The snowstorm of October 25 to 31, 2011

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

248

Deaths

10

Injuries

5

Damage

$11 million

Episodes

38

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 Alaska, October 25 to 26, 20111 eventA 985 mb low near the Bering Strait brought heavy snowfall to the Kotzebue area. A total of 7.9 inches of snow fell on the 25th, with an additional 4.6 inches on the 26th. There was a storm total of 12.5 inches at the Kotzebue WFO.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, October 25 to 26, 201112 eventsA strong, fast-moving Pacific storm system and cold front moved across the central Rockies, and combined with moist upslope flow, generated significant snowfall over much of southeast Wyoming.
• Winter Storm in Nebraska, October 25 to 26, 20111 eventA strong, fast-moving Pacific storm system and cold front moved across the central Rockies, and combined with moist upslope flow, generated significant snowfall over southern portions of the western Nebraska Panhandle.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, October 25 to 26, 20111 injured · 18 eventsA powerful early season storm brought heavy snow to the Front Range and adjacent plains. The heavy, wet snow caused extensive downed large branches and in some cases, entire trees.
• Winter Storm in Alaska, October 25 to 26, 20111 eventWarm Moist air aloft moving over cooler air at mountain level caused a burst of heavy snow at White Pass on the evening of 10.25 into the morning of 10.26.
• Heavy Snow in New Mexico, October 26 to 27, 20119 eventsA potent early season winter storm blanketed much of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the eastern plains of New Mexico with snow.
• Winter Weather in Texas, October 27, 20114 eventsAn upper level low which moved from the four corners region across West Texas early on the 27th provided a mechanism for snowfall across the southwestern Texas panhandle. Snowfall began before daybreak and persisted until early afternoon.
• Winter Weather in Massachusetts, October 27 to 28, 20113 eventsA wave of low pressure travelled south of Long Island, producing a tight temperature gradient to the north of the low and good isentropic lift. This resulted in snow falling across much of Southern New England.
• Winter Weather in New Hampshire, October 27, 20111 eventA wave of low pressure travelled south of Long Island, producing a tight temperature gradient to the north of the low and good isentropic lift. This resulted in snow falling across much of Southern New England.
• Winter Weather in West Virginia, October 28 to 29, 20115 eventsA developing coastal storm off the mid Atlantic coast deposited a 2 to 6 inch accumulation of snow over Randolph and Pocahontas Counties. These amounts varied depending on elevation. One to 3 inches of snow fell over Upshur, Webster, and Nicholas Counties.
• Winter Storm in Virginia, October 28 to 29, 20119 eventsHigh pressure over New England pumped in an abundant amount of cold air while low pressure developed along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Precipitation well ahead of the low overspread northern and central Virginia during the evening hours of the 28th.
• Heavy Snow in Maryland, October 28 to 29, 2011$100,000 · 1 eventAs powerful low pressure moved up the Mid Atlantic seaboard heavy wet snow fell over the higher elevations of Northern West Virginia, Garrett county Maryland, and Western Pennsylvania.
• Heavy Snow in West Virginia, October 28 to 29, 2011$50,000 · 2 eventsAs powerful low pressure moved up the Mid Atlantic seaboard heavy wet snow fell over the higher elevations of Northern West Virginia, Garrett county Maryland, and Western Pennsylvania.
• Winter Storm in West Virginia, October 28 to 29, 201111 eventsHigh pressure over New England pumped in an abundant amount of cold air while low pressure developed along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Precipitation well ahead of the low overspread eastern West Virginia during the evening hours of the 28th.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, October 28 to 29, 20119 eventsHigh pressure over New England pumped in an abundant amount of cold air while low pressure developed along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Precipitation well ahead of the low overspread Maryland on the evening of the 28th.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, October 28 to 29, 20112 eventsAs powerful low pressure moved up the Mid Atlantic seaboard heavy wet snow fell over the higher elevations of Northern West Virginia, Garrett county Maryland, and Western Pennsylvania.
• Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, October 29, 20111 death · 28 eventsAn early season, high-impact, winter storm delivered heavy, wet snow to southern and eastern sections of the CWA on Saturday, October 29, 2011.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, October 29, 20118 deaths · 2 injured · 10 eventsAn unprecedented winter storm for late October not only dropped heavy snow across most of Eastern Pennsylvania, but caused widespread power outages and road closures as many deciduous trees still had foliage.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, October 29, 201110 eventsAn unprecedented winter storm for late October not only dropped heavy snow across parts of central and all of northwest New Jersey, but caused widespread power outages as many deciduous trees still had leaves.
• Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, October 29 to 30, 20117 eventsAn early season winter storm dumped wet snow across northeast Pennsylvania, as deepening low pressure moved up the coast. Snow amounts were very elevation-dependent.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New York, October 29 to 30, 201111 eventsA historic and unprecedented early-season winter storm impacted the area on Saturday, October 29, with more than one foot of heavy wet snow falling on interior portions of the Lower Hudson Valley.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, October 29 to 30, 20111 injured · 9 eventsA historic and unprecedented early-season winter storm impacted the area on Saturday, October 29, with more than one foot of heavy wet snow falling on interior portions of northeast New Jersey. This is the first time a winter storm of this magnitude has ever occurred in October.
• Winter Storm in New York, October 29, 20112 eventsAn early season winter storm dumped wet snow across the Catskills, as deepening low pressure moved up the coast. Snow amounts were very elevation-dependent.
• Winter Weather in Delaware, October 29, 20111 eventNew Castle County Delaware was on the southwestern edge of an unprecedented winter storm on the 29th. Snowfall amounts were near an inch. A handful of outages did occur in the county and one shelter was opened in Wilmington.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Connecticut, October 29 to 30, 20111 death · $11 million · 3 eventsA rare and historic October Nor'easter brought very heavy snow to portions of southern New England on Saturday October 29. Low pressure tracked northeast from the North Carolina coast Saturday morning, rapidly strengthening as it passed well south of Nantucket Saturday evening.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Connecticut, October 29 to 30, 20111 injured · 6 eventsA historic and unprecedented early-season winter storm impacted the area on Saturday, October 29, with more than one foot of heavy wet snow falling on interior portions of Southern Connecticut. This is the first time a winter storm of this magnitude has ever occurred in October.
• Winter Storm in New York, October 29 to 30, 201111 eventsAn early season Nor'easter dumped heavy wet snow on east central New York mainly to the south and east of the Capital District with snowfall amounts dropping off rapidly to the north and west. The storm tapped both Atlantic and subtropical moisture.
• Winter Storm in Connecticut, October 29 to 30, 20112 eventsAn early season Nor'easter dumped heavy wet snow on Litchfield County. The storm tapped both Atlantic and subtropical moisture. Snowfall rates were as high as 2 to 4 inches an hour in mesoscale snowbands. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 1 1/2 feet across the county.
• Winter Storm in Massachusetts, October 29 to 30, 20112 eventsAn early season Nor'easter dumped heavy wet snow on the Berkshires. The storm tapped both Atlantic and subtropical moisture. Snowfall rates were as high as 2 to 4 inches an hour in mesoscale snowbands.
• Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in New Hampshire, October 29 to 30, 2011$155,000 · 4 eventsA rare and historic October Nor'easter brought very heavy snow to portions of southern New England on Saturday October 29. Low pressure tracked northeast from the North Carolina coast Saturday morning, rapidly strengthening as it passed well south of Nantucket Saturday evening.
• Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, October 29 to 30, 20119 eventsAn area of low pressure developed off the coast of North Carolina Saturday morning, October 29, then moved north to just east of the Delmarva Peninsula by Saturday evening, and through the Gulf of Maine Saturday night.
• Winter Storm in Vermont, October 29 to 30, 20113 eventsAn early season Nor'easter dumped heavy wet snow across southern Vermont. The storm tapped both Atlantic and subtropical moisture. Snowfall rates were as high as 1 to 3 inches an hour in mesoscale snowbands.
• Heavy Snow in Maine, October 29 to 30, 201113 eventsAn area of low pressure developed off the coast of North Carolina Saturday morning, October 29, then moved north to just east of the Delmarva Peninsula by Saturday evening, and through the Gulf of Maine Saturday night.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Vermont, October 29 to 30, 2011$30,000 · 2 eventsAn early season Nor'easter developed off the Mid-Atlantic coast on October 29th and quickly intensified as it moved just southeast of Cape Cod into the Gulf of Maine by October 30th.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, October 30, 20117 eventsIntensifying low pressure tracking across the Gulf of Maine to Nova Scotia brought the first significant snow of the season to portions of Downeast Maine...east-central Maine and the central Maine highlands.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, November 1, 20111 eventAn unstable northwest flow brought heavy snow to mainly the northwest facing slopes of the Big Horn Mountains.
• Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 1 to 2, 2011103 kt wind · 2 eventsAn intense low in the northern Gulf of Alaska produced moderate to heavy snow in the Chugach Mountains along with strong outflow gap winds. The Strong wind and snow resulted in blizzard conditions through Thompson Pass.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Colorado, November 1 to 2, 201116 eventsA storm system brought another around of moderate to heavy snow to the region. Areas in and near the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide were hit the hardest with anywhere from 8 to 14 inches.

The snowstorm of April 15 to 17, 2011The snowstorm of January 12 to 14, 2012Snow nowEvery winter storm filed

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