The snowstorm of November 9 to 13, 2012
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 2 regions 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 | 2.62 | Category 1, Notable | 431,354 | 2,995,189 | 19 | 137 |
| Upper Midwest | 0.00 | Below category 1 | 204,020 | 21,022,717 | 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
- 102
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
- Episodes
- 13
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
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Montana, November 8 to 10, 2012A strong Pacific storm system interacted with a cold arctic airmass to bring widespread heavy snow to the forecast area between November 8 and 10, 2012. Impacts from this storm included traffic accidents, road/school closures and aviation delays.
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 8 to 10, 2012A warm front associated with a 986 mb low pressure system in Bristol Bay brought abundant moisture and warming to the Yukon Delta on November 9th. Warm air overriding cold air at the surface produced freezing rain over the Yukon Delta and heavy snow over the Lower Yukon Valley.
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, November 9 to 10, 2012A cold air mass moved south out of Canada and combined with a powerful storm system that moved in from the Pacific Northwest Coast. This resulted in periods of heavy snow across portions of the Billings Forecast Area.
- Heavy Snow in North Dakota, November 9 to 11, 2012A complex winter weather event materialized across the Northern Plains November 8th through early November 11th. Three waves of winter weather impacted west and central North Dakota, the third wave being the most severe.
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, November 10 to 11, 2012As a surface low pressure system tracked from eastern South Dakota on the afternoon of the 10th into southwestern Ontario by the morning of the 11th, a variety of weather occurred over North Dakota and Minnesota.
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, November 10 to 11, 2012As a surface low pressure system tracked from eastern South Dakota on the afternoon of the 10th into southwestern Ontario by the morning of the 11th, a variety of weather occurred over North Dakota and Minnesota.
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Mexico, November 10 to 11, 2012An unseasonably cold upper-level low pressure system over the Pacific Northwest on the 7th pushed slowly southeast across the Great Basin and into New Mexico through the 10th.
- Heavy Snow in Washington, November 11 to 12, 2012A vigorous Pacific frontal system brought heavy snow to several locations in the Cascades.
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, November 11, 2012Isolated snow showers moved out of northeast New Mexico and into the extreme western Oklahoma Panhandle during the evening hours on November 11th. The snow showers formed behind an upper level trough which had moved into the Central Plains earlier in the day.
- Heavy Snow in Washington, November 12, 2012A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow, which spilled over the East Slopes of the Washington Cascades the night of November 11th through the early morning hours of November 12th.
- Winter Weather in Michigan, November 12 to 13, 2012Arctic air spreading over Lake Superior in the wake of a cold front generated moderate lake effect snow from the 12th into the morning of the 13th.
- Winter Weather in Illinois, November 12 to 13, 2012A 42 year-old man was killed when he was struck by another car on the expressway after leaving his own vehicle following a collision. The season's first light snow as well as black ice contributed to the accident.
- Blizzard in Alaska, November 13, 2012A 988 mb low near Banks Island by 0900AKST on the 13th coupled with a strong 1034 high pressure center over the Chukchi sea created a strong pressure gradient, providing strong winds and blizzard conditions at Barter Island.
More
The snowstorm of November 8 to 9, 2012The snowstorm of December 8 to 10, 2012Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.