The snowstorm of March 3 to 5, 2015

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

1,062

Deaths

7

Injuries

49

Damage

$983,000

Episodes

87

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 and Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 2 to 3, 201514 eventsA fast moving winter storm moved across the region during the overnight and early morning hours.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, March 2 to 3, 20151 eventAn upper low over Idaho brought an upslope flow resulting in heavy snow to the Big Horn Mountain Foothills.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 3, 20156 eventsDuring the early morning of Tuesday, March 3rd, a band of snow developed across west central and into central Minnesota. Several inches of snow fell before 6 am from Morris, northeast to Alexandria, Long Prairie and Lake Mille Lacs.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Idaho, March 3, 2015$2,000 · 3 eventsTwo to as much as 8 inches of snow fell on March 3rd causing extensive traffic accidents on southeast Idaho roads.
• Blizzard in South Dakota, March 3, 201515 eventsA strong cold front moving across the region brought very strong northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph. These strong winds combined with 1 to 4 inches of newly fallen snow resulted in blizzard conditions during the early and late morning hours.
• Winter Weather in Indiana, March 3, 201517 eventsPeriods of light freezing rain in advance of an approaching warm front created slick roadways in time for the morning commute on March 3rd. Ice accretions of around a tenth of an inch were common.
• Winter Weather in Wisconsin, March 3, 20159 eventsA surge of relatively mild and moist air brought a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing drizzle to southeast WI and far southern WI. The snow and sleet fell during morning rush hour and was followed by freezing drizzle later in the morning.
• Winter Weather in Michigan, March 3, 201512 eventsModerate snow developed across much of Upper Michigan on the 3rd in advance of a couple of low pressure disturbances.
• Winter Weather in Ohio, March 3 to 7, 20156 eventsPeriods of light freezing rain in advance of an approaching warm front created slick roadways in time for the morning commute on March 3rd. Ice accretions of around a tenth of an inch were common.
• Winter Weather in South Dakota, March 3, 201517 eventsSnowfall mostly 1 to 2 inches, with a couple 3 inch reports, combined with north to northwest winds gusting as high as 40 mph, to produce areas of blowing snow. Visibilities lowered locally and briefly to between a quarter mile and one mile.
• Blizzard in Minnesota, March 3, 20152 eventsA strong cold front moving across the region brought very strong northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph. These strong winds combined with 2 to 4 inches of newly fallen snow resulted in blizzard conditions during the mid and late morning hours.
• Winter Weather in Minnesota, March 3, 20156 eventsSnowfall mostly 1 to 2 inches, with a couple reports between 2 and 3 inches, combined with north to northwest winds gusting as high as 40 mph, to produce areas of blowing snow. Visibilities lowered locally and briefly to between a quarter mile and one mile.
• Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 3, 201510 eventsA warm front lifting north through the area resulted in light freezing rain and sleet.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, March 3, 20156 eventsA warm front lifting north through the area resulted in light freezing rain and sleet.
• Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 3, 20155 eventsA low pressure system, moving northeastward out of the plains toward the Great Lakes, lifted a warm front across the region during the morning and afternoon on the 3rd.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, March 3, 201517 eventsA warm front lifting north through the area resulted in light freezing rain and sleet.
• Winter Weather in District of Columbia, March 3, 20151 eventA warm front lifting north through the area resulted in light freezing rain and sleet.
• Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 3 to 4, 20151 death · 1 injured · 13 eventsAn approaching warm front generated a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain in Eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd.
• Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 3, 201521 eventsAn approaching warm front generated a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain in New Jersey during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. Snow and/or sleet accumulations averaged 1 to 3 inches in northwest New Jersey and around an inch or less throughout the rest of the state.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, March 3, 20153 eventsAn approaching warm front generated a mixture of sleet and freezing rain along the upper Maryland Eastern Shore during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. Any snow was brief. Sleet accumulations averaged a trace.
• Winter Weather in Delaware, March 3, 20153 eventsAn approaching warm front generated a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain in New Castle County, sleet and freezing rain in Kent County and some sleet in Sussex County during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd.
• Winter Weather in Texas, March 3 to 5, 201510 eventsWintry precipitation, including freezing drizzle and snow, impacted portions of the Texas Panhandle from late during the evening of the 3rd through the evening of the 4th.
• Winter Weather in Oklahoma, March 3 to 4, 20152 eventsAs much as 2 inches of snow accumulated across the central and eastern portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle from the evening of the 3rd through the afternoon of the 4th.
• Blizzard in Alaska, March 3 to 4, 20152 eventsA low pressure center tracked east over the southern Arctic Ocean and produced blizzard conditions along the central and eastern Beaufort Sea coast during the evening of the 3rd and into the early morning of the 4th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, March 4, 20156 eventsA strong cold front surged through north Texas during the day of the 4th, bringing an Arctic airmass into much of the Southern Plains.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, March 4, 20151 eventA potent back door cold front oozed southwest across northeastern New Mexico late on the 3rd and into the 4th. Shallow moisture associated with the front interacted with a weak upper level low pressure system that approached from the west.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, March 4, 201512 eventsWinter storm brought moderate to locally heavy heavy snowfall and sleet accumulations to portions of southern Missouri. Total snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 6 inches with locally higher amounts up to 8 inches. The highest totals were in far south central Missouri.
• Winter Storm in Arkansas, March 4 to 5, 20154 eventsA strong upper level disturbance translated into the Southern Plains on March 4th.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, March 4 to 5, 20152 eventsA strong upper level disturbance translated into the Southern Plains on March 4th. Precipitation developed during the early morning hours across eastern Oklahoma ahead of this system and gradually changed over to wintry precipitation as the cold air deepened across the region.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, March 4 to 5, 201519 eventsA major winter storm dumped up to a foot of snow in southern Illinois. Snowfall amounts increased from north to south, ranging from just a few inches along Interstate 64 to one foot along the Ohio River at Metropolis. Rain gradually changed over to snow during the day.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, March 4 to 5, 201511 eventsA winter storm produced 4 to 10 inches of snow across southeast Missouri. Snowfall amounts increased from north to south, ranging from 4 inches near Perryville to 10 inches at New Madrid. Rain gradually changed over to snow during the day.
• Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Texas, March 4 to 5, 20152 deaths · $70,000 · 132 eventsA potent winter storm produced several rounds of winter weather on the 4th and 5th of March. Up to 4 inches of snow were reported in some areas of north Texas, along with a batch of sleet and freezing rain before the snow.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Texas, March 4, 20158 injured · 24 eventsAfter a mild start to the day, a strong cold front brought frigid air to the region by mid-morning on the 4th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Oklahoma, March 4 to 5, 201537 eventsA strong cold front surged through Oklahoma early on the 4th, bringing an Arctic airmass into much of the Southern Plains.
• Winter Storm and Flooding in Kentucky, March 4 to 7, 2015$58,000 · 91 eventsAnother major late winter storm affected the state of Kentucky from late in the day on Tuesday March 3rd through the morning of Thursday March 5th, 2015.
• Winter Storm in Indiana, March 4 to 5, 20156 eventsA winter storm produced 4 to 9 inches of snow across southwest Indiana. Snowfall amounts generally increased from north to south, ranging from about 5 inches along the White River to 8 or 9 inches along the Ohio River.
• Winter Storm in Kentucky, March 4 to 5, 20152 deaths · 11 injured · 22 eventsA major winter storm dumped 6 to 18 inches of snow across western Kentucky. The Kentucky governor declared a state of emergency for the second time in less than a month. Snowfall amounts were lowest in the Henderson and Owensboro areas, where 6 to 8 inches was reported.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Arkansas, March 4 to 5, 2015$850,000 · 45 eventsAfter springlike conditions were seen across Arkansas on March 3rd, a strong cold front surged southeast across the state on the 4th. Abundant moisture remained in place as the colder air arrived, generating widespread wintry precipitation across the state.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Ohio, March 4 to 5, 201515 eventsA slow moving cold front changed an area of moderate rain to heavy snow as it crossed from northwest to southeast Wednesday afternoon and overnight.
• Winter Weather and Sleet in Texas, March 4 to 5, 201513 eventsA potent upper level storm system brought a glaze of freezing rain, sleet and snow to a large part of West Central Texas. Roads became slippery and many school districts closed schools on March 5th across West Central Texas.
• Winter Storm in Kentucky, March 4 to 5, 201512 eventsA slow moving cold front changed an area of moderate rain to heavy snow as it crossed from northwest to southeast Wednesday afternoon. An upper level wave of energy translated east along the front and increased snowfall rates to 1 to 2 inches per hour over much of Kentucky.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Indiana, March 4 to 5, 20154 eventsA slow moving cold front changed an area of moderate rain to heavy snow as it crossed from northwest to southeast Wednesday afternoon and overnight.
• Winter Storm in Arkansas, March 4 to 5, 201512 eventsAn arctic cold front moved into the Mid-South during the daytime hours of March 4, 2015 as an upper level disturbance moved through the region. Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms developed along and behind the front.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, March 4 to 5, 20152 eventsAn arctic cold front moved into the Mid-South during the daytime hours of March 4, 2015 as an upper level disturbance moved through the region. Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms developed along and behind the front.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Tennessee, March 4 to 5, 201531 eventsThe last winter storm of a very active 2 week period of winter storms across the region brought another round of widespread ice, sleet, and snow to Middle Tennessee from the evening of March 4 into the morning hours on March 5.
• Winter Storm in Tennessee, March 4 to 5, 201521 eventsAn arctic cold front moved into the Mid-South during the daytime hours of March 4, 2015 as an upper level disturbance moved through the region. Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms developed along and behind the front.
• Ice Storm in Tennessee, March 4 to 5, 20152 eventsA deep moist southerly flow aloft continued for an extended period across the Southern Appalachian region March 4th and 5th. Problems ensued as this warm and humid air mass was undercut by an arctic intrusion throughout the day on March 5th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, March 4 to 5, 201518 eventsA cold front brought widespread heavy snow to the area with a strong convergence zone aligning across northern Virginia into eastern Maryland resulting in mesoscale banding and higher snow totals.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, March 4 to 5, 201511 eventsA cold front brought widespread heavy snow to the area with a strong convergence zone aligning across northern Virginia into eastern Maryland resulting in mesoscale banding and higher snow totals.
• Winter Storm in Mississippi, March 4 to 5, 201522 eventsAn arctic cold front moved into the Mid-South during the daytime hours of March 4, 2015 as an upper level disturbance moved through the region. Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms developed along and behind the front.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 4 to 5, 20155 eventsThe system that brought mixed precipitation and a gradual changeover to rain on the 3rd continued to plague the region on the 4th as the cold front was slowly pushed across the Upper Ohio Valley by an approaching upper level trough.
• Blizzard and Ice Storm in Virginia, March 4 to 5, 20153 eventsA deep moist southerly flow aloft continued for an extended period across the Southern Appalachian region March 4th and 5th. Problems ensued as this warm and humid air mass was undercut by an arctic intrusion throughout the day on March 5th.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 4 to 5, 20156 eventsThe system that brought mixed precipitation and a gradual changeover to rain on the 3rd continued to plague the region on the 4th as the cold front was slowly pushed across the Upper Ohio Valley by an approaching upper level trough.
• Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 4 to 5, 20151 eventThe system that brought mixed precipitation and a gradual changeover to rain on the 3rd continued to plague the region on the 4th as the cold front was slowly pushed across the Upper Ohio Valley by an approaching upper level trough.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, March 4 to 5, 20151 eventThe system that brought mixed precipitation and a gradual changeover to rain on the 3rd continued to plague the region on the 4th as the cold front was slowly pushed across the Upper Ohio Valley by an approaching upper level trough.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 4 to 5, 20154 injured · 13 eventsWaves of low pressure that formed along a sinking cold front brought most of Eastern Pennsylvania (except the Poconos) heavy snow.
• Winter Weather in Texas, March 4 to 5, 20158 eventsA cold front brought below freezing temperatures and light precipitation to parts of South Central Texas. There was a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and rain over our northern counties from Kerr to Williamson.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, March 4 to 5, 201521 eventsA cold, arctic airmass entered the region from the northwest during the late afternoon and early evening hours of Wednesday, March 4th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Louisiana, March 4 to 5, 201517 eventsA cold, arctic airmass entered the region from the northwest during the late afternoon and early evening hours of Wednesday, March 4th.
• Winter Storm in Arkansas, March 4 to 5, 20159 eventsA cold, arctic airmass entered the region from the northwest during the late afternoon and early evening hours of Wednesday, March 4th.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, March 4 to 5, 20151 eventA cold, arctic airmass entered the region from the northwest during the late afternoon and early evening hours of Wednesday, March 4th.
• Winter Storm in Virginia, March 5, 201529 eventsA cold front brought widespread heavy snow to the area with a strong convergence zone aligning across northern Virginia into eastern Maryland resulting in mesoscale banding and higher snow totals.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, March 5, 20151 death · 2 injured · 21 eventsWaves of low pressure that formed along a sinking cold front brought New Jersey heavy snow and the southern half of the state its heaviest snow of the season. Snowfall averaged 4 to 9 inches with the highest amounts in central New Jersey. Less snow fell in Sussex County.
• Sleet in Mississippi, March 5, 2015$3,000 · 23 eventsWith only a little over a week since the previous heavy snowfall event on February 25th, the region again saw another winter weather maker. Luckily for most of the area, the region had begun a warmup that helped alleviate a lot of road issues.
• Sleet in Louisiana, March 5, 20158 eventsWith only a little over a week since the previous heavy snowfall event on February 25th, the region again saw another winter weather maker. Luckily for most of the area, the region had begun a warmup that helped alleviate a lot of road issues.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Virginia, March 5, 20157 eventsA strong southerly flow resulted in very warm moist air entering the region leading up to the early morning hours of March 5th. Precipitable water values ranged from one inch west of interstate 77 to around 1.25 inches east of the Blue Ridge.
• Sleet in Arkansas, March 5, 20152 eventsWith only a little over a week since the previous heavy snowfall event on February 25th, the region again saw another winter weather maker. Luckily for most of the area, the region had begun a warmup that helped alleviate a lot of road issues.
• Winter Storm in Tennessee, March 5, 20151 death · 3 eventsA strong Arctic cold front pushed southeast through the region during the late afternoon and early evening hours on the 3rd, dropping temperatures from the upper 60s and lower 70s into the upper 20s to lower 30s by the morning of the 4th.
• Heavy Snow in New Jersey, March 5, 20156 eventsRain associated with a wave of low pressure moving along a cold front to the south changed to snow before sunrise on March 5, and became heavy across portions of Northeast New Jersey.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Connecticut, March 5, 20155 eventsRain associated with a wave of low pressure moving along a cold front to the south changed to snow before sunrise on March 5, and became heavy across portions of Southern Connecticut.
• Winter Storm in Alabama, March 5, 201511 eventsA strong Arctic cold front pushed southeast through the region during the late afternoon and early evening hours on the 3rd, dropping temperatures from the 70s into the upper 20s to middle 30s by the morning of the 4th.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in West Virginia, March 5, 20155 eventsA strong southerly flow resulted in very warm moist air entering the region leading up to the early morning hours of March 5th. Precipitable water values were observed ranging from one inch west of interstate 77 to around 1.25 inches east of the Blue Ridge.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New York, March 5, 201514 eventsRain associated with a wave of low pressure moving along a cold front to the south changed to snow before sunrise on March 5, and became heavy across Southeast New York.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Maryland, March 5, 20155 eventsWaves of low pressure that formed along a sinking cold front brought the Eastern Shore its heaviest snow of the season on the 5th. Snowfall averaged 4.5 to 8.5 inches with the highest amounts in Cecil County.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Delaware, March 5, 201523 injured · 4 eventsWaves of low pressure that formed along a sinking cold front brought Delaware its heaviest snow of the season on the 5th. Snowfall averaged 4 to 8 inches with the highest amounts in New Castle County and the lowest amounts on coastal Sussex County.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, March 5 to 6, 20158 eventsLow pressure moved along a cold front stalled south of southern New England, bringing accumulating snow to much of the region. Snow was focused along the south coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Cape Cod and the islands.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Rhode Island, March 5 to 6, 20156 eventsLow pressure moved along a cold front stalled south of southern New England, bringing accumulating snow to much of the region. Snow was focused along the south coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Cape Cod and the islands.
• Sleet and Winter Weather in Alabama, March 5, 20159 eventsOn Thursday, March 5, 2015, the northern half of Central Alabama observed a mixture of wintry precipitation mainly in the form of sleet. The precipitation began as light freezing rain, but quickly changed over to sleet in most locations.
• Winter Weather and Astronomical Low Tide in Louisiana, March 5 to 6, 20155 eventsA cold air mass moved into Louisiana during the first week of March behind an arctic cold front. During the morning of the 5th an upper level disturbance moved across the region producing a light dusting of snow and sleet across sections of Central Louisiana.
• Winter Storm in District of Columbia, March 5, 20151 eventA cold front brought widespread heavy snow to the area with a strong convergence zone aligning across northern Virginia into eastern Maryland resulting in mesoscale banding and higher snow totals.
• Winter Weather in Virginia, March 5, 201513 eventsLow pressure moving from the Tennessee Valley eastward and off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced between one half inch and four inches of snow across portions of central Virginia and the Virginia Northern Neck during Thursday, March 5th.
• Winter Storm in Virginia, March 5, 20156 eventsLow pressure moving from the Tennessee Valley eastward and off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced between three inches and seven inches of snow across portions of central Virginia and the Virginia Northern Neck during Thursday, March 5th.
• Winter Storm in Maryland, March 5, 20152 eventsLow pressure moving from the Tennessee Valley eastward and off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced between three inches and six inches of snow across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore during Thursday, March 5th.
• Winter Weather in Maryland, March 5, 20153 eventsLow pressure moving from the Tennessee Valley eastward and off the Mid Atlantic Coast produced between one inch and four inches of snow across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore during Thursday, March 5th.
• Winter Weather in Alabama, March 5, 20151 eventLight freezing rain and sleet fell across portions of interior southwest Alabama causing a light accumulation.
• Sleet in Mississippi, March 5, 20151 eventA light mix of precipitation fell across southeast Mississippi.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 5 to 7, 20153 eventsA 986 mb low pressure system and associated frontal boundary pushed across the Seward Peninsula on the 6th of March. Snow began early on the 6th and lingered into the morning of the 7th.

The snowstorm of February 20 to 22, 2015The snowstorm of November 20 to 22, 2015Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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