Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | November 13,2018 |
Dissipated | November 15,2018 |
Winter storm | |
Highest gusts | 67 mph (108 km/h) in Great Gull Island,New York |
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 18.3 in (46 cm) in Mount Hope,New York [1] |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 11 |
Damage | $250 million (2018 USD) [2] |
Power outages | 190,000 |
Part of the 2018–19 North American winter |
An early season winter storm developed in a deep dive of the jet stream into the mid-south on November 13. The storm was unofficially named Winter Storm Avery by The Weather Channel. [3]
Despite the European model consistently forecasting 6 in (15 cm) of snow from the storm,the National Weather Service of New York City initially predicted just 1 in (2.5 cm). Not until the afternoon of the storm did they raise the forecast into the 2–5 in (5.1–12.7 cm) zone,which prompted a winter weather advisory to be issued. [4] Forecasts were also underestimating snow in other locations,such as Harrisburg,Pennsylvania. [5] Ultimately,little preparations were done before the storm. [6]
As a result of the winter storm,around 190,000 customers lost power, [7] with 1,615 flights being cancelled. [8]
Houston recorded a trace of snow due to the event,becoming the earliest they’ve ever recorded snowflakes,breaking the previous record by ten days. [9] In Monroe,Louisiana 0.4 in (1.0 cm) of snow accumulated on the morning of November 14,breaking the record for the earliest snowfall by 10 days. In Mississippi light snow was reported in Greenville,sleet in Tupelo and Memphis,Tennessee picked up 0.6 in (1.5 cm) of snow. [10] Two people died,and 44 were injured,when a bus was overturned in Mississippi. [11] Three other fatalities occurred in Arkansas. [12]
in Ohio,ice accumulations of one-quarter to one-third of an inch were reported in Cincinnati and the Dayton metropolitan area as well as parts of Northern and Central Kentucky. A general 2 to 5 in (5 to 13 cm) of snow fell in the St. Louis metro with isolated reports of 9 in (23 cm). [10] Throughout the Midwest,four people died,with two deaths in Ohio,and one each in Michigan and Indiana. [12]
On November 15,as the storm headed northeastward,an unexpected 6.4 in (16 cm) of snow fell in Central Park,which became their earliest six inch snowfall on record, [7] as well as their second largest November winter storm on record, [13] which caught many off guard and resulted in several hour-long commutes that night. [10] The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was also forced to cancel over 1,100 buses. [14] . New Jersey Transit was forced to suspend service on multiple commuter rail lines,due to damage to overhead wires. [15] This was considered by some as one of New York City's worst commutes,as some were over ten hours,and New Jersey reported 555 car crashes. [16] [17] In West Orange,New Jersey,a school district was forced to keep students overnight as buses could not make it to the school due to closures along Interstate 280. [18] Airport delays at Newark Liberty International Airport reached an average of 5 hours. [19] New Jersey reported one fatality:a person died due to the storm in a traffic related incident. [20] [12] Another fatality in the region occurred in Maryland. [12] Aside from snow,many locations saw wind gusts eclipse 60 mph (97 km/h),with the strongest gust of 67 mph (108 km/h) occurring in Great Gull Island. [10] The melted snow from this storm made 2018 the wettest year on record in Baltimore. [21] The colder air that helped make the snow more intense then originally forecasted also led to daily record lows in Massena,New York,Montpelier,Vermont,Caribou,Maine and Bangor,Maine. The lowest temperatures in the region were at Estcourt Station,Maine at −5 °F (−21 °C). [22]
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was so unprepared for the winter storm that the sanitation department needed to be called in to clear the George Washington Bridge,which was shut down due to multiple accidents. Even as of 8am on November 16,many buses were still experiencing delays from the night before,although the subway system was mostly on time. All New York City school field trips on November 16 were cancelled as a result of the storm. Mayor Bill de Blasio promised a full review of the traffic failure in New York City in the aftermath of the storm. [23] Phil Murphy,governor of New Jersey stated that while the lousy forecast was partly to blame,more preparations on his end could have been done as well. [24] The ice caused trees to fall at Shenandoah National Park,closing the southern portion of the park. [25]
The North American blizzard of 2006 was a nor'easter that began on the evening of February 11,2006 and impacted much of eastern North America. 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 January 25–27,2011 North American blizzard was a major Mid-Atlantic nor'easter and winter storm,and a New England blizzard that affected portions of the northeastern United States and Canada. This storm came just two weeks after a previous major blizzard had already affected most of these same areas earlier on the same month of January 2011. The storm also came just one month after a previous major blizzard that affected the entire area after Christmas in December 2010. This storm was the third significant snowstorm to affect the region during the 2010–11 North American winter storm season. It was followed a few days later by another massive storm that blanketed much of the United States and Canada.
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 January 31 –February 2,2015 North American blizzard was a major winter storm that plowed through the majority of the United States,dumping as much as 2 feet (24 in) of new snowfall across a path from Iowa to New England,as well as blizzard conditions in early February 2015. It came less than a week after another crippling blizzard which impacted the Northeast with 2–3 feet of snow. It was the first of many intense winter storms to occur in the nation during the month of February,partly in due to an ongoing cold wave that was beginning to take shape shortly after the storm subsided.
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 also known as Winter Storm Stella 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 January 2018 North American blizzard caused widespread severe disruption and blizzard conditions across much of the East Coasts of the United States and Canada in early January 2018. The storm dropped up to 2 feet of snow in the Mid-Atlantic states,New England,and Atlantic Canada,while areas as far south as southern Georgia and far northern Florida had brief wintry precipitation,with 0.1 inches of snow measured officially in Tallahassee,Florida. The storm originated on January 3 as an area of low pressure off the coast of the Southeast. Moving swiftly to the northeast,the storm explosively deepened while moving parallel to the Eastern Seaboard,causing significant snowfall accumulations. The storm received various unofficial names,such as Winter Storm Grayson,Blizzard of 2018 and Storm Brody. The storm was also dubbed a "historic bomb cyclone".
The March 20–22,2018 nor'easter,dubbed the "Four'easter" in some media outlets,brought additional significant late-season snowfall to the Northeastern United States,after three previous such nor'easters had struck the general region on March 1–3,6–8,and 12–15,respectively. affected the Mid-Atlantic states and New England with over 18 in (46 cm) of heavy snow and whiteout conditions. It also affected areas of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States with both snowfall and severe weather. The nor'easter was also one of the heaviest spring snowstorms on record in some areas in the Mid-Atlantic,especially Philadelphia and New York City.
The 2018–19 North American winter was unusually cold within the Northern United States,with frigid temperatures being recorded within the middle of the season. Several notable events occurred,such as a rare snow in the Southeast in December,a strong cold wave and several major winter storms in the Midwest,and upper Northeast and much of Canada in late January and early February,record snowstorms in the Southwest in late February,deadly tornado outbreaks in the Southeast and a historic mid-April blizzard in the Midwest,but the most notable event of the winter was a record-breaking bomb cyclone that affected much of the Central United States and Canada in mid-March. Unlike previous winters,a developing weak El Niño was expected to influence weather patterns across North America. Overall,however,winter of 2018–19 had many La Niña like conditions,being mild along the mid- and lower parts of the East Coast,the West Coast,and most of the southern Plains. Overall,the meteorological winter of 2018-19 became the wettest on record for the United States.
The 2019–20 North American winter was unusually warm for many parts of the United States;in many areas,neutral ENSO conditions controlled the weather patterns,resulting in strong El Niño like conditions and the sixth-warmest winter on record,and many areas in the Northeastern United States saw one of the least snowy winters in years. In fact,Baltimore and Islip saw no snow in February for the first time. Some notable events still occurred,such as a powerful blizzard that impacted the Western United States in late November,a series of cold shots in January and February,a snowstorm within the Texas Panhandle and a late-season blizzard in the High Plains.
The November 26 –December 3,2019 North American blizzard was a major winter storm from the Rocky Mountains to the Northeast as well as a record-breaking windstorm along the West Coast. It occurred the week of American Thanksgiving,hampering travel for millions across the United States.
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 six storms ranking on the Regional Snowfall Index scale (RSI),with four 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 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 2021–22 North American winter was not as significant and record-breaking as the previous winter season. Despite this,several notable and significant events still occurred,including two separate record-breaking tornado outbreaks in mid-December,a significant winter storm in the South in mid-January,a powerful blizzard that impacted the Northeast coast at the end of January and a wide-ranging,significant winter storm that affected most of the eastern half of the country in early February. Additional significant events included a late-season winter storm in March that affected the Appalachian Mountains,and a major blizzard that affected North and South Dakota in mid-April. Additionally,a very late out-of-season snowstorm struck the Rocky Mountains in late May. During the season,four storms have been ranked on the Regional Snowfall Index (RSI),although none attained the “Major”category. Similar to the previous winter,a developing La Niña was expected to influence weather patterns across the continent.
The January 2022 North American blizzard caused widespread and disruptive impacts to the Atlantic coast of North America from northern 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 upper 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 due to the wind,areas 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.
The 2022–23 North American winter was an unusually warm winter for the east and an unusually cold winter for the west in North America,as it occurred across the continent from late 2022 to early 2023. The winter season in North America began at the winter solstice,which occurred on December 21,2022,and it ended at the March equinox,which occurred on March 20,2023. The first day of meteorological winter began on December 1 and unofficially ended on February 28;winter storms may still occur outside of these limits.
In November 2022,a severe lake-effect winter storm impacted parts of Pennsylvania,Ohio,and New York,causing high accumulations of snow across the Great Lakes region,including snowfall accumulations upwards of 50 in (130 cm) in several locations. In Hamburg,New York,81.2 in (206 cm) fell,while Orchard Park,New York recorded 80 in (200 cm) of snow. At least four fatalities occurred,with three in New York and one in Indiana,and several highways closed after heavy snowfall. A travel ban was also issued for New York by governor Kathy Hochul,and thundersnow occurred across areas impacted by the winter storm.
The 2023–24 North American winter was the warmest winter on record across the contiguous United States,with below-average snowfall primarily in the Upper Midwest and parts of the Northeastern United States. However,some areas,especially in the states of Pennsylvania,New Jersey and New York saw considerably more snow than the previous winter. Notable winter events were also more prevalent across the eastern half of the country this winter,including a series of winter storms in mid-January that brought snow from the South to Northeast states,a period of very cold temperatures across much of the country in mid-to-late January,and a disruptive nor'easter that affected much of the Mid-Atlantic in mid-February. 2 storms have been rated so far on the Regional Snowfall Index (RSI),although none have attained a "Major" rating. A strong El Niño was expected to influence the winter weather patterns across the continent.