The snowstorm of March 22 to 25, 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 | 0.39 | Below category 1 | 166,569 | 1,195,397 | 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
- 99
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
- Episodes
- 14
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 and Winter Weather in Arkansas, March 20 to 21, 2010A cold front moved into western Arkansas on the 20th. The passage of the front replaced mild air with much colder air.
- Winter Weather in Texas, March 21, 2010An early spring winter storm affected portions of the region over the first official weekend of spring. A potent upper level low pressure wrapped in cold arctic air at the same time tapping into moisture and wrapping it around the north and west side of the low.
- Winter Weather in Arkansas, March 21, 2010An early spring winter storm affected portions of the region over the first official weekend of spring. A potent upper level low pressure wrapped in cold arctic air at the same time tapping into moisture and wrapping it around the north and west side of the low.
- Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, March 21, 2010An early spring winter storm affected portions of the region over the first official weekend of spring. A potent upper level low pressure wrapped in cold arctic air at the same time tapping into moisture and wrapping it around the north and west side of the low.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 22 to 23, 2010Snow showers developed over the mountains during the early afternoon, and continued into the evening hours. Total snowfall ranged from trace amounts in the valleys, to as much as 4 inches at the highest peaks.
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Maine, March 23 to 24, 2010Low pressure tracking across the Gulf of Maine brought heavy snow to northwestern Maine through the 23rd into the morning of the 24th. Storm total snow accumulations ranged from 5 to 9 inches.
- Winter Storm in Alaska, March 23 to 24, 2010Arctic air moved over the northern Panhandle from a 1017 MB high over the Yukon Territory on the night of 3/21. Warm moist air aloft moved over SE Alaska from the southwest starting on the morning of 3/23 bringing heavy snow into the evening of 3/23.
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 23 to 24, 2010A winter storm produced localized snow drifts up to 4 feet as well as heavy snow over a large portion of southern Colorado.
- Heavy Snow in New Mexico, March 23 to 24, 2010As two upper level storm systems merged over New Mexico and moved into the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, wrap around precipitation once again left northeast New Mexico with several inches of snow on the ground. Strong and gusty winds also resulted in blowing and drifting snow.
- Heavy Snow in Texas, March 24 to 25, 2010A slow moving upper storm system produced heavy snow across the northern Texas Panhandle during the nighttime hours on March 24 through the day on March 25. There were no reports of damages or injuries.
- Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, March 24 to 25, 2010An upper low pressure system moved across the Panhandles during the early morning hours on the March 25. Heavy snow fell across the extreme northwest Texas Panhandle. No damage or injuries were reported.
- Winter Weather in Ohio, March 25 to 26, 2010Low pressure passed south of the area, pulling in colder air and changing rain to snow overnight. A half inch to an inch of snow was common across the area, with isolated locations getting a very heavy, wet accumulation of 3 to 4 inches.
- Winter Weather in Indiana, March 25 to 26, 2010Low pressure passed south of the area, pulling in colder air and changing rain to snow overnight. One to two inches of snow fell in the northern Whitewater Valley.
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 26 to 27, 2010A storm system generated snow over portions of southern Colorado. Some of the higher reported snow totals include 6 to 8 inches around Monument and Black Forest (El Paso County)...Florissant (Teller County)...Beulah (Pueblo County)...and 10 inches at Rye (Pueblo County) and…
More
The snowstorm of March 18 to 24, 2010The snowstorm of March 30 to April 3, 2010Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.