The snowstorm of October 21 to 24, 2009

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

37

Deaths

1

Injuries

0

Damage

$46,000

Episodes

9

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 Hail in New Mexico, October 20 to 21, 2009$10,000 · 60 kt wind · 8 eventsA potent storm system moved across southern California and Nevada, into Arizona and eventually New Mexico. The system tapped into abundant moisture from the south that overspread the state, setting the stage for significant rain over much of northern and central New Mexico.
• Winter Storm in Colorado, October 20 to 21, 20098 eventsA winter storm system moved across the Four-corners region and northern New Mexico generating heavy snow amounts. Eight inches accumulated around Farisita in Huerfano County.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, October 20 to 22, 20098 eventsHeavy snow developed along the Palmer Divide and eastern Colorado as a storm system tracked across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The heaviest snow fell to the south and east of Denver.
• Heavy Snow in Colorado, October 21 to 22, 20092 eventsA large weather system produced the first significant snowfall of the season for much of northeast and east central Colorado. Snowfall totals of 6-12 inches were common across Yuma and Kit Carson counties.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, October 21 to 22, 2009$36,000 · 2 eventsA slow-moving winter storm produced one to six inches of snow across extreme southwest Nebraska. Eighteen utility poles were broken from the weight of heavy, wet snow, resulting in power outages in parts of Dundy and Hitchcock counties.
• Winter Weather in Nebraska, October 22, 20091 death · 1 eventModerate snow began during the early morning hours and persisted through noon MST on October 22nd. The snowfall and slick roads indirectly resulted in the death of a 15 year old male when he lost control of his vehicle and collided head on with another vehicle.
• Blizzard in Alaska, October 21 to 22, 20091 eventA strong pressure gradient between a 1032 mb high well off the north coast of Alaska in the Arctic Ocean, and a 973 mb low near Kodiak Island, produced a period of strong winds along the Central Beaufort Sea Coast from late on the evening of the 21st through the afternoon hours…
• Winter Weather in Michigan, October 23 to 24, 20096 eventsA low pressure system originating in the southern Plains tracked across far eastern Lake Superior and brought snow to much of the west half of Upper Michigan on the 23rd and 24th.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, October 25 to 26, 20091 eventLight snow fell much of the day on the 25th, but heavier accumulations did not start until late in the evening as upslope flow interacted with weak disturbances in northwest flow aloft. The greatest snowfall amounts were generally above 8000 feet.

The snowstorm of October 3 to 6, 2009The snowstorm of October 27 to 30, 2009Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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