The snowstorm of November 29 to December 3, 2006

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

720

Deaths

13

Injuries

280

Damage

$341 million

Episodes

76

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 in Oregon, November 27 to 28, 200618 eventsAn early season snowstorm brought winter weather to northwest Oregon. Much of the snow fell in the Coast Range, Cascades, and the Cascade foothills. However, snow did make it down to the valley floor, with significant amounts seen in and near the western Columbia River Gorge.
• Heavy Snow in Washington, November 27 to 28, 20065 eventsAn early season snowstorm brought winter weather to southwest Washington. Much of the snow fell in the Cascades and the Cascade Foothills. However, snow did make it down to the valley floor, with significant amounts seen in and near the western Columbia River Gorge.
• Heavy Snow in Utah, November 27 to 29, 200610 eventsAn unseasonably cold storm system brought arctic air and heavy snow to much of the state over a 3 day period. The cold front pushed through northern Utah and stalled across central Utah on the evening of the 27th..
• Winter Storm in North Dakota, November 27 to 28, 20065 eventsLow pressure over the northern Rockies moved through the Dakotas and brought ample moisture northward ahead of it. Winter storm criteria was met in Divide, Burke, Renville, Williams, and Mountrail counties. Freezing rain fell at the onset, especially in Burke County.
• Ice Storm in Minnesota, November 28, 20061 eventWarm moist air overrunning cold air at the surface produced freezing rain across far northern Minnesota on Tuesday November 28th. A quarter inch of glaze resulted from this winter storm.
• Ice Storm in Minnesota, November 28, 20064 eventsOn tuesday morning (11/28/06), an area of surface low pressure was located west of Marshall, Minnesota. The low moved nearly straight north through the rest of the morning, reaching the Ada, Minnesota, area by noon.
• Extreme Cold in Idaho, November 28 to 29, 20061 eventWind chill temperatures from -20 to -26 were recorded at the Road Creek Raws site overnight on November 28th to the morning of November 29th. Sustained winds of 10 to 20 mph were recorded with temperatures ranging from plus 1 to negative 6.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 28 to 30, 20068 eventsA blocking upper ridge that had frozen SE Alaska for a week finally moved east. By 11/29, a 988 MB Storm Force Low developed over the Central Gulf as a 995 MB triple point Low moved into the Queen Charlottes.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Texas, November 29 to 30, 20063 injured · $1.5 million · 25 eventsA winter storm produced widespread heavy snowfalls over the west Texas South Plains region during the early morning and day time hours of the 30th.
• Ice Storm in Kansas, November 29, 20062 injured · $18,000 · 6 eventsA strong Arctic cold front swept through the region on Wednesday the 29th of November. Rain, which had been falling through a warm layer in the atmosphere, quickly changed to freezing rain and some sleet.
• Ice Storm in Missouri, November 29, 200628 eventsA strong Arctic cold front swept through the region on November 29th. As the cold air surged south during the day, rain which had been falling through a warm layer in the atmosphere, quickly changed to freezing rain and some sleet as it reached the surface.
• Winter Storm and Hail in Illinois, November 29 to 30, 20060.75 in hail · 15 eventsA strong cold front moved across the great lakes region early on November 30th and became stationary across the Ohio River Valley. This cold front produced a few thunderstorms with some small hail.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, November 29, 20061 death · 14 injured · 13 eventsArctic air followed very mild weather. Then a storm system moved into the plains and dropped a mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain and freezing drizzle. Numerous non-injury accidents occurred including a school bus in the Topeka area that slid off the road.
• Ice Storm in Iowa, November 29, 2006$25,000 · 5 eventsA strong cold front moved southeast across the area during the previous 12 hours. The airmass it replaced was very warm and humid with dew points in the mid 50s and temperatures in the 60s. Behind the front, temperatures fell rapidly into the teens and 20s.
• Blizzard in Montana, November 29 to 30, 20061 eventA Pacific storm system packing strong winds and heavy snow created blizzard conditions along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front.
• Winter Storm in Texas, November 29 to 30, 2006109 injured · $40,000 · 11 eventsA strong upper level system and associated Arctic cold front created conditions favorable for the production of freezing rain, sleet, and snow over much of North Texas.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Oklahoma, November 29 to 30, 200648 eventsA strong cold front brought cold arctic air to the region. A strong upper level storm system then translated across the region over the arctic air causing winter precipitation.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, November 29 to 30, 20068 eventsCold arctic air moved into the region ahead of a strong upper level storm system that moved across the southern plains causing winter precipitation across western north Texas November 29-30. Rain, freezing rain, sleet and eventually snow fell across the area.
• Winter Storm in New Mexico, November 29 to 30, 200612 eventsHeavy snow and breezy winds developed across the central and northern mountains and the east central highlands as an upper level storm and cold front moved southeast from Utah into central New Mexico.
• Winter Storm in Oklahoma, November 29 to 30, 2006$1.0 million · 24 eventsA strong arctic cold front moved into northeastern Oklahoma by sunrise on the 29th and through southeastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 29th. Precipitation developed behind the front as warm, moist air was drawn northward above the shallow cold air near the ground.
• Winter Storm in Arkansas, November 29 to 30, 20065 eventsA strong arctic cold front moved into northwestern Arkansas during the morning of the 29th and through west central Arkansas during the afternoon of the 29th.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, November 29 to 30, 20062 deaths · 129 injured · $112 million · 29 eventsA major winter storm hit Central, Northeast, East Central and parts of Southeast Missouri from November 30 through Dcember 1. Over a foot of snow fell across parts of Central Missouri while a major ice storm hit parts of East Central and Southeast Missouri, including the St.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, November 29 to 30, 20063 injured · 17 eventsA major winter storm hit Western and Southern Illinois from November 30 through December 1, 2006. Up to a foot of snow fell across West Central Illinois while up to an inch of ice and sleet accumulated across Southwest Illinois, including the St. Louis area.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, November 29 to 30, 200623 eventsA major winter storm moved through the Midwest from late on November 29th into December 1st. Freezing rain moved into west central and central Illinois in the late hours of November 29th.
• Heavy Snow in Texas, November 29 to 30, 200618 eventsAn upper level storm system strengthened over the four corners region and then moved into eastern New Mexico. This upper level storm system produced heavy snow over much of the Texas panhandle. No damage or injuries were reported.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, November 29 to 30, 20061 eventA strong upper level short wave trough with attendant cold front dropped southward into New Mexico and brought up to 6 inches overnight to the southern Sacramento Mountains.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, November 29 to 30, 20061 eventBarber, Clark, Comanche, Hamilton, Meade, Morton, Seward, Stanton, Stevens|Snow moved north from Oklahoma during the late evening of Wednesday, November 29th, 2006. The snow began as light snow, but turned into banded snowfall by Thursday morning.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, November 30, 200617 eventsA potent upper level storm system moved across West Central Texas behind a strong Arctic airmass. These systems produced some wintry precipitation across all of the Big Country, portions of the Concho Valley and the Heartland counties.
• Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, November 30, 20062 eventsAn upper level storm system strengthened over the four corners region and then moved into eastern New Mexico. This upper level storm system produced heavy snow over the western and eastern Oklahoma panhandle. No damage or injuries were reported.
• Winter Weather in Texas, November 30, 2006$3,000 · 2 eventsA strong upper level storm system moved over the Midland forecast area bringing snow, sleet, and ice to southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. Snow amounts were small, less than 3 inches in all area.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Kansas, November 30, 200614 eventsOn November 30th, a massive winter storm produced record breaking snowfall, along with areas of freezing rain and sleet, across much of south-central and southeast Kansas.
• Winter Weather in Oregon, November 30, 20066 eventsA Pacific storm advanced over northwest Oregon, bringing rain to much of the lower elevations, and snow in the mountains.
• Winter Weather in Washington, November 30, 20061 eventA Pacific storm advanced over southwest Washington, bringing rain to much of the lower elevations, and snow in the mountains.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kansas, November 30, 20061 injured · 6 eventsAn area of very heavy snow developed and was associated with a strong low pressure system over the southern plains. Numerous school closings and non injury accidents occurred. Snow accumulated to nearly a foot in a few spots.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 30, 200654 kt wind · 3 eventsA 974 mb low moved north from the central Aleutian Islands on the 29th to Saint Lawrence island at 9pm, then curved northwest to the Chukotsk Peninsula the morning of the 30th.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, November 30, 2006$202 million · 34 eventsA major winter storm caused a combination of freezing rain, sleet, and heavy snow to fall over sections of southwest and central Missouri.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, November 30, 2006$1.7 million · 3 eventsA major winter storm caused a combination of freezing rain, sleet, and heavy snow to fall over sections of extreme southeast Kansas. The frozen precipitation began on the 30th of November and continued into the overnight and early morning hours of December 1st.
• Heavy Snow in Kansas, November 30, 20063 eventsA very strong upper level storm system tracked from southern Oklahoma into southeast Missouri, from November 30th through December 1st.|Gulf of Mexico moisture was delivered north into the cold air, and snow developed and moved across the area on the afternoon of the 30th.
• Heavy Snow in Missouri, November 30, 2006$6,000 · 18 eventsA very strong upper level storm system tracked from southern Oklahoma into southeast Missouri, November 30th through December 1st. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico streamed into the region over a cold air mass.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, November 30, 20067 eventsA major winter storm, the first significant winter event of the season, impacted an area roughly along and east of the Mississippi River.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, November 30, 20062 eventsA major winter storm, the first significant winter event of the season, impacted an area roughly along and east of the Mississippi River.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, November 30, 20064 eventsA major winter storm, the first significant winter event of the season, impacted an area roughly along and east of the Mississippi River.
• Ice Storm and Sleet in Michigan, December 1, 20068 eventsA period of freezing rain and sleet had a minimal to moderate impact on central and northern sections of Southeast Michigan. Parts of the Tri-Cities area received over an inch of sleet and up to 2 inches of snow, leading to multiple spin-outs.
• Ice Storm in Michigan, December 1, 20065 eventsA strong low pressure system moved northeast through the Ohio Valley into the eastern Great Lakes and produced moderate to heavy rainfall across the region. Surface temperatures dropped to at or below freezing across southern lower Michigan, resulting in freezing rain.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 1, 20061 death · 7 injured · $10 million · 23 eventsA major winter storm moved through the Midwest from November 29th into December 1st. Freezing rain moved into west central and central Illinois during the late hours of November 29th.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 1, 2006$7.8 million · 29 eventsA major winter storm hit Central, Northeast, East Central and parts of Southeast Missouri from November 30 through Dcember 1. Over a foot of snow fell across parts of Central Missouri while a major ice storm hit parts of East Central and Southeast Missouri, including the St.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 1, 2006$4.5 million · 17 eventsA major winter storm hit Western and Southern Illinois from November 30 through December 1, 2006. Up to a foot of snow fell across West Central Illinois while up to an inch of ice and sleet accumulated across Southwest Illinois, including the St. Louis area.
• Heavy Snow in Missouri, December 1, 200618 eventsA very strong upper level storm system tracked from southern Oklahoma into southeast Missouri November 30th through December 1st. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico streamed into the region over a cold air mass. Accumulating snow was noted south of Kansas City to Kirksville line.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 1, 200614 eventsA winter storm moved northeast across the southern great lakes region during the morning hours of December 1st. Heavy snow fell across northwest Illinois where 10 to 15 inches of snow was reported.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, December 1, 200613 eventsA major winter storm, the first significant winter event of the season, impacted an area roughly along and east of the Mississippi River.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, December 1, 20068 eventsA major winter storm, the first significant winter event of the season, impacted an area roughly along and east of the Mississippi River.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kansas, December 1, 20066 eventsThe heavy snow event of the previous day was winding down and ending early on the 1st of December. As mentioned on the previous narrative, the remarkable nature of this storm was the large difference in snowfall totals within a short distance.
• Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 1, 20063 eventsA very strong upper level storm system tracked from southern Oklahoma into southeast Missouri, from November 30th through December 1st.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 1, 20062 eventsA major winter storm, the first significant winter event of the season, impacted an area roughly along and east of the Mississippi River.
• Winter Weather in Texas, December 1, 20061 death · 7 injured · $30,000 · 2 eventsFollowing the widespread snowfall on November 30th, overnight temperatures dropped into the upper teens and 20s over most of the South Plains region. The partially melted snow pack re-froze and caused dangerous driving conditions.
• Blizzard in Wisconsin, December 1, 20061 death · 3 eventsThe first blizzard since 1999 affected locations within about 5 miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline in the counties of Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 1, 2006$310,000 · 23 eventsA strong early winter season low pressure system brought snow and freezing rain to southwestern and west central lower Michigan.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 1, 20067 eventsThe first, widespread, winter storm, to affect south-central and southeast Wisconsin in the 2006-07 season, dumped 6 to 13.5 inches of snow, and generated blowing and drifting of snow due to northeast-east winds gusting to 25-30 mph.
• Winter Storm in Michigan, December 1, 200622 eventsA strong low pressure system lifted northeast from Oklahoma across Southeast Lower Michigan. Heavy snow occurred to the left of the track of the low. Northerly winds allowed Lake Michigan to enhance the snowfall somewhat, with the heaviest snow near the coastline.
• Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 1, 20061 eventManitowoc County was on the northwest edge of a large winter storm that affected Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
• Winter Weather in New York, December 1, 2006$100,000 · 2 eventsAn elongated area of low pressure moved along a stalled cold front, draped across the northern Adirondacks, from the eastern Great Lakes through northern New York during the 1st.
• Winter Storm and High Wind in Maine, December 1 to 2, 200650 kt wind · 5 eventsLow pressure tracking across Downeast Maine brought a wintry mix of snow and sleet to northwest Maine. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches were common with local snow totals up to around 8 inches. Sleet accumulations of 1 to 3 inches were reported in the same area.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 2 to 3, 20062 eventsA lingering low pressure trough over southern Lake Superior dropped heavy lake effect snow over portions of western Upper Michigan on the evening of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd.
• Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 2 to 3, 20064 eventsA 1044 MB arctic High pressure cell over the Yukon on the afternoon of 12/2 caused a strong pressure gradient with a developing 990 MB Low that was South of the Gulf. On 12/3 a strong front associated with this Low moved onto the SE Alaska coast as the High weakened to 1029 MB.
• Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 2 to 8, 20067 deaths · 5 injured · 1 eventAfter the winter storm brought several inches of snow to northern Illinois, cold temperatures settled across the area. Low temperatures on the morning of the 3rd, 4th and 5th were in the single digits.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Wisconsin, December 3, 20062 eventsHeavy lake effect snow fell in about a 15 hour period across parts of northwest Wisconsin on December 3rd. Six to 10 inches of snowfall were the rule across Bayfield and Iron counties. Cornucopia had 8 to 10 inches of snow while 8 inches fell in Bayfield.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 3 to 4, 20064 eventsLake effect snow intensified as a weak cold front moved southward across the region. North-northwest winds behind the front produced locally heavy lake effect snow in parts of Northwest Lower Michigan. Six to eight inches of snow fell in Lake Ann, Mapleton, and Kewadin.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 3 to 4, 2006$20,000 · 1 eventA weak area of low pressure track through the northern Great Lakes and into upstate New York by the morning of the 4th. Northwest flow off of Lake Erie during this time brought lake effect snow to only a few counties throughout northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, December 3 to 4, 2006$20,000 · 1 eventA weak area of low pressure track through the northern Great Lakes and into upstate New York by the morning of the 4th. Northwest flow off of Lake Erie during this time brought lake effect snow to only a few counties throughout northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.
• Heavy Snow in Minnesota, December 3 to 4, 20062 eventsAn area of low pressure over Lake Superior east of Grand Marais brought heavy snow showers to the tip of the Arrowhead. Most of the heavier snow fell during the late morning hours. Six to 10 inches of snow fell from Grand Marais to Hovland.
• Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 4 to 5, 2006$80,000 · 8 eventsCold air built across the region following the passage of a deep low pressure system. |Off Lake Erie, a strong band of snow lifted north into the City of Buffalo right at the rush hour. The band moved through quickly but dropped 2-3 in an hour, snarling traffic for hours.
• Blizzard in Alaska, December 4, 20061 eventAn intense low over the central Aleutians produced blizzard conditions in the west quadrant of the storm over the western Aleutians.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 4 to 5, 200610 eventsAn Alberta clipper system brought a combination of synoptic snow followed by lake effect snow behind it to far western lower Michigan from December 4th through the 5th. Most of the snow fell from the mid morning hours of the 4th through the very late evening hours on the 4th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 4 to 5, 20066 eventsA clipper system brought lake enhanced and lake effect snow to the region. The heaviest snow occured with southwest winds on Lake Michigan, producing very heavy snow in Mackinac County.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 4 to 5, 2006$15,000 · 1 eventA weak area of low pressure track through the central Great Lakes and just north of Lake Erie during the morning hours of the 5th.
• Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, December 4 to 5, 2006$50,000 · 2 eventsA weak area of low pressure tracked through the central Great Lakes and just north of Lake Erie during the morning hours of the 5th.

The snowstorm of March 19 to 22, 2006The snowstorm of December 19 to 24, 2006Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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