The snowstorm of November 9 to 11, 2014
A snowstorm NOAA ranked in 2 regions on its Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Upper Midwest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Midwest | 1.71 | Category 1, Notable | 214,524 | 15,551,606 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Rockies and Plains | 1.22 | Category 1, Notable | 414,604 | 4,570,144 | 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
- 146
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Damage
- $25,000
- Episodes
- 20
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 in North Dakota, November 9 to 10, 2014Surface low pressure moved into western South Dakota as a mid-level wave passed through the region.
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, November 9 to 10, 2014A surface low pressure area swinging southeast across the region brought heavy snow to parts of north central and northeast South Dakota. Six to nine inches of snow fell from the late evening of the 9th to the early evening of the 10th.
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, November 9 to 10, 2014A strong upper level disturbance and Arctic cold front moved through the area, bringing snow and much colder temperatures that persisted for several days.
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, November 9 to 11, 2014The seasons first blast of arctic air arrived on November 9th. An arctic front moved through the Billings Forecast Area during the afternoon and evening hours of the 9th.
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, November 9 to 10, 2014An early winter storm brought a record snowfall amount, on November 10th, to St. Cloud, Minnesota with 13.2 inches. This is a daily record as well as the most snowfall in any 24 hour period for any November. St.
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, November 10, 2014A strong area of low pressure moving across the region brought heavy snow of 6 to 7 inches to parts of west central Minnesota. Some snowfall amounts included, 6 inches at Ortonville, and 7 inches at Clinton and Browns Valley.
- Cold in Texas, November 10 to 11, 2014A strong cold front moved across the Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 10th. The post-frontal airmass allowed temperatures to drop well below freezing across all of the Texas Panhandle to bring an end to the growing season.
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, November 10, 2014An early winter storm brought nearly a foot of snow to portions of west central Wisconsin, Monday, November 10th.
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, November 10, 2014Surface low pressure tracked from eastern Nebraska into southwest Wisconsin on November 10th, spreading a swath of snow mainly across northern South Dakota through central Minnesota. The heaviest snow fell from Watertown, South Dakota, through the St.
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, November 10 to 11, 2014Parts of north central Wisconsin received up to ten inches of snow from the first winter storm of the season. Two rounds of snow impacted the region as an area of low pressure moved from Nebraska into lower Michigan from November 10th into the 11th.
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, November 10 to 13, 2014A low pressure area moved from central Nebraska and through Wisconsin. The low brought widespread snowfall of 8 to 16 inches to northwest Wisconsin with higher amounts in the snowbelt areas. Off-lake winds provided lake-induced snow to the snowbelt areas.
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, November 10 to 12, 2014A complex storm system affected the region November 10-11, 2014, bringing a swath of heavy snow to parts of northern Wisconsin. The main storm hit in two phases.
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, November 10 to 11, 2014A low pressure moved from central Nebraska and through Wisconsin. The low brought widespread snowfall of 6 to 9 to parts of east central and northeast Minnesota, but as much as 14 of snow near Pine City.
- Winter Weather in South Dakota, November 10, 2014Snow, preceded briefly by freezing drizzle, accumulated 2 to 6 inches from northwest of Huron to the Brookings area during the daytime and early evening of November 10th.
- Winter Weather in Minnesota, November 10, 2014Snow, accompanied briefly by freezing drizzle, accumulated 1 to 3 inches in Lincoln and Lyon Counties in southwest Minnesota during the daytime and evening of November 10th.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, November 10 to 12, 2014A low pressure system organizing over the Northern Central Plains on the 10th deepened as it lifted east across northern Lower Michigan on the 11th. The strong storm system brought periods of heavy snow to all but the far south central U.P. from the 10th into the 12th.
- Winter Weather in Wyoming, November 10 to 11, 2014An upper level disturbance combined with the passage of a strong arctic cold front produced light to moderate snowfall over portions of east central and southeast Wyoming. Total accumulations ranged from two to five inches.
- Cold in Oklahoma, November 10 to 11, 2014A strong cold front moved across the Oklahoma Panhandle during the evening hours of the 10th. The post-frontal airmass allowed temperatures to drop well below freezing across all of the Oklahoma Panhandle to bring an end to the growing season.
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Oregon, November 11 to 14, 2014An early cold snap hit the Pacific Northwest before moist Pacific air moved in and resulted in one of the earliest snow, sleet, and freezing rain events in northwestern Oregon.
- Extreme Cold in Idaho, November 12, 2014Wind chills of -20 to -30 were present in the Upper Snake River Highlands and Snake River Plain.
More
The snowstorm of March 15 to 18, 2014The snowstorm of November 26 to 28, 2014Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.