The snowstorm of March 19 to 21, 2000
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 | 0.70 | Below category 1 | 252,262 | 1,797,877 | 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
- 43
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- 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 Kansas, March 19, 2000Some residents of the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City were greeted with one last taste of winter on March 19. As cold air filtered in behind an exiting storm system, a narrow band of heavy snow set up roughly along the I-435 corridor from Olathe northward to the Missouri River.
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 19, 2000Heavy snow fell across Sun Valley and the upper reaches of the Snake River Valley. Accumulation of 5 to 8 inches were recorded, including 5 inches at Idaho Falls and 8 inches at Driggs.
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, March 20, 2000Heavy snow fell over parts of southest Wyoming, with 10 to 12 inches reported from Woods Landing, WY. Around 8 inches fell at Muddy Gap, with about 6 to 7 inches reportes east of Chugwater, WY.
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 20 to 21, 2000Spring started on a wintry note, as an east to southeast wind produced 1 to 5 inches of snow. This occurred mainly across northern Pocahontas and eastern Randolph counties. Bartow reported 5 inches, Harman 3 inches, and Seneca State Forest 2 inches.
- Winter Storm and Heavy Rain in Virginia, March 21, 2000Low pressure moved from the Ohio Valley on the 20th to the Mid-Atlantic region on the 21st. East winds ahead of the system ushered moist air into the region directly from the Atlantic Ocean.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 21, 2000Low pressure moved from the Ohio Valley on the 20th to the Mid-Atlantic region on the 21st. East winds ahead of the system ushered moist air into the region directly from the Atlantic Ocean.
- Winter Storm in New Mexico, March 21 to 23, 2000A slow moving upper level storm produced gusty east winds and heavy upslope snow across northern and central New Mexico.
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 21 to 22, 20006" - 12" of new snow was reported around Cantwell, along the intersection of the Parks Highway and Denali Highway in a 24 hour period.
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 21, 2000Significant precipitation fell across much of central Pennsylvania as low pressure tracked east across the region. Most of the moisture fell as rain, but it was cold enough in Somerset County for the precipitation to fall as snow.
More
The snowstorm of March 15 to 17, 2000The snowstorm of March 20 to 22, 2000Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.