The snowstorm of October 1 to 2, 1999
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 | 0.42 | Below category 1 | 268,108 | 1,972,098 | 0 | 0 |
| Upper Midwest | 0.14 | Below category 1 | 70,595 | 5,288,510 | 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
- 33
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $75,000
- Episodes
- 8
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
- Ice Storm in Alaska, September 30, 1999An occluded front moved over southern Norton Sound on the 30th , eventually dissipating near the Seward Peninsula that evening.
- Winter Storm in Alaska, October 1, 1999An Occluded Front moved over southwest Alaska then stalled over the north Lower Yukon Valley with subsequent waves not moving as far north. Freezing Rain occured at Kaltag, which received .03 inch, and at Galena, which received .01 inch , both liquid equivalents.
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, October 1, 1999Six to twelve inches of snow fell in a narrow band across the southern half of Harding and Perkins Counties and northern Ziebach County. Hundreds of trees that still had leaves on them had large branches broken off by the heavy, wet snow.
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, October 1, 1999A narrow band of 6 to 8 inches of snow fell in central South Dakota from the early morning hours to the early afternoon hours.
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, October 1, 1999An early season snowfall of 4 to 8 inches caused damage to trees and power lines because of the heavy, wet nature of the snow. A few power outages occurred.
- Cold in Alabama, October 1, 1999The record low temperature of 44 degrees was tied at Dannelly Field.
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, October 1, 1999An early season snowfall of 4 to 6 inches cause damage to trees and power lines because of the weight of the heavy, wet snow. A few power outages occurred.
- Winter Weather in Minnesota, October 1, 1999One of the earliest significant snowfalls ever fell in a narrow track across southern Minnesota. Vesta in Redwood county reported 3.0 inches, while Montgomery in LeSeur County collected 4.0 inches.
More
The snowstorm of March 12 to 16, 1999The snowstorm of October 4 to 5, 1999Snow nowEvery winter storm filed
Sources
NOAA NCEI Regional Snowfall Index, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.