Type | Extratropical cyclone Nor'easter Blizzard Upper-level low |
---|---|
Formed | March 1, 2013 |
Dissipated | March 21, 2013 [1] |
Lowest pressure | 986 mbar (29.1 inHg) |
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 36 inches (91 cm) Near Bear Paw Ski Bowl, Montana [2] |
Fatalities | At least 10 fatalities |
Damage | Unknown |
Power outages | >250,000 |
Areas affected | |
Part of the 2012–13 North American winter |
The March 2013 nor'easter was a powerful nor'easter that affected much of the United States, most notably New England. On March 6, the system moved into the Mid-Atlantic region of the east coast, and intensified into a nor'easter, dumping up to 3 feet of snow in some places. By late March 6, 2013, the nor'easter had knocked out power to about 250,000 homes and businesses.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2020) |
Just after the February winter storm, an extratropical cyclone developed on early March 1, 2013, in the Gulf of Alaska moved ashore in British Columbia. After moving ashore, the storm weakened as it moved into the Western United States. Over the next few days, the storm dumped large amounts of snow across the Western States and the Great Plains, affecting areas that were already impacted by a previous blizzard. The storm quickly moved eastwards while slowly restrengthening. On March 4, the storm developed a severe side over the southern states, after tapping into moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico. On March 5, the storm developed into a blizzard, while it was over the midsection of the Eastern United States, adding more snow to areas that had already received record snowfall from previous major winter storms. The blizzard conditions resulted in multiple flight cancellations and traffic problems across the Eastern States. A maximum amount of 36 inches of snow was recorded near the Bear Paw Ski Bowl in Montana. [2] On March 6, the system moved off the coast of Virginia, and intensified into a nor'easter. The storm curved towards the northeast, and began impacting New England. Light precipitation began as early as the morning of Wednesday, March 6. This precipitation started as drizzle but changed over to light snow showers as the day progressed. On the morning of Thursday, March 7, heavy snow began in parts of Connecticut, followed by a lull. This period of snow led to many 90 minute delays for Connecticut school districts. On Thursday, March 7, the nor'easter slowly began pulling away from the east coast as it moved northeastward. However, the storm continued to intensify, and brought heavy snow and powerful winds to parts of New England beginning Thursday night. From late March 7 to March 8, the nor'easter absorbed a smaller system coming in from the west, adding much more moisture to the storm, which resulted in heavy snowfall across parts of New England. Heavy snow in southern New England continued from Thursday night through much of the day on Friday. Over 2 days, the storm had dumped 10+ inches of snow across 11 states from Montana to Massachusetts. This added more snow to an already record-breaking snowfall season, which was brought on by multiple previous winter storms from February. Early on March 8, the nor'easter stalled off the coast of northern New England while maintaining its intensity, due to a blocking ridge of high pressure over Newfoundland. Later on March 8, the nor'easter began affecting southern Newfoundland, while continuing to intensify. At this time, the nor'easter reached its peak intensity of 986 millibars. On March 9, the ridge of high pressure over Newfoundland weakened enough for the nor'easter to begin moving out to sea. Up to 29.8 inches of snow were recorded in Milton, Massachusetts, by the end of the storm's snowfall on March 9. The nor'easter slowly weakened while moving eastwards, and its winds were still felt for several hours on March 9 after the snowfall had ended. By March 10, the nor'easter had completely left the east coast.
On March 11, the nor'easter reached the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean and continued weakening, as it slowly moved eastwards. On the same day, the nor'easter lost its frontal boundary and became an Upper-level low, and its eye began to shrink. On March 12, the nor'easter stalled, and began absorbing moisture coming from the tropics, and the storm lost its eye. On March 13, the system began losing its organization, and spawned a new frontal low to the north, which brought thunderstorms and strong winds to the Azores Islands. The storm slowly began moving eastward, as it continued weakening steadily. On March 14, The storm began to accelerate towards the northeast and became an extratropical storm again. Later on the same day, the system slightly reintensified and absorbed the new low, while spawning a few small circulations around the edge of the storm. The storm brought rain to Madeira, and brought cloudy weather to the Canary Islands. On March 15, the nor'easter began to rapidly weaken, and lost a lot of moisture, as it continued accelerating towards Western Europe. On March 16, the system began interacting with a much more powerful storm complex situated over the United Kingdom, and brought thunderstorms to parts of Western Europe. On March 17, the system rapidly became disorganized as it began being absorbed by the larger storm complex. During the next several days, the storm system continued to move eastward, while slowly degenerating. On March 21, the system was completely absorbed by the larger storm complex, while located over the northern Adriatic Sea. [1]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2013) |
Virginia's Governor Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency and about 100 National Guard soldiers for snow duty. The National Weather Service issued coastal flood warnings for parts of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. About 300 National Guard troops will be used along the Massachusetts coast to help with flooding and possible evacuations. [3]
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge was closed in both directions during the day Wednesday due to wind gusts of up to 60 mph. More than 1,900 flights were canceled March 6, raising to almost 4,100 the number of flights that have been canceled since the storm began according to flight tracker FlightStats. The storm dropped up to 10 inches of snow in the Chicago area on March 5. In the evening of March 6, Hatteras, North Carolina reported 3 feet of water on Highway 12 with the road impassable. [4] Despite a forecast of 5-10 inches of snow, most of the Washington DC metro area was spared. On March 5, the federal government closed offices in Washington, D.C. The White House canceled a planned celebration for the Alabama Crimson Tide and Congress called off several hearings. More than 954,000 students who attend major school districts in Washington, Virginia, Maryland and Ohio got the day off. Amtrak shut down some trains in Washington, Virginia, West Virginia and New York. [4] Some snow totals from March 6 according to AccuWeather.com were: Frostburg, Maryland: 12.5"; New Kensington, Pennsylvania: 12.0"; Charlottesville, Virginia: 14.5"; Worcester, Massachusetts 20.8 inches; Auburn, Massachusetts 19 inches; Randolph, Massachusetts:24.1 inches and Franklin, West Virginia: 24.0". More than 440 flights were canceled on March 7, according to FlightAware.com. New York City was expected to get up to 3 inches of snow by the morning of March 8 with some higher total amounts possible on eastern Long Island. Boston was expected to see 2 to 4 inches, with higher totals where a winter storm warning was issued from Worcester to just north of Providence. Winter warnings were posted in seven Northeast states with most snowfall to occur on March 8. [5] On March 7, the NWS in Boston recorded 10.2" of snow, breaking the single-day mark set in 1941. The city ended with 13.1 inches of snow. The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Massachusetts measured 29.8 inches of snow over a 36-hour period. Because the storm's wind area was so large, rough surf and rip currents were felt all the way southward towards the eastern coast of Florida over the weekend of March 9 and 10. [6]
The snowfall totals in many areas of southern New England vastly exceeded what was expected from forecasts, which meant that many people were unprepared for a large storm. Most television meteorologists in Boston had predicted only a few inches of snow and mostly rain, but this forecast failed miserably. Many towns surrounding Boston received around two feet of snow, which greatly surprised residents. Boston schools were left in session as the height of the storm occurred since they did not know the gravity of the situation.
Weather-related traffic accidents account for at least 8 deaths, 5 in the Midwest and 3 in Virginia. [7] The 67-foot fishing vessel, Seafarer, capsized on March 6, 2013 about 15 miles east of Assateague Island with 3 men on board. Two men remain missing after the Coast Guard called off the search on March 7, 2013. [8]
The North American blizzard of 2006 was a nor'easter that began on the evening of February 11, 2006. It dumped heavy snow across the Mid-Atlantic and New England states, from Virginia to Maine through the early evening of February 12, and ended in Atlantic Canada on February 13. The major cities from Baltimore to Boston received at least a foot of snow, with a second-highest amount of 26.9 inches (68 cm) in New York City, the most since at least 1869, the start of record keeping, only broken by the January 2016 United States blizzard nearly 10 years later.
The February 9–10, 2010 North American blizzard was a winter and severe weather event that afflicted the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States between February 9–11, 2010, affecting some of the same regions that had experienced a historic Nor'easter three days prior. The storm brought 10 to 20 inches of snow across a wide swath from Washington, DC to New York City, with parts of the Baltimore metro area receiving more than 20 inches (51 cm). This storm began as a classic "Alberta clipper", starting out in Canada and then moving southeast, and finally curving northeast while rapidly intensifying off the New Jersey coast, forming an eye. The National Weather Service, in an interview with The Baltimore Sun's weather reporter Frank Roylance, likened this storm to a Category 1 hurricane. Forecasters told Roylance that "Winds topped 58 mph over part of the Chesapeake Bay, and 40 mph gusts were common across the region as the storm's center deepened and drifted slowly along the mid-Atlantic coast". This storm system, in conjunction with the first storm 3 days prior, has been nicknamed Snoverkill.
The December 1960 nor'easter was a significant early-season winter storm that impacted the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States. Moderate to heavy snowfall fell from West Virginia to eastern Maine, amounting to 10 in (25 cm) or more in parts of 13 states and peaking at 21.4 in (54 cm) at Newark, New Jersey. The storm was accompanied by strong winds, gusting to over 90 mph (140 km/h) in coastal New England, and left in its wake a dangerously cold air mass. The storm originated in a weak low pressure area which formed over the western Gulf of Mexico on December 10. A secondary low developed over South Carolina on the next day, supported by the merger of two troughs aloft. Sliding southeast of New England, the new storm explosively deepened to become a full-fledged nor'easter, with a minimum central air pressure of 966 mbar. It began to weaken over the Canadian Maritimes.
The December 2010 North American blizzard was a major nor'easter and historic blizzard affecting the Contiguous United States and portions of Canada from December 22–29, 2010. From January 4–15, the system was known as Windstorm Benjamin in Europe. It was the first significant winter storm of the 2010–11 North American winter storm season and the fifth North American blizzard of 2010. The storm system affected the northeast megalopolis, which includes major cities such as Norfolk, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, Hartford, Providence, and Boston. It brought between 12 and 32 inches of snow in many of these areas.
The January 8–13, 2011 North American blizzard was a major Mid-Atlantic nor'easter and winter storm, and a New England blizzard. The storm also affected portions of the Southeastern regions of the United States. This storm came just two weeks after a previous major blizzard severely affected most of these same areas in December 2010. It was the second significant snowstorm to affect the region during the 2010–11 North American winter storm season.
The February 2013 North American blizzard, also known as Winter Storm Nemo and the Blizzard of 2013, was a powerful blizzard that developed from the combination of two areas of low pressure, primarily affecting the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada, causing heavy snowfall and hurricane-force winds. The storm crossed the Atlantic Ocean, affecting Ireland and the United Kingdom. The nor'easter's effects in the United States received a Category 3 rank on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, classifying it as a "Major" Winter Storm.
The March 2014 North American winter storm, also unofficially referred to as Winter Storm Titan, was an extremely powerful winter storm that affected much of the United States and portions of Canada. It was one of the most severe winter storms of the 2013–14 North American winter storm season, storm affecting most of the Western Seaboard, and various parts of the Eastern United States, bringing damaging winds, flash floods, and blizzard and icy conditions.
The March 2014 nor'easter was an extremely powerful extratropical cyclone that affected much of U.S. Gulf Coast, the eastern United States, eastern Canada, and Greenland. It was the most powerful winter storm of the 2013–14 North American winter storm season, being an unusually large winter storm as well, with its gale-force wind field becoming four times larger than that of Hurricane Sandy's extratropical remnant. The storm affected various parts of the Midwest, most of the Eastern Seaboard, as well as eastern Canada, bringing extremely powerful winds, and blizzard-like conditions.
The January 2015 North American blizzard was a powerful and severe blizzard that dumped up to 3 feet (910 mm) of snowfall in parts of New England. Originating from a disturbance just off the coast of the Northwestern United States on January 23, it initially produced a light swath of snow as it traveled southeastwards into the Midwest as an Alberta clipper on January 24–25. It gradually weakened as it moved eastwards towards the Atlantic Ocean, however, a new dominant low formed off the East Coast of the United States late on January 26, and rapidly deepened as it moved northeastwards towards southeastern New England, producing pronounced blizzard conditions. The nor’easter then gradually weakened as it moved away into Canada. The storm was also given unofficial names, such as Blizzard of 2015, and Winter Storm Juno.
The 2015–16 North American winter was not as frigid across North America and the United States as compared to the 2013–14 and 2014–15 winters. This was mainly due to a strong El Niño, which caused generally warmer-than-average conditions. However, despite the warmth, significant weather systems still occurred, including a snowstorm and flash flooding in Texas at the end of December and a large tornado outbreak at the end of February. The main event of the winter season, by far and large, was when a crippling and historic blizzard struck the Northeastern United States in late January, dumping up to 3 feet of snow in and around the metropolitan areas. Several other smaller snow events affected the Northeast as well, but for the most part the heaviest snowstorms and ice stayed out further west, such as a severe blizzard in western Texas in late December, and a major late-season snowstorm in Colorado in mid-April.
The 2012–13 North American winter started out somewhat early, as the remnants of Hurricane Sandy brought heavy snow to the mountains of West Virginia in late October. Later, a strong nor'easter affected the weary Northeastern United States, hampering storm recovery efforts and dropping several inches of snow. The rest of the winter featured several other notable events, such as a Christmas winter storm that affected most of the Eastern United States, and the most notable event occurring in early February, when a powerful blizzard struck the Northeast and brought record snow to some areas. During the winter, a weak El Nino was expected to influence weather conditions across the continent.
The March 2017 North American blizzard was a major late-season blizzard that affected the Northeastern United States, New England and Canada, dumping up to 3 feet of snow in the hardest hit areas, mainly New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Southern Quebec. Forming out of an extratropical cyclone near the Northwest, the storm system dived into the northern portions of the United States, dropping light to moderate snow across the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest on March 11–12 before reaching the Ohio Valley the next day. It later coalesced into a powerful nor'easter off the East Coast, producing a swath of heavy snowfall across a large portion of the Northeast. The storm was given various unofficial names, such as Winter Storm Stella, Blizzard Eugene, and Blizzard of 2017.
The 2017–18 North American winter saw weather patterns across North America that were very active, erratic, and protracted, especially near the end of the season, resulting in widespread snow and cold across the continent during the winter. Significant events included rare snowfall in the South, an outbreak of frigid temperatures that affected the United States during the final week of 2017 and early weeks of January, and a series of strong nor'easters that affected the Northeastern United States during the month of March. In addition, flooding also took place during the month of February in the Central United States. Finally the winter came to a conclusion with a powerful storm system that caused a tornado outbreak and blizzard in mid-April. The most intense event, however, was an extremely powerful cyclonic blizzard that impacted the Northeastern United States in the first week of 2018. Similar to the previous winter, a La Niña was expected to influence the winter weather across North America.
The 2020–21 North American winter was the most significant winter season to affect North America in several years, and the costliest on record, with a damage total of at least $33.35 billion. The season featured 6 storms ranking on the Regional Snowfall Index scale, with 4 storms ranking as at least a Category 3. Most of the winter's damage and fatalities occurred due to a historic and major cold wave in mid-February. Several other significant events occurred, including a crippling early-season ice storm in the Southern Plains, a powerful nor'easter in mid-December, another major nor'easter in early February, two major and widespread winter storms in mid-February, and a major blizzard in the Rocky Mountains in mid-March. The winter-related events were responsible for at least 358 fatalities, making it the deadliest season since 1992–93. A La Niña pattern influenced much of the winter in North America.
The December 5–6, 2020 nor'easter brought heavy snowfall, hurricane-force wind gusts, blizzard conditions, and coastal flooding to much of New England in the first few days of December 2020. The system originated on the Mid-Atlantic coast late on December 4. It then moved up the East Coast of the United States from December 5–6, bombing out and bringing heavy wet snow to the New England states. It brought up to 18 inches (46 cm) of snow in northern New England, with widespread totals of 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) farther south.
The December 15–17, 2020 nor'easter was a powerful nor'easter that hammered the Northeastern United States and produced widespread swaths of over 1 foot (12 in) of snow in much of the region from December 15–17, 2020, ending a 1,000+ day high-impact snowstorm drought in much of the Mid-Atlantic and coastal New England regions. The system developed out of a weak area of low-pressure that first developed over the Central United States producing some snowfall before moving eastward, and by December 16, a new, dominant area of low pressure began to develop along the Southeast coast. This low steadily deepened as it moved along and impacted the Mid-Atlantic coastline, prompting several winter-related advisories and warnings for much of the Northeast.
The January 31 – February 3, 2021 nor'easter, also known as the 2021 Groundhog Day nor'easter, was a powerful, severe, and erratic nor'easter that impacted much of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada from February 1–3 with heavy snowfall, blizzard conditions, strong gusty winds, storm surge, and coastal flooding. The storm first developed as an extratropical cyclone off the West Coast of the United States on January 25, with the storm sending a powerful atmospheric river into West Coast states such as California, where very heavy rainfall, snowfall, and strong wind gusts were recorded, causing several hundred thousand power outages and numerous mudslides. The system moved ashore several days later, moving into the Midwest and dropping several inches of snow across the region. On February 1, the system developed into a nor'easter off the coast of the Northeastern U.S., bringing prolific amounts of snowfall to the region. Large metropolitan areas such as Boston and New York City saw as much as 18–24 inches (46–61 cm) of snow accumulations from January 31 to February 2, making it the worst snowstorm to affect the megalopolis since the January 2016 blizzard. It was given the unofficial name Winter Storm Orlena by The Weather Channel.
The February 12–14, 2017 North American blizzard was a strong and historic nor'easter that affected the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada from February 12–14. It impacted the Northeastern United States less than a week after the February 9–11, 2017 North American blizzard. This blizzard was more localized and less widespread than the previous storm, but snow totals were higher in some areas, including portions of Maine and Vermont. The system caused 2 fatalities and is estimated to have caused over $3.9 million in damages. It was unofficially named Winter Storm Orson by The Weather Channel.
The April 2021 nor'easter, also referred to as the 2021 Spring nor'easter, was a significant late-season nor'easter that impacted much of New England with heavy snowfall, gusty winds, thundersnow, and near-whiteout conditions from April 15–17, 2021. The system originated from a weak frontal system late on April 14 over North Carolina, which moved into the ocean the next day and began to strengthen. The low-pressure steadily deepened as it moved up the East Coast, and developed an eye-like feature just prior to peak intensity. It prompted a fairly large area of Winter Storm Warnings across interior sections of New England, with Winter Weather Advisories being issued closer to the coast. Over 20,000 customers lost power at the height of the storm on April 16 due to heavy wet snow, and near-whiteout conditions were reported in many areas. Several injuries, some serious, occurred as well, mostly due to traffic incidents on poorly-treated roadways during the storm. Damage estimates from the system are currently not calculated.
The January 2022 North American blizzard caused widespread and disruptive impacts to the Atlantic coast of North America from Delaware to Nova Scotia with as much as 2.5 feet (30 in) of snowfall, blizzard conditions and coastal flooding at the end of January 2022. Forming from the energy of a strong mid- to upper-level trough, the system developed into a low-pressure area off the Southeast United States on January 28. The system then quickly intensified that night as it traveled northeast parallel to the coast on January 29, bringing heavy snowfall blown by high winds to the East Coast of the continent. Further north, it also moved inland in Maine and its width meant it strongly impacted all three of Canada's Maritime provinces. In some areas, mainly the coastal regions of New Jersey, Long Island and Massachusetts, it was the first blizzard since a storm in January 2018. The storm was considered a "bomb cyclone" as it rapidly intensified and barometric pressure dropped at least 24 millibars over a 24-hour period. The storm was given names such as Blizzard of 2022 and Winter Storm Kenan.