. Storm total snowfall reports of 15 to 20 inches were received.
• Heavy Snow and High Wind in Rhode Island, March 14, 2017$50,000 · 55 kt wind · 7 eventsA major winter storm moved up the east coast, hugging the southern NJ coast then moving rapidly northeast across southern Rhode Island and interior southeast Massachusetts.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Connecticut, March 14, 20177 eventsRapidly deepening low pressure tracked up the eastern seaboard on Tuesday March, 14 bringing blizzard conditions to New Haven County. Heavy snow and sleet was observed across the rest of southern Connecticut.
• Heavy Snow in Connecticut, March 14, 20173 eventsA major winter storm moved up the east coast, hugging the southern NJ coast then moving rapidly northeast across southern Rhode Island and interior southeast Massachusetts.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 14, 2017$214,000 · 69 kt wind · 35 eventsA major winter storm moved up the east coast, hugging the southern NJ coast then moving rapidly northeast across southern Rhode Island and interior southeast Massachusetts.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Vermont, March 14 to 16, 20173 eventsA very significant coastal snowstorm impacted the region March 14 through 16, featuring extremely heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions. The bulk of the snowstorm occurred during the day on Tuesday, March 14th.
• Blizzard and Ice Storm in New Jersey, March 14, 2017$10 · 53 kt wind · 27 eventsLow pressure systems across the Ohio Valley and Carolinas phased. This led to a rapidly developing storm which tracked just offshore. Wind, coastal flooding, heavy rain and snow all occurred. Heavy rainfall in Southeast New Jersey ranged from 1-3 inches.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, March 14, 2017$10 · 14 eventsLow pressure systems across the Ohio Valley and Carolinas phased. This led to a rapidly developing storm which tracked just offshore. Wind, coastal flooding, heavy rain and snow all occurred.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 14 to 15, 201715 eventsAn area of low pressure over the central U.S. on the morning of the 13th intensified rapidly as it moved east to the Delmarva Peninsula by the morning of the 14th, and then continued to intensify as it moved northeast along the East Coast through the morning of the 15th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Indiana, March 14, 20171 eventA quick-moving system on Sunday night, March 12 into early Monday, March 13, brought widespread snow, then lake effect snow started Monday night and persisted through Tuesday, March 14.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Vermont, March 14 to 16, 2017$330,000 · 16 eventsA major nor'easter developed off the North Carolina/Virginia coast during the early morning hours of March 14th and intensified as it moved north-northeast across southeast New England during the night into central Maine by the morning of March 15th.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Maine, March 14 to 15, 201728 eventsAn area of low pressure over the central U.S. on the morning of the 13th intensified rapidly as it moved east to the Delmarva Peninsula by the morning of the 14th, and then continued to intensify as it moved northeast along the East Coast through the morning of the 15th.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in New York, March 14 to 15, 2017$180,000 · 9 eventsA major nor'easter developed off the North Carolina/Virginia coast during the early morning hours of March 14th and intensified as it moved north-northeast across southeast New England during the night into central Maine by the morning of March 15th.
• Blizzard in Maine, March 14, 201715 eventsIntensifying low pressure tracked along the New England coast to western Maine through the overnight hours of the 14th into the 15th.
• Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Indiana, March 14 to 15, 20173 eventsA lake effect snow band set up over northwest Indiana during the late evening hours of March 14th and continued through the late morning hours of March 15th.
• Cold in Virginia, March 14 to 15, 20174 eventsStrong northwest winds ushered in very cold air during the overnight hours of the 14th through the morning hours of the 15th. The combination of bitterly cold air and strong winds caused wind chill values to dip well below zero.
• Cold in West Virginia, March 14 to 15, 20174 eventsStrong northwest winds ushered in very cold air during the overnight hours of the 14th through the morning hours of the 15th. The combination of bitterly cold air and strong winds caused wind chill values to dip well below zero.
• Cold in Maryland, March 14 to 15, 20171 eventStrong northwest winds ushered in very cold air during the overnight hours of the 14th through the morning hours of the 15th. The combination of bitterly cold air and strong winds caused wind chill values to dip well below zero.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, March 15, 20171 eventA lake effect snow band set up over Berrien County during the early morning hours of March 15 and continued through the early afternoon. Intense snowfall rates, gusty winds, and snow accumulations in excess of 6 inches created difficult travel conditions.
• Cold in South Carolina, March 16, 2017$750 million · 15 eventsThe 2017 growing season began early across Upstate South Carolina, due to an unusually warm February and early March that saw average temperatures of almost 10 degrees above normal.
• Cold in North Carolina, March 16, 201718 eventsThe 2017 growing season began early across western North Carolina, due to an unusually warm February and early March that saw average temperatures of almost 10 degrees above normal.
• Cold in Georgia, March 16, 20175 eventsThe 2017 growing season began early across northeast Georgia, due to an unusually warm February and early March that saw average temperatures of almost 10 degrees above normal.

The snowstorm of February 9 to 10, 2017The snowstorm of December 8 to 10, 2017Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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