The snowstorm of November 20 to 22, 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

202

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Damage

None recorded

Episodes

26

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.

• Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, November 19 to 20, 201576 kt wind · 4 eventsA warm front associated with a low in the Bering Sea moved across SouthCentral Alaska. This brought high winds to the Anchorage area and heavy snowfall to the Susitna Valley.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, November 19 to 20, 20152 eventsA strong upper level disturbance and cold front brought periods of light to moderate snowfall to the northern Nebraska Panhandle. Strong northwest winds of 35 to 45 mph created considerable blowing snow and poor visibilities.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, November 19 to 20, 20151 eventA moist and unstable upslope flow brought accumulating snow to the Sheridan foothills.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in South Dakota, November 20, 201515 eventsSnow accumulated 6 to 18 inches in southeast South Dakota south of Interstate 90, from early morning into the evening of November 20th. The snow was accompanied by light winds. Accumulations dropped off very sharply to the north of Interstate 90.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 20 to 21, 201557 kt wind · 2 eventsAn intense warm front moved into the Panhandle on the evening of November 20th and into the Yukon on the 21st. This caused the pressure difference along northern Lynn Canal to become very strong causing high SSW wind at Skagway.
• Heavy Snow in Nebraska, November 20, 20152 eventsA strong clipper system moved from the northern Rocky Mountains into the northern Plains during the day on Friday November 20th.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Minnesota, November 20, 20153 eventsSnow accumulated up to 8 inches in southwest Minnesota near the southern border of the state from the morning into the evening of November 20th. Accumulations dropped off sharply to the north, with 2 inches or less along the northern edge of the southern tier of counties.
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, November 20, 201511 eventsSnow accumulated 6 to 18 inches in northwest Iowa from the morning into the evening of November 20th. The snow was accompanied by light winds.
• Heavy Snow in Nebraska, November 20, 20152 eventsSnow accumulated 5 to 8 inches in extreme northeast Nebraska from the morning into the evening of November 20th. The snow was accompanied by light winds.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, November 20 to 21, 201531 eventsLow pressure was working its way off the Rockies and eastward along the Nebraska/Kansas border through the day Friday (20th).
• Heavy Snow in Iowa, November 20 to 21, 20157 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked across the Central Plains and spread a band of heavy snow into northeast Iowa during the afternoon of November 20th. The snow continued through much of the early morning hours of the 21st before tapering off after sunrise.
• Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, November 20 to 21, 20152 eventsAn area of low pressure tracked across the Central Plains and spread a band of heavy snow into southwest Wisconsin during the afternoon of November 20th. The snow continued through much of the early morning hours of the 21st before tapering off during the late morning.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, November 20 to 21, 201516 eventsA strengthening polar trough and front brought heavy snow to southern Wisconsin, mainly along and south of a line from Lone Rock to Milwaukee. Lake enhanced snow contributed to the overall snow totals over far southeast Wisconsin.
• Heavy Snow in Illinois, November 20 to 21, 201513 eventsThe first storm of the season for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana left a nearly 300 mile wide swath of snow across portions of the Midwest. Over 16 inches of snow fell across far northern portions of Illinois.
• Winter Storm in Iowa, November 20 to 21, 201516 eventsA potent low pressure system moved across Missouri and southern Illinois Nov. 20th and 21st, bringing the season's first snowfall to much of the area. Widespread snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches were found across northern Iowa and the Wisconsin-Illinois border.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, November 20 to 21, 20159 eventsA potent low pressure system moved across Missouri and southern Illinois Nov. 20th and 21st, bringing the season's first snowfall to much of the area. Widespread snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches were found across northern Iowa and the Wisconsin-Illinois border.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, November 20 to 21, 20153 eventsLow pressure tracked from near Kansas City during the evening of November 20th into the Ohio River Valley by the morning of November 21st.
• Heavy Snow in Indiana, November 20 to 21, 20152 eventsThe first storm of the season for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana left a nearly 300 mile wide swath of snow across portions of the Midwest. Over 16 inches of snow fell across far northern portions of Illinois.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, November 21, 20155 eventsSnow overspread the area during the morning hours of November 21st and became heavy at times in the afternoon. This occurred as a strengthening low pressure system tracked northeast through the region.
• Heavy Snow in Michigan, November 21, 201510 eventsThe winter season started off with a bang as a strong winter storm hit across the Plains and Midwest. Less than two days prior, Southeast Michigan saw temperatures in the 60 degree range before temperatures quickly cooled off back below freezing as the winter storm took hold.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Indiana, November 21, 201521 eventsSnow overspread the area during the morning hours of November 21st and became heavy at times in the afternoon. This occurred as a strengthening low pressure system tracked northeast through the region.
• Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Michigan, November 21 to 22, 20154 eventsThe arrival of deeper moisture and colder air in tandem with an approaching upper level disturbance generated moderate to locally heavy lake effect snow for the northwest wind snow belts downwind of Lake Superior from the 21st into the 22nd.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Ohio, November 21, 20154 eventsSnow overspread far northwest Ohio during the early afternoon hours of November 21st and became heavy at times in the afternoon before ending early in the evening. This occurred as a strengthening low pressure system tracked northeast through the region.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, November 21 to 22, 20151 eventHeavy lake effect impacted a small portion of northwest lower Michigan, in the wake of low pressure that passed just south of the state on the 21st. Southern and western Manistee County got by far the worst of it, with 10 inches of snowfall in Wellston.
• Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, November 22 to 24, 201588 kt wind · 4 eventsA 967 mb low pressure system entered the Bering Sea at the end of November. Cold air advection behind the system brought high winds to the western Aleutians.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 23 to 26, 201566 kt wind · 12 eventsA 968 mb low pressure center in the western Bering Sea along with the associated occluded front pushed northeast towards Saint Lawrence Island during the morning hours of the 23rd of November 2015.

The snowstorm of March 3 to 5, 2015The snowstorm of January 22 to 24, 2016Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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