2018-19 United States winter storm season

Ulmer - 968 millibars

The **2018-19 United States winter storm season** was an above average period of winter storm formation in the United States from November 1, 2018 until April 30, 2019. The season featured 24 named storms, making it the second consecutive above average season. The first storm of the season, Avery, developed on November 14, bringing ice and snow to parts of the Deep South, Midwest, and the Northeast. The season also featured several major blizzards in the Great Plains, including Bruce, Carter, Eboni, Indra, Jayden, most of the February winter storms, Taylor, Ulmer, and Wesley. The most notable storm of the season was Winter Storm Harper, which dumped high amounts of snow from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast. The strongest storm of the season was Winter Storm Ulmer, which bombed out over the Central Plains in Mid-March, breaking all-time barometric pressures in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. Ulmer also brought gusts of over 100 mph in Colorado. Some winter storms, including Carter, Quiana, and Scott, brought significant tornado outbreaks on their warm side. Winter Storm Scott produced a major tornado outbreak in the Deep South that produced an EF4 tornado that killed 23 people in Beauregard, Alabama. The season also featured a relatively low amount of nor'easters, with the only true nor'easter of the season being Winter Storm Vaughn, which brought minor accumulations to the Northeast, with local significant snowfall in the mountains and higher elevations. Overall, the season was one of the most deadly of the 2010s decade, resulting in 91 fatalities.

## Seasonal predictions

 TGMC (revised)
 TGMC (revised)
 LMA
 DHC

The first prediction of the year was released on July 1, 2018, when the TornadoGenius Meteorological Center issued their prediction of 24-26 named storms, due to a Modoki El Nino. This would cause a very active storm season similar to the 2013-14 season, and the 2004-05 season. On September 16, 2018, TGMC revised their prediction after a change in the weather pattern, with most of the United States being very warm and wet, much like 2015-16 and 2016-17, causing a very snowy swath from Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri, where the most blizzards could occur, and very snowy conditions in the Cascades and Rockies. TGMC predicted potentially the most inactive season since 2016-17, and maybe even the lowest since the Modern Naming Era began. TGMC yet again revised their prediction, expecting an El Nino winter. This would mean it would be one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record for the Great Lakes and Northeast. TGMC expected an average season in this forecast. The same day, the Lucarius Meteorological Agency (LMA) released a prediction that called for 20-24 named storms for the winter season. Later, on Veteran's Day, the Douglas Hurricane Center (DHC) released their prediction that it could range from the least active to the most active season on record.

## Season changes

On April 5, 2018, TGMC announced that they would issue advisories on Potential Winter Storms, since they can bring harm without a name. This came after a winter storm caused massive amounts of delays although the amount of warnings did not even span a population of 2 million. Therefore, as what the NHC does with hurricanes, potential winter storms will be tracked. Beginning on March 9, 2019, TGMC would use its new "New TGMC Blizzard Scale", based on points, it would be used on a scale from 0-100+ points. TGMC announced that the new scale will be fully used in database and begin during the 2019-20 season, be fully used for each storm.

## Seasonal Snow Index (SSI)

The SSI of the 2018-19 season was 38.567 inches.

## Storms

### Winter Storm Avery

*Main article: Winter Storm Avery*

 **Peak Intensity** | 48 (pts), 988 mbar

Winter Storm Avery formed on November 14. Accumulating snow has been observed early Wednesday in the Monroe, Louisiana, metro area, smashing a long-standing record, there. According to the National Weather Service, at least 0.1 inch of snow was recorded in Ouachita Parish near Monroe Regional Airport, shattering their record earliest-in-season measurable snow by 10 days, previously occurring as early as Nov. 24, 1950. Two people were killed and dozens injured when a bus crashed on a sleet-slickened Mississippi road. Snow had also accumulated on vehicles in El Dorado, Arkansas, and flurries fell for a time early Wednesday morning in Memphis, Tennessee. Overnight on November 14, an Ice Storm Warning was issued for Central Indiana, which was the only region to be under one during the storm. Three people were killed in two separate crashes on icy roads in the Little Rock area Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press. Arkansas State Police reported 26-year-old Quinten Young of Little Rock was killed after hitting a patch of ice and crossing into opposing traffic. 49-year-old Jack Winover, who he collided with, was injured in the accident. Two people were killed in the Jacksonville area when their car veered off U.S. 67/167 before colliding with a tree. The driver, whose name hasn't been released, was killed along with passenger 56-year-old Meralon Noah, state police confirmed. Interstate 40 was closed overnight in the eastern part of the state because of multiple accidents along the White Bridge River. After the interstate had reopened, traffic was slow-moving because some drivers had fallen asleep. Witnesses told state investigators the driver of the bus has lost control after driving over an icy overpass, before rolling onto its side, said Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Capt. Johnny Poulos. "All of a sudden the bus started swerving then it spun around two times, hit the rail and then flipped over," said bus passenger Veronica Love as she left a hospital after the wreck. "The second spin, it started picking up speed. It was, I mean, what could you do?" "I'm just thankful I'm alive," Love said. Teague VIP Express, the operator of the tour bus, posted on its Facebook page, "Our hearts and prayers go out to victims of this tragedy. Please keep everyone involved and (their) families in your prayers." Three of the injured were listed in serious condition Wednesday evening. The scheduled launch of an unmanned cargo rocket to the International Space Station had to be postponed one day because of weather, according to NASA. The Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket with Cygnus cargo spacecraft has revised their launch window to early Friday morning from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wattsville. Numerous outages and dozens of accidents were reported overnight Wednesday into Thursday in Kentucky as icy wintry weather moved into the area. Over 130,000 customers were without power across the state Thursday morning, PowerOutage.us reported. Some bursts of wet snow and sleet are moving up the Interstate 95 corridor through the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. A few tenths of an inch of slushy snow were measured at both Dulles and Reagan National Airports early Thursday, the first measurable snow of the season in the D.C. metro area. On the western edge of the storm, an area of snow continues from eastern Missouri into Illinois and western Indiana. A second area of snow is blanketing parts of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where cold air remains deep enough, early Thursday. Trees were downed due to ice in Greensburg, Indiana, near Colesburg, Kentucky, New Castle, Kentucky, and trees and powerlines were sagging due to ice accumulations in the high country of northwest North Carolina. Ice accumulations of one quarter to one third of an inch were reported in the Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio metro areas and in parts of northern and central Kentucky before temperatures warmed a bit above freezing Thursday morning. Just under one-quarter inch of ice in trees and elevated surfaces was noted in Louisville, Kentucky, the city's first November freezing rain or freezing drizzle in almost 29 years. Avery dissipated on November 17.

### Winter Storm Bruce

 **Peak Intensity** | 64 (pts), 995 mbar

Winter Storm Bruce formed on November 23. Following a relatively tranquil Thanksgiving week, a deep dip in the stream dove through the Rockies and into the Plains. Winter storm warnings, advisories and watches extended eastward from eastern Wyoming into northern Missouri, southern Iowa and Michigan. Areas in this stretch, which includes portions of Interstate 80, were warned to see dangerous driving conditions, including patches of white out conditions. Blizzard conditions have been reported Sunday morning in portions of Kansas, southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa. Among the locations that have seen whiteout conditions are Murray, Iowa, Hill City, Kansas, and Tecumseh, Nebraska. Thundersnow was observed near Concordia, Kansas, along with a wind gust to 68 mph. A top snowfall total of 37.7 inches was recorded in Colorado, along with an 80 mph wind gust in separate areas of the state. The heaviest snow totals to the east of the Rockies were in a swath from northeastern Kansas into south-central Iowa and northwestern Illinois. Locally, a foot or more of snowfall coated this area. Oskaloosa, Iowa, piled up the most snow – a notable 17 inches with much higher drifts. Heavier totals of a foot or more also buried parts of interior New England and upstate New York. Snow drifts up to four feet high were reported in Belleville, Kansas. Visibilities dropped to less than 50 feet in a few localized spots. A multi-car accident with 12 injuries occurred in heavy snow early Nov. 25 near Piedmont, Kansas. Several accidents piled up on snowy Interstate 35 in eastern Kansas, too. Kansas City's storm total of 5.8 inches made Nov. 25 the second snowiest November day on record there. Thundersnow was reported in Iowa City, Iowa on Nov. 25. Blizzard conditions were reported in northwest Illinois early on Nov. 26. State police used snowmobiles to rescue stranded motorists on U.S. 6 between Princeton and Atkinson. In sum, it was a rare November blizzard in parts of Illinois, northern Missouri and northern Kansas. Bruce set November calendar-day and monthly snow records at Moline's Quad Cities Airport, dumping over 13 inches of snow, there, on Nov. 25. Chicago's O'Hare airport saw 8.4 inches of snow from Bruce Nov. 25-26, ranking as the city's fifth heaviest November snowstorm on record. The wet snow and gusty winds contributed to scattered power outages in Chicagoland. Bruce pushed into upstate New York and northern New England late Nov. 26 through Nov. 27. In the Adirondacks, an observer near the town of Eagle Bay, New York, measured 14 inches of new snow by late on Nov. 27, 5 inches of which had fallen in just 2 hours. Other 12-plus-inch snowfall reports came in from near Madison, New Hampshire (16.5 inches), Woodford, Vermont (16.5 inches), Kingfield, Maine (12 inches), and Savoy, Massachusetts (12.2 inches). This heavy, wet snow coupled with some wind triggered power outages in parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to poweroutage.us. Bruce dissipated on November 27.

### Winter Storm Carter

 **Peak Intensity** | 49 (pts), 988 mbar

Winter Storm Carter formed on November 30. This system brought feet of snow to California's Sierra on Thursday, including 53 inches of fresh snow at Mammoth Mountain. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon received 10 inches of snowfall, while the National Weather Service office near Flagstaff reported 6.5 inches Friday morning. The Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel reported 3 inches of snow fell in just 3 hours overnight in Omaha. Up to 9 inches was reported across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Snow fell at the rate of 1.5 inches per hour early Sunday morning at the NWS office near the northern Michigan town of Gaylord. Up to 16 inches of snow was measured near Burke, South Dakota. Totals in excess of 6 inches have come in from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, western Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, western Iowa, northern and western Nebraska, southern and western South Dakota and parts of Wyoming. Precipitation was changing to rain over most of northern New England after a round of freezing rain early Sunday morning in parts of western Maine and northern New Hampshire. Snow was increasingly confined to far northern Maine. Up to 16 inches of snow was measured near Burke, South Dakota. Totals in excess of 6 inches were received from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, western Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, western Iowa, northern and western Nebraska, southern and western South Dakota and parts of Wyoming. A few mountain locations, such as the Tetons of western Wyoming and the high country of western Colorado, picked up over a foot of snow from Winter Storm Carter. Two to 5 inches of snow was measured in the Twin Cities metro area while 4 to 6 inches was reported in Omaha, Nebraska. The Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel reported 3 inches of snow fell in just 3 hours overnight Dec. 1 into Dec. 2 in Omaha. Up to 9 inches was reported across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Snow fell at the rate of 1.5 inches per hour early Dec. 2 at the National Weather Service office near the northern Michigan town of Gaylord. There was a brief round of freezing rain on the night of Dec. 1 into the morning of Dec. 2 in the Adirondacks and Catskills of New York and in parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. In the interior Northeast, snow was mostly confined to northern Maine on Dec. 2. This system brought feet of snow to California's Sierra Nevada Nov. 29-30, including 53 inches of fresh snow at Mammoth Mountain. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon received 10 inches of snowfall while the National Weather Service office near Flagstaff, Arizona, reported 6.5 inches early Nov. 30. Carter dissipated on December 2.

### Winter Storm Diego

*Main article: Winter Storm Diego*

 **Peak Intensity** | 32 (pts), 998 mbar

Winter Storm Diego formed on December 5. As of early Saturday, 6 inches of snowfall has been reported in Lubbock, Texas, while Mount Charleston, Nevada recorded 12 inches from Winter Storm Diego. Winter Storm Diego dumped heavy snow and damaging ice across the Southeast Dec. 8-9. Diego snarled traveled and knocked out power to over 400,000 customers. The top snow total was 34 inches at Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina. Winter Storm Diego crippled parts of the southeastern United States as it produced a swath of heavy snow and damaging ice across the region Dec. 8-9, stranding motorists on highways and knocking out power to more than 400,000 at the height of the storm. Diego's top snow total was 34 inches at Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina. Whitetop in far southwestern Virginia had the second-most snow with 24 inches. Officially, 11.5 inches of snow was measured in Richmond, Virginia, Dec. 9. That's the city's second-highest calendar-day snowfall for the month of December. Roanoke, Virginia, reported a snow total of 15 inches Dec. 9 – the city's heaviest calendar-day snowfall for the month of December – with 2 inches of that falling in an hour. Cars were seen off the road on Interstate 81 near Roanoke that afternoon. Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina picked up 11.1 inches of snow Dec. 8-9, its third-highest December snowfall on record. Farther east, Raleigh-Durham International Airport received 7 inches of snow from Diego, its highest December snowfall total in at least 60 years. Charlotte, North Carolina, received 2.7 inches of snow/sleet Dec. 9, vaulting the month to the snowiest December there since 1997. Lubbock, Texas, officially received 10 inches of snow Dec. 8, ranking as one of the snowiest calendar days on record there. Snow and ice also spread toward parts of northern Arkansas, southern Missouri and northwestern Tennessee on Dec. 8 and into that night. The ice knocked out power and downed trees in Craighead County, Arkansas. Before arriving in the South, heavy rain and high-elevation snow caused problems in Southern California Dec. 6. Mudslides and flash flooding forced evacuations and necessitated several rescues while higher elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada picked up 6 inches of snowfall. Diego dissipated on December 10.

### Winter Storm Eboni

 **Peak Intensity** | 51 (pts), 992 mbar

Winter Storm Eboni formed on December 25. The low-pressure system that became Winter Storm Eboni came ashore near the California/Oregon border on Christmas Eve with an area of snowfall and coastal rain. The system created a dip in the jet stream on Christmas over the Southwest, where Eboni dropped snow across the Four Corners and the Tetons. Eboni brought more than a foot of snow to the Sierra Nevada on Christmas Eve into early Christmas morning. A portion of Interstate 25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, was closed Wednesday as heavy snow accumulated on the highway, causing motorists to get stuck as they attempted to drive up La Bajada Hill, KOAT-TV reported. The road was reopened a few hours later once conditions improved, according to KRQE.com. Interstate 80 westbound was forced closed in Nebraska between Kearney and North Platte Thursday afternoon while Interstate 80 eastbound had to close from North Platte to Lexington, Nebraska, due to treacherous road conditions caused by Eboni. Nearly all flights in and out of Fargo Airport were canceled Thursday due to blizzard conditions in the eastern North Dakota city. Blizzard conditions were also observed Thursday morning in western Kansas, stranding motorists near Scott City and Leoti. Power outages were reported around Garden City, Kansas. Interstate 70 was forced closed in Kansas late Thursday morning between Colby and Wakeeney. The highway closed between Goodland and Hays, Kansas, Thursday afternoon. Snow showers and gusty winds lingered in the northern Plains and upper Midwest in the morning while a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain spread into parts of upstate New York and New England. Slick travel conditions due to freezing rain were observed in some areas, particularly from northeastern New York into portions of Vermont and New Hampshire. A brief wintry mix was observed as far south as central Massachusetts. Eboni wrapped up across the northern Great Lakes and New England on the evening of Dec. 28 as warmer air turned snow and ice over to rain from south to north. The warm side of Winter Storm Eboni also produced heavy rainfall across the South. Up to 11.5 inches of rain was recorded in Mississippi near Clara, while water rescues were needed due to flooding in Hattiesburg. A stripe from southern Louisiana to southern Mississippi and western Alabama received more than 5 inches of rain on Dec. 27-28. Flooding was also reported in northern Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. In the South, 3 were killed due to the flooding. Eboni dissipated on December 28.

### Winter Storm Fisher

 **Peak Intensity** | 27 (pts), 1008 mbar

Winter Storm Fisher brought snow to the Southwest and southern Rockies Dec. 31-Jan. 2 as the jet stream dug through the Great Basin and into Arizona and New Mexico. Several sites in New Mexico reported a foot to as much as 3 feet of snow, including the Pajarito Ski Area (9,000 feet in elevation) near Los Alamos. Parts of the Albuquerque metro area saw 2 to 6 inches of snowfall. Drifts of 3 to 5 feet were witnessed on the east side of Albuquerque near the Sandia Mountains due to snow and wind, not just from this event, but also from the post-Christmas snow event there. A six-vehicle pileup led to one fatality and at least one injury on Interstate 40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to KRQE.com. A New Mexico State Patrol officer was investigating a crash when a semi-truck slid on icy roads and hit the officer's vehicle and injured the officer. Then, a tow truck pulled up on the scene as another semi ran into the tow truck, killing the driver of the tow truck. The interstate reopened 10 hours later. A foot of snow fell in just over four hours New Year's Eve night in Greer, Arizona, in the White Mountains at an elevation of about 8,300 feet. Snow blanketed lower elevations in Arizona as well. Tucson International Airport picked up a quick 0.4 inches of snow New Year's morning, its first measurable snow in almost 6 years, last occurring on Feb. 20, 2013. Parts of the Tucson area received additional snow on Jan. 2, though nothing was officially recorded at the airport. Up to 5 inches of snow was estimated to have fallen near the border between Arizona and Mexico in Nogales as of early Jan. 2. Fisher dissipated on January 3.

### Winter Storm Gia

*Main article: Winter Storm Gia*

 **Peak Intensity** | 50 (pts), 1010 mbar

Winter Storm Gia formed on January 10. Winter Storm Gia dumped heavy snow across portions of the Rockies, Plains, Midwest and mid-Atlantic from Jan. 10 to 13, causing widespread travel impacts in parts of those regions. Damaging ice from freezing rain was also reported from western North Carolina to western Virginia. Gia was named late afternoon on Jan. 10 as the number of people in winter storm warnings surpassed 2 million, the population criteria used to trigger naming this winter storm. The amount of people in warnings at one point surpassed 30 million. Gia developed in the southern Rockies and southern Plains as a surface low-pressure system met cold, arctic air over the northern tier of the country. Snow first developed in the higher terrain of northern New Mexico late on Jan. 10, with snow soon following in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. Snow began in Denver on the morning of Jan. 11, and while the airport reported about an inch of snowfall, much of the Denver metro area saw 2 to 5 inches. Much higher totals were reported in the higher terrain west and southwest of Denver, including up to 18 inches near Shaffers Crossing, Colorado. As the low-pressure system departed from the Rockies, it also was able to interact with colder air and ample moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Snow spread from the Front Range of Colorado eastward across the Plains and into the Ozarks and Midwest. Moderate to heavy snow snarled evening commutes on Jan. 11 in St. Louis and, to a lesser degree, Kansas City, Missouri. Gia brought traffic to a standstill in the St. Louis metro area overnight Jan. 11 and early Jan. 12, stranding motorists for hours, and vehicle accidents were reported due to snowfall and slick roads. Ice accumulation also downed trees and power lines in parts of south-central Missouri. Kansas City, Missouri, picked up generally 4 to 10 inches of snow between Jan. 11 and 12. Kansas City International Airport reported 4.3 inches, but it picked up some of the lowest amounts of snow in the metro area. The snow didn't seem to stop fans from piling into Arrowhead Stadium before the National Football League's AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 12. A stretch from Columbia, Missouri, to the St. Louis metro area received 10 to 20 inches of snow Jan. 11 to 12. St. Louis reported 10.9 inches of snow. Snow also pushed eastward through the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic Jan. 12 to 13. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport saw 8.7 inches of snow while Indianapolis received 7.2 inches. Parts of the Washington D.C. metro area saw over 10 inches of snow. Dulles International Airport picked up 10.6 inches of snow while Reagan National Airport measured 10.3 inches. The last time Reagan National Airport recorded a 5-plus-inch snowfall was in January 2016 during Winter Storm Jonas, which dumped 17.8 inches in our nation's capital. Freezing rain coated tree branches and power lines in parts of northwestern and north-central North Carolina, including around Greensboro and Winston-Salem, downing some trees and knocking out power. Gia dissipated on January 13.

### Winter Storm Harper

*Main article: Winter Storm Harper*

 **Peak Intensity** | 100 (pts), 983 mbar

Harper formed on January 18. Harper spread some snow through the Rockies and Wasatch on Jan. 17 while continuing to provide snow in the Sierra and Cascades. On Friday, numerous slideoffs were reported in eastern Nebraska and northwestern Missouri where light freezing rain is making roads and sidewalks slick. A Southwest plane slid off the runway in Omaha in snowy and icy conditions. Light snow was reported in parts of Oklahoma and Texas, including the Dallas area, early Saturday. On Saturday morning, freezing rain has resulted in ice accumulation leading to downed power lines and sagging trees in parts of central Indiana, including Winchester, Losantville and Farmland. At least a foot of snow fell Friday into Saturday in southeastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin, including a report of 15 inches near Heron Lake, Minnesota. Several accidents were reported on Interstate 44 in Missouri due to the snowy conditions there on Saturday morning. Near-blizzard conditions also created a 15-car pileup on Saturday afternoon in south-central Missouri. Blizzard conditions were reported in Bedford, Indiana, along with a snowfall total of 8 inches, their biggest snowfall since Winter Storm Octavia. Monday morning, more than 23,000 customers in Pennsylvania and 11,000 in Conneticut were still without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. In addition to ice and snow, several states were dealing with coastal flooding on Sunday. A falling tree killed a utility subcontractor about 3:15 p.m. Sunday in Middletown, Connecticut, WVIT reported. Middletown Police said the Eversource subcontractor had finished repairing a line when the tree fell on him. His name was not released. On Saturday, a Kansas Department of Transportation worker was killed in a rollover crash during snow removal operations on southbound U.S. 69 in Johnson County. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. The driver was identified as 25-year-old Stephen Winder. He died after the rig he was driving rolled over around 6 a.m. local time. Winder was reportedly thrown from the vehicle, which then landed on top of him. The crash is under investigation. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported two deaths from weather-related crashes. The storm had already claimed two lives in California earlier this week. A United Airlines jetliner slid off the runway Saturday morning after landing at O'Hare International Airport, the Chicago Tribune reports. No one was injured when United Airlines flight 656 from Phoenix to Chicago rolled off the concrete surface into a grassy area. On Friday, Southwest Airlines 1643 slid off the runway at Eppley Airfield after landing about 2:05 p.m. local time, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Freezing drizzle was falling at the time. The airport, which closed for several hours because of the accident, tweeted: "There are no injuries and airport fire crews are working with Southwest to deplane the passengers and take them to the terminal." "It seemed like it would be OK, but then once we were slowing down to turn, you could feel them trying to get the brakes going and it was just too slick. So we ended up off the runway in the grass," Ali Schwanke tweeted Friday. More than 2,000 flights have been canceled as of Sunday afternoon, flightaware.com reports. Thousands of flights have also been delayed. From about 6 p.m. Saturday until about 7:30 Sunday morning, Connecticut State Police responded to 72 crashes, some with minor injuries. Troopers assisted 133 motorist whose vehicles had spun out, gotten stuck or broke down. Snow and sleet also was causing power outages in the state. More than 30,000 customers were without electricity as of 3 p.m., PowerOutage.us reported. There were a number of reports of trees falling over power lines. The speed limit alongs parts of the Massachusetts Turnpike were reduced to 40 mph because of the weather, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced. The reduction was in effect from the New York border to Wilbraham and from Hopkinton to Weston. Coastal flooding was pushing water into streets in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Seaside houses in Scituate were boarded up as waves crashed over the seawall, WHDH reported. Exit 14 on Interstate 93 in Boston was also closed because of tidal flooding. A ban on tractor-trailers and buses on most highways in the state began at 3 p.m. ET Saturday. "Safety is our number one priority and with the anticipated storm impacting most of New York State, we are implementing this ban on tractor trailers and buses so our plow operators, fire, law enforcement and emergency personnel can keep roads clean and respond to emergencies as quickly as possible," Cuomo said. "I am also urging drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary." All train service into and out of Pittsburgh were halted Sunday morning after overhead power lines were frozen, the Port Authority of Allegheny County tweeted. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation temporarily reduced the speed limit to 45 mph on several highways in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties because of the hard freeze early Sunday morning. PennDOT also shut down commercial access to Interstates 70, 76 and 80 beginning at noon Saturday. The ban was lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday for several roadways. Bans remain on I-80 west of I-81, I-81 north of I-80, I-84, I-86, I-90, I-99, I-180 and I-380, PennDOT said. “We want to be aggressive in managing this storm, during which snowfall rates could exceed one to two inches per hour," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said. "Our top concern is the safety of residents. If you do not have to travel during the storm, please avoid it. Please heed warnings from emergency responders and personnel, and remember to check on your neighbors, especially the elderly.” At least five Ohio counties instituted Level 3 snow emergencies on Saturday, WKYC reported. Roadways were closed to all non-emergency travel in Erie, Huron, Sandusky, Ottawa and Crawford counties. Lorain, Summit, Medina, Wayne, and Ashland counties were at Level 2 which meant that only people who thought it was necessary to drive should be on the roads. U.S. 24 was closed near Napoleon, Ohio after a big rig slid off the road and blocked lanes. At one point Sunday morning, more than 13,000 Ohio customers were without power, according to poweroutage.us. In Indiana, a jackknifed tractor-trailer was blocking southbound lanes Saturday afternoon on Interstate 65, south mile marker 231. Crews began removing abandoned commercial vehicles from the interstate on Sunday morning. A top snowfall total of 9.5" was reported near Tunnelton, Indiana, with drifts up to 2 feet. The storm caused travel woes across the Plains on Friday as it pushed toward the Midwest. A 15-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 near Thayer, Missouri, which temporarily closed a section of the interstate in the southeastern side of the state. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 1608 calls for service, 575 stranded motorists, 285 crashes and 43 injuries in addition to the two fatalities. Michael J. Fox, 48, of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, died when his Polaris off-road vehicle ran off the road and rolled over at 12:40 a.m. Saturday on Route F, south of Sunrise Beach, the Highway Patrol reported. James Haase, 30, of Reeds Spring, Missouri, was killed when he lost control of his Honda Accord on a snow-covered Route OO near Kimberling City and it slid into the path of an oncoming pickup truck shortly before noon Saturday, according to the Highway Patrol. The Minnesota Department of Transportation said Saturday at least five snowplows had been hit by passing vehicles in the past 24 hours. A jackknifed semitrailer truck shut down part of Interstate 35 in Minnesota on Friday afternoon from the Clarks Grove exit to near Albert Lea, the Albert Lea Tribune reported. It was one of a number of crashes affecting traffic on I-35 and Interstate 90. The Kansas Highway Patrol said there were several crashes and vehicles sliding off the road on Interstate 70 in Geary and Riley counties. The interstate was partially blocked near mile marker 316. No injuries were reported after a vehicle collided with a snowplow Friday on a South Dakota road. "Early this morning a driver tried to pass a snow plow and collided with the wing blade in a white out," the South Dakota Highway Patrol tweeted Friday. "Now we have 1 less (snowplow) to clear the road. Poor driving decisions affect us all!" Friday afternoon, a second snowplow was hit by a car. No injuries were reported in that crash. In Nebraska, numerous spin outs were reported on I-29 outside Omaha, including three tractor-trailers that slid into ditches. Amtrak announced Friday that it would be modifying its service in the Midwest and Northeast because of the storm. On Sunday, five Acela trains and six Northeast Regional trains are canceled between New York and Boston. Six Keystone trains will not operate between New York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Two Pennsylvanian trains between New York and Pittsburgh are canceled. Two Vermonter trains on Sunday will not operate between St. Albans, Vermont, and New Haven, Connecticut, the Associated Press reports. Service between New York and Washington will run as scheduled. In anticipation of the storm, airlines including American, Southwest, United and Frontier are waiving change fees for cities impacted by the storm. Harper dissipated on January 20.

### Winter Storm Indra

 **Peak Intensity** | 39 (pts), 994 mbar

Winter Storm Indra formed on January 20. Indra was named Sunday afternoon as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for much of Utah, including Salt Lake City, satisfying the population criterion (at least 2 million) for naming. Thundersnow was reported in the northern Sierra Nevada late Sunday morning. It was slow-going, or not going at all, on Interstate 80 over Donner Pass in the Sierra Saturday evening. 23 inches of snow was reported in Alta, Utah. Winter Storm Indra was a cross-country system that spread snow and ice from the West to the Plains, Midwest and parts of the interior Northeast Jan. 20 to 24. Indra also produced blizzard conditions in parts of the central High Plains, mainly on Jan. 22. Indra was named on the afternoon of Jan. 20 as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for much of Utah, including Salt Lake City, satisfying the population criterion (at least 2 million) for naming. Indra brought snow from California's Sierra Nevada to the Plains and Midwest Jan. 20 to 23 before producing a wintry mess of snow, sleet and freezing rain in the interior Northeast Jan. 23 to 24. The Colorado Department of Transportation shut down a stretch of Interstate 70 east of Denver International Airport to Limon, Colorado, then closed the stretch from Limon to Burlington, Colorado, near the Kansas state line, due to snow and wind on the morning of Jan. 22. Icy conditions prompted a shutdown of Interstate 70 in parts of northern Kansas, west of Topeka, as well. Poor travel conditions also forced a closure of Interstate 80 in southeastern Wyoming on the morning of Jan. 22, from Laramie to Rawlins. Zero visibility in snow and blowing snow was reported by the Kit Carson County, Colorado, sheriff department just outside of Burlington, Colorado, on the morning of Jan. 22. An estimated 1 inch of snow fell in 45 minutes in Yuma, Colorado. South of Denver in Douglas County, Colorado, snow drifts up to 3 feet were reported on Jan. 22. Some freezing drizzle broke out on the morning of Jan. 22 in Chicago, Des Moines and Waterloo, Iowa, and Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Interstate 94 in southwestern Lower Michigan was covered in a sheet of ice on the afternoon of Jan. 22, when freezing rain from Indra accreted on the highway. Freezing rain also forced a closure of Detroit Metropolitan Airport late Jan. 22 into early Jan. 23. Snow totals of 6 inches or more were measured on Jan. 23 from southeastern Nebraska to central and southern Iowa, northwestern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. The top snowfall amount in the Midwest was 14 inches in the northern Lower Michigan town of Royston. Parts of the Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, metro areas saw 5 to 7 inches of snow. Light freezing rain led to slick roads in parts of western North Carolina early Jan. 23, triggering accidents on Interstate 40 near Old Fort, about 20 miles east of Asheville. There were even some reports of light sleet on the morning of Jan. 23 in parts of Central and East Texas in the Austin, San Antonio and Houston metro areas. Snow flurries were reported far south as Atlanta on Jan. 24 as the precipitation pushed east on the East Coast. Rain and snow persisted across New England into the evening hours. Isolated ice jams were reported due to the warm air in New York state. Overall, Indra caused 1 fatality. Indra dissipated on January 24.

### Winter Storm Jayden

 **Peak Intensity** | 41 (pts), 994 mbar

Winter Storm Jayden formed on January 26. Winter Storm Jayden brought snow from the northern Plains to the Great Lakes and Northeast Jan. 27-30, 2019 and was followed by the coldest temperatures in years across the Midwest. Jayden also dusted the South and mid-Atlantic with light snow. At least 6 inches of snow fell from parts of North Dakota and Minnesota into northern Iowa, Wisconsin, northern Illinois, northern Indiana, Michigan, upstate New York, northeast Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Blizzard conditions were observed in various portions of eastern North Dakota on Jan. 27, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This included the Devils Lake Basin and the Grand Forks area, where visibility was reduced to 500 feet or less that afternoon. Blowing snow and wind shut down Interstate 90 in northeastern Wyoming from Moorcroft to the South Dakota state line, and also from Sheridan to Buffalo, Wyoming. The combination of snow and wind also reduced visibility to a quarter-mile or less in the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota late Jan. 27. Much of North Dakota and eastern South Dakota was under a no-travel advisory late Jan. 27 into early Jan. 28, according to state departments of transportation. Snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour were observed early Jan. 28 in Chicago, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Traverse City, Michigan. High winds also impacted the Plains Jan. 27-28. On early Jan. 28, winds gusted over 60 mph in parts of Nebraska and western Iowa, including a 70-mph gust in Broken Bow, Nebraska, and a 64-mph gust in Sioux City, Iowa. Jayden also spread snow across mainly interior parts of the Northeast, from Pennsylvania into upstate New York and New England. A band of snow moved through the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metro areas during the Jan. 29 evening commute, leading to traffic backups on many highways in the region. Washington's Dulles International Airport reported 3 inches of snow accumulation. Snow also fell in portions of the South early Jan. 29, including in Alabama, Tennessee and parts of north Georgia. Jayden dissipated on January 30.

### Winter Storm Kai

 **Peak Intensity** | 70 (pts), 982 mbar

Winter Storm Kai formed on February 2. Winter Storm Kai spread snow from the Mountain West to the northern Plains and also brought damaging ice to the northern Great Lakes in the first few days of February 2019. Kai was named early Feb. 2, 2019, when the area of the United States that was under a winter storm warning exceeded the areal criteria of at least 400,000 square kilometers (154,440 square miles). Kai first brought heavy rain and mountain snow to California Friday, Feb. 1, into Saturday, Feb. 2. Up to 6 feet of snow piled up in 24 hours at June Mountain Ski Area in California. On Sunday, Feb. 3, Alpena, Michigan, reported 0.17 inches of ice while Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, picked up 0.10 inches of ice. Snow and wind also affected the northern Rockies and northern Plains from Feb. 3-4. Up to 10 inches of snow was measured in Minot and Williston, North Dakota. Kai finished up by bring damaging ice accumulations to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Feb. 4. The ice knocked down tree branches, caused power outages and contributed to numerous accidents. Kai broke the all-time top snowfall record from a single winter storm in the naming era, with a top total of 96 inches of snow at the June Mountain Ski Area in California. Kai dissipated on February 4.

### Winter Storm Lucian

 **Peak Intensity** | 52 (pts), 989 mbar

Winter Storm Lucian formed on February 3. Winter Storm Lucian was a two-phase winter storm that brought ice and snow to large swaths of the West and North in early February 2019. Phase one brought wintry precip to parts of the West, Midwest and Northeast from Feb. 3-6. Phase two brought snow to the Rockies beginning on Feb. 6, then blizzard conditions to the Plains and Midwest on Feb. 7. More than 6 inches of snow coated parts of the Seattle metro area on Feb. 3-4, including 12 inches east of Everett and 8 inches just across Lake Washington from downtown in Bellevue. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officially picked up 2.7 inches of snow. Snow was observed in coastal parts of Washington and Oregon as well. Snow fell in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, Feb. 4-5. Parts of the Portland area saw up to 2 inches of snow. Snow even dusted the hills around the Bay Area in California early on Feb. 5. A brief period of snow fell in Monterey at an elevation of 92 feet. Icy conditions from freezing drizzle contributed to accidents in the Wichita, Kansas, metro area early on Feb. 5. Sleet and freezing rain were accompanied by thunder at the National Weather Service office in Davenport, Iowa, on Feb. 5. In Muscatine, Iowa, penny-sized hail accumulated on vehicle tops, along with sleet and freezing rain. Roads became covered in sleet in Rockford, Illinois, early that evening, leading to slick travel conditions for the evening commute. Lucian also brought several inches of snow to the upper Midwest on Feb. 5, including 4.1 inches in Minneapolis/St. Paul and 7.1 inches in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 40,000 customers lost power in Michigan on Feb. 6, likely due to icing in parts of the state from the first part of Lucian. Up to a quarter-inch of ice accumulation was reported in the Grand Rapids metro area. The second phase of Lucian crossed the central Rockies on Feb. 6, bringing snow to parts of the Salt Lake City metro area, which saw more than a foot of snow. Ice also caused accidents in the Wichita, Kansas, metro area for the second morning in a row. Freezing rain accumulated up to a half-inch thick in the Kansas City, Missouri, suburb of Pleasant Hill. The second part of Winter Storm Lucian clobbered the northern Plains and Upper Midwest with blizzard conditions on Feb. 7. The low pressure system moved from the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma northeastward toward Wisconsin and Michigan.

Numerous cars reportedly slid into ditches or couldn't make it up hilly roads due to ice in Green County, Wisconsin. Visibility was down to a quarter mile or less in eastern North Dakota on the morning of Feb. 7 due to the snow and strong winds. That prompted a closure of Interstate 94 in eastern North Dakota. Blizzard conditions were recorded during the following afternoon and evening in Fargo, Grand Forks and Grafton, North Dakota, Crookston, Minnesota and Aberdeen, South Dakota and near-blizzard conditions were recorded across the eastern Dakotas, western Minnesota and parts of Iowa. Lucian dissipated on February 7.

### Winter Storm Maya

 **Peak Intensity** | 79 (pts), 993 mbar

Winter Storm Maya formed on February 7. Winter Storm Maya brought heavy snow to the Northwest and big snows and crippling ice to parts of the Midwest and Northeast in its cross-country trek that lasted for nearly a week. Winter Storm Maya dove southward out of British Columbia on Feb. 8 into the nearshore waters of Washington state. Maya quickly brought snowfall to downtown Seattle and the rest of Washington during the afternoon of Feb. 8 and slowed down the evening commute along Interstate 5 from Seattle to Tacoma. Snowfall rates reached 2 inches per hour on the northern coast of Washington, quickly burying Port Angeles. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport measured 7.9 inches of snow from Maya between Feb. 8-9. Feb. 8's total of 6.4 inches was the second-highest snowfall in one calendar day in the past 20 years there. Seattle averages 6.8 inches of snow in a year. The foothills of Port Angeles, Washington, located about 60 miles northwest of Seattle, reported 24 inches of snow and saw whiteout conditions at times. Port Angeles typically sees 3 to 4 inches of snow in an entire year. Snow and wind expanded across the Pacific Northwest and into Northern California during the overnight hours and into Feb. 9. Winds as high as 64 mph were recorded in northern Washington. Interstate 90 was closed in both directions from Kittitas to Vantage, Washington, on Feb. 9 due to poor visibility and spinouts. Interstate 82 was also closed in the Yakima Valley of eastern Washington due to poor weather conditions. Snow even dipped down into the lower elevations of the Willamette Valley in Oregon, including Portland, on Feb. 9 as snow levels plummeted. Portland, Oregon, reported 4.9 inches of snow from Maya on Feb. 9. Thundersnow was reported around the area of the Oregon Zoo just after midnight on Feb. 11. Snow also fell in the hills around the Bay Area for the second time in a week. In far Northern California, the weight of heavy snow led to major tree damage and downed power lines in Humboldt County. A thundershower passed directly over California's Monterey Peninsula, just south of the Bay Area, late morning on Feb. 10 during the PGA Tour's 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California, where hail was seen accumulating on the golf course's putting greens. Snow prompted the closure of Interstate 5 over Tejon Pass, California, the primary route from Los Angeles to the San Joaquin Valley, on Feb. 10.If that wasn't interesting enough, a period of snow – amounting to only a trace officially at McCarran International Airport – was seen in Las Vegas on the evening of Feb. 10. Roads became slick and snow-covered late-afternoon on Feb. 11 in Des Moines, Iowa, where some cars had slid off the road. Interstates around Iowa were also covered in snow during the evening commute. Freezing drizzle in Kearney, Nebraska, early Feb. 11 resulted in roads and windshields becoming coated in ice. Several accidents were reported along Interstate 94 in Wisconsin as heavier bands of snow from Maya moved through western portions of the state. In eastern Iowa, some highways were impassable on the afternoon of Feb. 12 due to strong winds blowing and drifting the snow from earlier in the day. One-quarter to one-half inch of ice accumulation was reported in Chicagoland, including at O'Hare International Airport, with power outages reported Tuesday morning. Freezing rain resulted in icy roads the morning of Feb. 12 in southern Lower Michigan, including parts of the Detroit metro area. Some vehicle slideoffs were reported in Battle Creek, Michigan, where nearly 0.20 inches of ice had accumulated. Power poles were downed from ice accumulation in Henry and Williams counties in northwestern Ohio. Freezing rain and drizzle also resulted in downed trees and power lines on Feb. 12 in Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery counties, Maryland. Maya briefly developed a double-low structure on Feb. 13 with the main low pressure system moving northeastward through the Great Lakes and a secondary weak coastal low developing close to New York. The secondary low also moved northeast along and just east of the I-95 corridor during the day. Boston picked up its largest snowfall of the winter at 2.7 inches before the snow changed to rain. Multiple crashes were reported Tuesday afternoon on Cape Cod near Falmouth, Massachusetts, along Route 28, according to the Falmouth Police Department. Maya dissipated on February 13.

### Winter Storm Nadia

 **Peak Intensity** | 48 (pts), 993 mbar

Winter Storm Nadia formed on February 11. Winter Storm Nadia hammered the West with heavy snow and then continued its cross-country track into parts of the Plains, Midwest and the mid-Atlantic. Winter Storm Nadia had its origins in a deep dip in the jet stream over the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Two separate low-pressure systems made up Nadia: a weaker system that rode southward in the Pacific just offshore from British Columbia into the northwestern United States from Feb. 11-13 and a second low that came from the Central Pacific. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport picked up 6.1 inches of snow on Feb. 11. That brought Seattle's February snowfall total to 20.2 inches, its seventh-snowiest month on record and the snowiest month in 50 years. Heavy, wet snow, northeast of downtown Seattle in Kirkland, Washington, led to numerous reports of trees and limbs downed on the morning of Feb. 12. At its peak, about 100,000 customers in Washington were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Interstate 90 was closed Feb. 11-12 over Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. The National Weather Service said 53 inches of snow was estimated at the pass by the U.S. Forest Service through the morning of Feb. 12, from both winter storms Nadia and Maya. Spokane, Washington, picked up 9 inches of snow Feb. 11-13. Rain changed to snow late Feb. 12 and continued into Feb. 13 in Redding, California, at the north end of the Sacramento Valley. Up to 13 inches of snow was measured near downtown on Feb. 13. The last time Redding saw measurable snow was January 2017, when 3 inches was recorded. On average, the city only picks up accumulating snow once every other year. The town of Anderson, California, just south of Redding, reported 3 to 4 inches of snow on the night of Feb. 12. This prompted a shutdown of Interstate 5 between Fawndale and Edgewood, north of Redding. On the morning of Feb. 15, sleet and freezing rain has been reported in parts of southern Kansas, northern Oklahoma, northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. Snowfall made a mess of Missouri interstates on Feb. 15, including Interstate 70 near Concordia where a number of trucks collided Friday afternoon. Portions of I-70 were closed for several hours hours. A portion of Interstate 35 northeast of Kansas City were also shut down due to the snow. Many areas from southern Nebraska to central Missouri totalled 3 to 6 inches of snow and the northern suburbs of Kansas City saw more than 5 inches while much of the city received around 4 inches. Nadia ended with some large snowflakes in the Virginia on Saturday morning. Nadia dissipated on February 16.

### Winter Storm Oren

 **Peak Intensity** | 52 (pts), 981 mbar

Winter Storm Oren formed on February 15. Winter Storm Oren dumped heavy snow on California's Sierra Nevada and the Rockies, then brought snow to the Plains and Midwest over the Presidents Day weekend before wrapping up in the Northeast with light snow and some ice on Presidents Day itself. Oren entered the West on Friday, Feb. 15, and dumped snow from California's Sierra Nevada into the Rockies through Saturday, Feb. 16. Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort in California saw 42 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending 9 a.m. PST Saturday, Feb. 16. Several other ski resorts also saw a foot or more of snow in the Sierra. Snow spread into the northern Plains and upper Midwest Saturday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 17. More than a foot of snow was reported in parts of the western Dakotas and eastern Montana. The Des Moines, Iowa, metro area saw about 9.5 inches of snow from Oren Feb. 16-17. A total of 6.6 inches of snow was measured in Omaha, Nebraska. In the western Great Lakes, Milwaukee's General Mitchell Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport measured 6.5 inches and 4.9 inches of snow Feb. 17-18, respectively. Oren spread into the Northeast overnight Feb. 17 into Feb. 18, dropping light to moderate snow across Pennsylvania, New York state and New England, along with a glaze of ice on the southern edge of that snow swath. Parts of southern New England, including near Boston, saw 2 to 4 inches of snow from Oren early Presidents Day morning, Feb. 18, before changing over to sleet, freezing rain and then rain. The official total at Boston's Logan Airport was 3.4 inches. Oren dissipated on February 18.

### Winter Storm Petra

 **Peak Intensity** | 48 (pts), 1004 mbar

Winter Storm Petra formed on February 17. Winter Storm Petra spread its mess of snow and ice across parts of the West, Plains, Midwest and Northeast in mid-to-late February. Petra moved into the West Sunday, Feb. 17, and brought additional heavy snow to California's Sierra Nevada, snarling travel there. Snow fell in parts of the Las Vegas metro area late Sunday night, Feb. 17. The snow forced a closure of Interstate 15 Monday morning, Feb. 18, from the south end of the Las Vegas Valley to the California border. Petra brought 14.5 inches of snow to Flagstaff, Arizona, Feb. 17-18. Parts of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metro area saw 1 to 3 inches of snow from Petra Tuesday, Feb. 19. Thundersnow was reported near Altus and Clinton, Oklahoma, around 12 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 19. South-central Kansas saw more than 6 inches of snow Tuesday, Feb. 19, including a report of 10 inches near Kingman, Kansas. Up to a quarter-inch of ice was reported in northern Arkansas Tuesday night, Feb. 19, downing trees near Compton, Jasper and Bergman, Arkansas. Petra moved into the Midwest and Northeast on Feb. 20, bringing periods of snow to all of the cities on the East Coast, and also to Minneapolis and Green Bay. Warm temperatures gradually turned snow to freezing rain and sleet and eventually plain rain during the afternoon and evening across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Two swaths of impressive snow fell on the 20th, one from eastern Nebraska to central Minnesota and the other from northern Virginia to southern Pennsylvania. Each saw snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches during the day on top of previous snowfall totals. New York's JFK Airport, Washington's Dulles Airport and Sioux Falls, South Dakota set daily record snowfall amounts. Up to 8 inches of snow was measured in parts of northwestern Virginia, including near Winchester. In southwestern Virginia, 2.75 inches of ice accretion was reported in Goodview, some 15 miles east of Roanoke. Minneapolis/St. Paul had measured 9.1 inches of snow on Feb. 20. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, also saw 7.2 inches of snow, a daily record for Feb. 20. Up to 5 inches of snow was reported in parts of the Omaha, Nebraska, metro area. Philadelphia reported 2.3 inches of snow before the changeover to freezing rain. New York's Central Park measured 1.3 inches of snow and Boston's Logan Airport reported 2.1 inches of snow. Washington D.C. picked up to 2.6 inches of snow at Reagan National Airport. To the north, Baltimore-Washington International Airport measured 4.5 inches of snow. Thundersnow was reported in parts of Maryland and eastern West Virginia. Petra dissipated on February 21.

### Winter Storm Quiana

*Main article: Winter Storm Quiana*

 **Peak Intensity** | 76 (pts), 971 mbar

Winter Storm Quiana formed on February 21. Winter Storm Quiana was a cross-country snowstorm that brought snow to the West and Southwest, including Las Vegas and the hills around Los Angeles, dumped an all-time record calendar-day snow in Flagstaff, Arizona, then moved into the Plains and upper Midwest, where it produced blizzard conditions in 9 states. Quiana finished up in the Great Lakes and Northeast, producing widespread wind gusts over 60 mph, leaving hundreds of thousands in the dark as trees and power lines were blown down. Winter Storm Quiana dropped into the Southwest Feb. 20-21, becoming a potent area of low pressure over Southern California and southern Nevada by late Feb. 21. Measurable snow fell on the strip in Las Vegas for the first time in over 10 years Feb. 20-21, with 0.8 inches measured at McCarran International Airport. Summerlin, a western Las Vegas suburb, measured 6 to 9 inches, while the southeastern suburb of Henderson measured 2 inches of snow. Mount Charleston, Nevada, in the higher elevations west of Las Vegas, measured 24 inches of snow through Feb. 20. Northern Arizona got pounded by several feet of snow, smashing an all-time record calendar-day snow in Flagstaff, and dumping 10 to 18 inches of snow in Kingman. Snow pounded the Mogollon Rim of Arizona from Feb. 21-22, including areas around Flagstaff, Prescott and the high country of Arizona. Several mountain locations picked up multiple feet of snow. Snow even fell in elevations below 3,000 feet in Arizona, including in the city of Tucson, where the National Weather Service said a few tenths to up to 3 inches had fallen in the valley, and 30 inches had fallen atop Mt. Lemmon northeast of the city. It was the first time the city had multiple measurable snow events in one winter season since 1990-91. Winter Storm Fisher brought a New Year's snow to the city. Only 11 other days on record since 1946 had heavier snowfalls at Tucson International Airport than what fell on Feb. 22. Heavy snow also fell in parts of the Mojave Desert of California. Yucca Valley, west of Twentynine Palms, picked up 9 to 12 inches of snow, and 7 inches of snow was reported east of Barstow. In California, rare low-elevation snow was reported in Calabasas, Northridge, Pasadena, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, the Santa Clarita Valley, Corona and the Temescal Valley, according to the National Weather Service, at elevations between 700 and 1,100 feet. The National Weather Service's Oxnard, California, office also said snow was reported in some beach locations, including Malibu Pier and Leo Carrillo Beach, but melted on contact with the ground. No snow fell in downtown Los Angeles, however, keeping a snowless streak alive there since January 1962. Snow levels dropped on Feb. 22 in the Four Corners as Quiana pivoted across the region. Locations on the far northeastern side of the Phoenix metro area north of Scottsdale picked up 8 to 12 inches of snow. Parts of the Phoenix metro also picked up hail on the warm side of Quiana. Enough moisture and heat was available at lower elevations that a funnel cloud was spotted at a spring training event in Peoria, Arizona, near Phoenix, during the afternoon of Feb. 22. Quiana spread into the Plains and Midwest Feb. 23. Blizzard conditions were reported in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, Goodland, Kansas, and Omaha, Nebraska. Interstate 80 in parts of eastern Nebraska and Interstate 70 in Kansas were closed on the afternoon of Feb. 23 due to extremely dangerous or impossible driving conditions. Two inches of snow fell in 45 minutes early Feb. 23 in Garden City, Kansas, and snowfall rates may have been as high as 4 inches per hour in Omaha, Nebraska. The stormy side of Quiana was responsible for spinning up an EF3 tornado that struck Columbus, Mississippi, late Feb. 23. Blizzard conditions were reported Feb. 24 in parts of the northern Plains and upper Midwest as winds picked up on the backside of Winter Storm Quiana's area of low pressure. This included portions of Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan. A pileup involving dozens of vehicles shut down all southbound lanes of Interstate 41 south of Appleton, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of Feb. 24. A portion of Interstate 90 was closed by the snow and wind in southern Minnesota. Interstate 35 was also closed from southern Minnesota into northern Iowa. In North Dakota, Interstate 29 was closed from Grand Forks to the Canadian border. Snow drifts up to 6 feet high were reported in southeastern Minnesota and parts of Iowa. Strong winds behind Quiana produced wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph near the shores of lakes Erie and Ontario in western and central New York Feb. 24-25, with 40- to 65-plus-mph gusts reported over a rather large swath of the Midwest, Great Lakes, Appalachians and Northeast. Winds, high water levels and cold air turned a beach house in Upstate New York into a house covered by several inches of ice. The strongest gusts clocked in at 88 mph in Snowshoe, West Virginia, and 86 mph on Whiteface Mountain in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Oswego, New York, reported an 80-mph wind gust on the morning of Feb. 25, leading to extremely high waves on Lake Ontario. Classes at SUNY Oswego were canceled Feb. 25 due to these dangerous winds. On Feb. 25, Windsor Locks/Bradley International Airport in Connecticut reported a wind gust of 63 mph. New York City gusted to 58 mph at LaGuardia Airport. Boston also gusted to 58 mph at Logan Airport. A gust of 54 mph was reported at Philadelphia International Airport. On Feb. 24, Niagara Falls, New York, gusted to 74 mph, while Buffalo and Lima, Ohio, gusted to 69 mph and Cleveland reported a gust of 67 mph. The University of Buffalo bookstore suffered roof damage from these high winds. Wind gusts to 66 mph in Rochester, New York, were strong enough to pick up trampolines in the area. Winds also gusted to 60 mph in Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of Feb. 24. Indianapolis reported a 65-mph wind gust on the morning of Feb. 24, and Detroit and Saginaw, Michigan, gusted to 61 mph that afternoon. The National Weather Service noted Ft. Wayne, Indiana, recorded 16 separate wind observations with gusts of at least 58 mph, comprising 30 percent of all such wind observations in their records dating to 1948 from Quiana alone. St. Louis measured a wind gust of 66 mph just before midnight Feb. 23. Hundreds of thousands lost power from the northern Plains to the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Appalachians and Northeast, according to PowerOutage.us. Mount Washington, New Hampshire, measured a wind gust of 171 mph on the evening of Feb. 25. That surpassed the previous February wind record of 166 mph set in 1972. The all-time wind record at Mount Washington is 231 mph from April 1934. Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina, also set a February record wind gust of 124 mph, breaking the previous record set less than two weeks prior to that, in wind records dating to 2007. Quiana dissipated on February 24.

### Winter Storm Ryan

 **Peak Intensity** | 42 (pts), 1008 mbar

Winter Storm Ryan formed on February 24. Winter Storm Ryan brought heavy snow and wind to parts of the Northwest and then spread light to moderate snowfall from the northern Plains into New England. Winter Storm Ryan was a disturbance on the jet stream that developed over the Pacific Northwest early on Feb. 25, then rode the northern tier of the U.S. through the next day and a half. Ryan brought snow to the Willamette Valley of Oregon late Feb. 24 into Feb. 25. The snow was more significant in southern parts of the Willamette Valley, where tree damage and power outages were reported. Eugene Airport in Oregon picked up 12 inches of snow overnight Feb. 24 into Feb. 25. Western parts of the Portland, Oregon, metro area received 1 to 2 inches of snow. The heavy, wet snow downed trees and power lines in Lane County, Oregon, on Feb. 25, according to the National Weather Service. That area includes the southern Willamette Valley and adjacent foothills. Some interior parts of Oregon saw 2 to 3 feet of snow, including 36 inches in Bend and 30 inches in Redmond. Farther east, blizzard conditions were observed in Missoula, Montana, at the local National Weather Service office on the afternoon of Feb. 24. Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada was forced closed early Feb. 26 because of the heavy snow falling there. Flooding and debris flows were reported in northern parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Feb. 26 into the morning of Feb. 27, Ryan generally brought 1 to 5 inches of snow from northern South Dakota and southern North Dakota into central Minnesota, central Wisconsin and Lower Michigan, with a few spots of more than 6 inches. By late on the 27th, the mid-level disturbance reached the Great Lakes and Northeast with light to moderate snowfall. Ryan brought a decent snowfall across the Northeast, including much of New England, where Boston picked up 4-5 inches of snow. Ryan dissipated on February 27.

### Winter Storm Scott

*Main article: Winter Storm Scott*

 **Peak Intensity** | 68 (pts), 987 mbar

Winter Storm Scott formed on March 1. Winter Storm Scott took a coast-to-coast journey across the United States, spreading snow from the West to the Plains, Midwest and Northeast in early-March 2019. Winter Storm Scott was named late-afternoon March 1 with the expectation that naming criteria – that is, winter storm warnings for 2 million people or 400,000 square kilometers – would be met the next day. Criteria was met the afternoon of March 2 as winter storm warnings were added for Pittsburgh and the central Appalachians while remaining for parts of California's Sierra Nevada, much of Colorado and Kansas. Winter Storm Scott entered the United States through Northern and Central California late March 1 and brought snow to the Rockies through March 2. Snow spread into the Plains, mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Northeast on March 3. Parts of eastern Massachusetts, including the Boston area, picked up over a foot of snow from Scott. More than 5,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts at the height of the storm in the early-morning hours of March 4. The official total at Boston Logan Airport was 10.6 inches from March 3-4, the first double-digit snowfall total from a single winter storm all season in Boston. Farther south, Scott brought 6 inches or more of snowfall from parts of eastern Pennsylvania into southeastern New York and Connecticut late March 3 into early March 4. Armonk, New York, was one location that saw some of the heaviest snow, with a storm total of 11 inches. Scott dissipated on March 4.

### Winter Storm Taylor

 **Peak Intensity** | 26 (pts), 990 mbar

Winter Storm Taylor formed on March 7. Winter Storm Taylor spread snow and gusty winds from coast to coast across the northern tier of the United States in early-March 2019. Taylor entered the U.S. through Northern California late on March 7, then crossed through Nevada and the central Rockies on March 8, with mountain snow from the Sierra to Utah's Wasatch Front and the central Rockies. Dozens of avalanches were reported in the Rockies, including one near Copper Mountain, Colorado, that buried cars on Highway 91 on March 7. No one was injured. The avalanche came in between an earlier disturbance and Winter Storm Taylor. The snow from Taylor only increased the risk of additional avalanches. Snow and wind impacted the upper Midwest from March 9 into March 10. Interstate 80 in Wyoming from Cheyenne to Rawlins was closed on March 9 due to blowing snow and reduced visibility. Parts of Interstate 90 and Interstate 29 in South Dakota had to be closed as well. Winter Storm Taylor concluded its cross-country journey on March 10 by spreading snow and gusty winds through parts of New England and the northern Great Lakes. Taylor dissipated on March 10.

### Winter Storm Ulmer

*Main article: Winter Storm Ulmer*

 **Peak Intensity** | 66 (pts), 968 mbar

Winter Storm Ulmer formed on March 11. Winter Storm Ulmer was a blizzard that paralyzed travel in parts of the Plains, produced damaging winds in some places that didn't pick up any snow, triggered massive, record-breaking Plains flooding, and set new low-pressure records as a bomb cyclone. Winter Storm Ulmer was named on the afternoon of March 11, with the expectation that areal criterion – that is, 400,000 square kilometers (248,548 square miles) under winter storm warnings – would be met the following day. That criterion was achieved by the morning of March 12. Ulmer’s genesis began with two distinct disturbances that rolled down the West Coast on March 10. The first and more potent low rolled down the California coast from near San Francisco to northern Baja California March 10-11 as the second, weaker system arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Ulmer brought snow to parts of the Pacific Northwest, mountains of Southern California and the Four Corners region March 11-12 before spreading eastward into the Rockies and Plains. Ulmer went through the process of bombogenesis as it reached the central Plains March 12-13, dropping from 994 millibars on the evening of March 12 to 968 millibars by the afternoon of March 13. Bombogenesis is the process of rapid intensification that a winter storm system can undergo. Bombogenesis is defined as a 24-millibar drop in atmospheric pressure in 24 hours or less. Pueblo, Colorado, is one location that set a preliminary, unofficial all-time record-low pressure on the morning of March 13, according to the National Weather Service. Colorado state climatologist Russ Schumacher tweeted it was the lowest pressure on record there since at least 1950. Dodge City, Kansas, also hit a modern-day low-pressure record dating back to 1960 by dipping down to 974.7 millibars. Winter Storm Ulmer set records in Denver for both wind and pressure, according to the National Weather Service. A wind gust of 80 mph was measured around 12 p.m. MDT March 13 as heavy snow was falling. This broke the old record for highest non-thunderstorm wind gust of 63 mph set on April 4, 2009. The sea-level pressure in Denver fell to 979.01 millibars on March 13, which broke the city's old record-low pressure of 979.9 millibars set on Feb. 25, 1998. While Denver's wind gust to 80 mph sounds impressive, one Colorado city recorded even higher winds. Colorado Springs gusted to 97 mph on the afternoon of March 13. Thundersnow was also reported in the eastern half of the state. Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cheyenne and Torrington, Wyoming; Alliance, Valentine and Sidney, Nebraska; and Pierre, South Dakota, all reached blizzard criteria (frequent gusts to 35 mph and visibility less than a quarter-mile for at least three hours) on March 13. Scottsbluff and Chadron, Nebraska, also neared blizzard criteria but did not quite achieve it. All roads in the Nebraska Panhandle, more than 350 miles of interstates in Wyoming, several interstates in Colorado and 150 miles of Interstate 90 in South Dakota were closed, in addition to the North Dakota interstates mentioned earlier. Casper, Wyoming, had its second-snowiest March day on record, picking up 13.6 inches. Cheyenne, Wyoming, tied its fourth-heaviest calendar-day snow on record on March 13. It was only its 12th day in which at least a foot of snow fell in records dating to 1935. High winds were also widespread in areas that didn't pick up any snow. A train was blown off the tracks in northern New Mexico. Damage to roofing and power lines was reported across eastern New Mexico, including in Clovis and Las Vegas, earlier on March 13. Winds gusted to 104 mph on San Augustin Pass and 100 mph at Cloudcroft. Structural damage was reported in Borger and Hereford, Texas, in the panhandle, which saw gusts up to 80 mph on the afternoon of March 13. The tower at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport was evacuated for a time when siding was torn off the building. Several tractor-trailers had been blown over in the Texas Panhandle. Pine Springs, Texas, clocked a 103-mph gust. The high winds also created a dust storm across West Texas. Winds also gusted 60 to 75 mph in western Oklahoma on March 13, causing some damage to roofs, power poles and fencing. At least two tractor-trailers were blown over. In Moore, Oklahoma, high winds caused a portion of Telephone road at SW 17th to close due to the risk of a gas station awning falling across the road. Ulmer weakened slowly as it moved from Nebraska to the Great Lakes. Snow fell apart gradually during the day and winds decreased somewhat in the Midwest. SevereStudios storm chaser Dan Fitts estimated drifts were 8- to 10-feet high in Melbeta, Nebraska, about 160 miles northeast of Denver. Fitts also documented ground blizzard conditions just before noon local time Thursday in the western Nebraska town. Parts of the panhandle picked up a foot or more of snow. Blizzard conditions have also been seen in Grand Forks and Jamestown, among other locations in North Dakota, where a few locations have picked up around a foot of snow. Interstate 29 from Fargo to the Canadian border, and Interstate 94 from Fargo to Bismarck have been shut down, according to the North Dakota Department of Transportation. Blizzard conditions have also been reported in northwestern Minnesota in Thief River Falls. Drifts of 2 to 4 feet were reported in Rapid City, South Dakota, and the adjacent Black Hills. An observer in Kadoka, South Dakota, had already picked up 18.3 inches of snow. Large snow drifts were also seen in the state capital, Pierre, where 10 inches of snow had fallen. Ulmer's cold front also likely produced more than a dozen tornadoes from the southern Great Lakes to the I-20 corridor in the South. Ulmer dissipated on March 14, after causing major damage and two fatalities.

### Winter Storm Vaughn

 **Peak Intensity** | 31 (pts), 977 mbar

Winter Storm Vaughn formed on March 22. Spring's arrival was a rude one in the Northeast, as Winter Storm Vaughn brought snow and wind March 21 into the morning of March 23. Up to 2 feet of snow was reported in portions of northern Vermont. Winter Storm Vaughn was named Friday evening when the population criteria of 2 million people under winter storm warnings was met. Winter Storm Vaughn developed as a coastal low near the South Carolina coast late on March 20, then moved through eastern North Carolina and into the mid-Atlantic on the following day. This area of low pressure intensified while tracking near the Northeast coast and into southeastern Canada. Several inches of heavy, wet snow snarled travel on March 21 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where dozens of vehicles were stuck or disabled on a narrow stretch of U.S. 33 north of Charlottesville, Virginia. Near Wintergreen, Virginia, 8 inches of snowfall was reported at the time. Heavy rain also fell in parts of the mid-Atlantic, including in Maryland where street flooding occurred Thursday evening and Friday morning. On Thursday, some flooding was also reported in the Richmond, Virginia, metro area. Minor coastal flooding was reported late Thursday in parts of New Jersey and on Friday in Maryland and eastern Massachusetts. Several locations in southeastern Pennsylvania reported more than 2 inches of rainfall from this coastal storm as of early Friday, with 3.7 inches measured near Hanover Heights, Pennsylvania. Vaughn moved into the far western Atlantic just off the I-95 corridor through the morning and afternoon on March 22. The snow piled up in parts of the interior Northeast Friday into early Saturday. Snowy roads led to travel headaches on Interstate 84 near Tolland, Connecticut early Saturday, where up to 6 inches of snow fell. The heaviest snowfall was found in parts of New York and northern New England from Winter Storm Vaughn. Vaughn dissipated on March 23.

### Winter Storm Wesley

*Main article: Winter Storm Wesley*

 **Peak Intensity** | 76 (pts), 983 mbar

Winter Storm Wesley formed on April 8. Winter Storm Wesley was named on April 8 with the expectation that both population and areal criteria would be met across the Plains and Midwest. By April 10, blizzard warnings were issued for more than 3.9 million people and 455,000 square kilometers, satisfying the criteria without even including other winter storm and ice storm warnings. Wesley did not strengthen enough to meet the most commonly used definition of "bomb cyclone," which is a surface-pressure drop of 24 millibars in 24 hours. However, if you adjust for latitude, Wesley has strengthened sufficiently to meet the definition, NOAA Weather Prediction Center senior forecaster David Roth noted in a tweet. According to Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson, nontropical low-pressure systems tend to be weaker at lower latitudes. The original 1980 study that coined the term "bomb" therefore suggested adjusting the more common definition by latitude. Wesley developed within a deep dip in the jet stream located over the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin. Snow fell from Washington and Montana southward to the central Rockies and into the northern Plains. Rain stretched eastward through South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Cold air spread southward into much of the Plains early in the day as the center of Wesley spun south and eastward over the central Rockies. Snow spread across much of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah while becoming more widespread over the central Plains and Midwest. Thundersnow was reported early Wednesday in parts of South Dakota, including Pierre, the state's capital city. Winds increased during the day from northern Mexico across the southern Rockies and southern Plains, gusting as high as 80 mph in parts of the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico. At least one small fire was assisted by the gusty winds in New Mexico. Dust was lofted by the strong winds Wednesday from northern Mexico and southeastern Arizona to southeastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle, as seen here from the ground near Lubbock, Texas. Power lines were taken down by strong winds near Amarillo, Texas, late Wednesday afternoon. A lumber store in Tucumcari, New Mexico, lost part of its roof in high winds early Wednesday evening. Wesley pivoted across the Central Plains and into the Midwest, bringing heavy snow from Colorado to Minnesota. Blizzard conditions were reported in several Plains states. Thundersnow has been reported Thursday morning from central Nebraska to northeast Wisconsin. A severe thunderstorm dropped quarter-size hail in Redwood County, Minnesota, an area also covered by a blizzard warning. Heavy icing in northwest Iowa and southern Minnesota has downed power lines and strong wind gusts downed trees in central Iowa. Winter Storm Wesley blew across several states Thursday, closing or delaying school for hours, knocking out power and snarling both interstate and air traffic. Relief was on its way to some areas, though, as blizzard warnings were canceled in Colorado and Wyoming. All major highways were reopened in Wyoming and most of Colorado as well. Portions of the interstate remained closed Thursday night in Minnesota and Iowa. Warnings continued Thursday evening from parts of northern Nebraska into much of South Dakota and portions of southeastern North Dakota and southwest Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Transportation was still advising motorists to stay off the roadways Thursday evening, as many were completely covered with ice, snow or slush. Interstate 94 was closed between Moorhead and Osakis. The Minnesota Twins postponed their Friday night season opener against the Detroit Tigers. About 50,000 people remained without without power across South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa as of 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, according to poweroutages.us, down from 89,000 earlier in the day. The bulk of those were in Iowa and Minnesota, where ice and wind were causing much of the problems. Jackson County in Minnesota reported more than 100 power poles had been knocked down. Video from the Minnesota State Patrol showed a trooper struggling against strong winds as he directed traffic around a jack-knifed truck in Jackson County. More than 870 flights in and out of the United States had been canceled by early Thursday afternoon, according to flightaware.com. More than 670 of those were at Denver International and Minneapolis/St. Paul International. The Denver Police Department reported that one person died about 10 p.m. Wednesday after a crash involving two vehicles near Denver International Airport, according to KUSA-TV. A police spokesperson said the crash involved a snowplow from the airport. Portions of Interstate 76 were closed Thursday morning from Lochbuie, Colorado, into Nebraska. Interstate 70 was closed between Aurora and just west of the Kansas state line until late Thursday morning. The Colorado State Patrol said a trooper's car was hit when the trooper was working an accident scene. The trooper and the driver of the other vehicle were both taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. On Wednesday, more than 750 flights were canceled at Denver International Airport, according to flightaware.com. Another 200 flights were canceled on Thursday. Airlines, including Delta, United and Frontier, offered travel waivers for customers in the path of the storm. Travelers flying on Wednesday and Thursday can change flights at no charge on some routes. Air travel was expected to return to normal by Friday morning. Colorado kept its emergency operations center active throughout the day Thursday to deal with any impacts from the storm. South Dakota also activated its emergency operations center. South Dakota's Gov. Kristi Noem ordered that state government offices be closed in 54 counties Thursday because of the weather. Ellsworth Air Force Base, 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, was closed to all but essential personnel. Interstate 90 remained closed from Rapid City to Sioux Falls remained closed Thursday, and I-29 was shut down from Sioux Falls to the North Dakota border. Thursday evening, 6,200 homes and businesses remained without electricity, according to poweroutage.us. School was canceled or delayed for Friday in Rapid City and other parts of the state. The state's highway patrol warned drivers about several hazardous roadways. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, one of the poorest areas in the country, was bracing for the winter storm that could bring more flooding, the Associated Press reported. In March, Winter Storm Ulmer dumped heavy snow on Pine Ridge, which lead to severe flooding. Hundreds of people were trapped in their homes. The flooding also damaged or destroyed hundreds of miles of roads and dozens of buildings, disrupted water supplies to thousands and prompted the governor to send in the National Guard, the Associated Press reported. This next storm is renewing fears of more flooding in an areas still trying to recover. "Damage is going to be in the hundreds of millions," tribal spokesman Chase Iron Eyes said. "Things are beginning to dry out, but now there's a huge blizzard predicted. On this reservation, it's kind of a constant crisis the way we live here, and these disasters just put us in a perilous position." As the system moved eastward across the northern and central Rockies and the northern Plains, thundersnow was reported Thursday in parts of the state. The state Transportation Department said Thursday morning highways in Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone and Redwood counties were closed because of blowing and drifting snow and whiteout conditions. More than 470 flights into and out of Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport were canceled as of 3 p.m. Thursday, according to flightaware.com. Delays continued Thursday evening. More than 24,000 homes and businesses were without power, according to poweroutage.us. Several jackknifed tractor-trailers shut down both directions of Interstate 94 near St. Cloud, the State Patrol reported. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said "the National Guard stands ready" to rescue any stranded motorists. Multiple crashes along a snowy stretch of Interstate 35 prompted officials to close about 10 miles of the highway temporarily Wednesday evening. From 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, the State Patrol said, there were 150 crashes, 10 of those with injuries; 286 vehicle that spun out or ran off the road; and 31 jackknifed tractor-trailers. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. the day before, the patrol responded to 244 crashes, 33 with injuries; 212 spinouts; and at least 18 jackknifed semitrailers. The National Weather Service in Minneapolis said up to 23 inches of snow were expected overnight, with a potential layer of ice on top, and winds could gust as high as 50 mph. The Nebraska State Patrol closed a portion of Interstate 80 between the Wyoming border and Interstate 76 early Wednesday evening. Several other local roads are also closed in the Nebraska panhandle. Wesley also impacted efforts to prepare for more normal springtime weather — several states in the storm's path cancelled tornado drills that were planned for Thursday as part of National Severe Weather Week. Wesley continued to bring light snow in the Upper Midwest until the early morning hours of April 13, when Wesley moved into Canada. Wesley dissipated on April 13.

### Winter Storm Xyler

 **Peak Intensity** | 17 (pts), 998 mbar

Winter Storm Xyler formed on April 26. Xyler was a mid-spring clipper-like low-pressure system that swept across the northern tier of the United States from the northern Rockies through South Dakota and Nebraska, then the southern Great Lakes. The northern side of Xyler had just enough cold air to work with to produce unwanted snow across the northern Plains, upper Midwest, Great Lakes and interior Northeast from April 26 through early April 28. Winter Storm Xyler was named during the late-afternoon hours on April 26, when winter storm warnings were issued for southern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, metro areas. Those warnings met our criteria for winter storm naming, at least 2 million people located in winter storm warnings. Xyler began to bring snow to parts of western Montana late April 26, with spring rain showers extending eastward into South Dakota and Iowa. Heavy snowfall resulted in snow-covered roads and slippery travel in eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota early on April 27. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, measured 1.5 inches of snow, and 2.7 inches was reported near Brookings, South Dakota. Thundersnow was even observed with some of the heavier snowfall in southeastern South Dakota and northern Iowa early on April 27. Rain changed to snow early on April 27 as the precipitation reached southern Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Temperatures were warm ahead of the low-pressure system, which kept much of the snow from sticking to the ground. Snowfall rates increased despite the warmer temperatures as the snow reached the southern Great Lakes during the afternoon of April 27. Chicago picked up 2.5 inches of snow on April 27, which was the latest in the season a 2-inch or greater calendar-day snowfall had been recorded there. It was also the latest in the season the Windy City had seen accumulating snow in more than 25 years. Many saw snow fall on newly sprouted flowers and fresh-cut spring grass from Milwaukee to Rockford, Illinois. Xyler swung into the Northeast early on April 28, producing a mix of rain and snow across parts of upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and some higher-terrain areas of New England. The precipitation changed to all rain by the afternoon of April 28, and Winter Storm Xyler came to an end, ending the 2018-19 season.

## Other systems

 **Peak Intensity** | 15.6 (in.), 1033 mbar

Potential Winter Storm One formed on October 13. Residents of the Texas Panhandle observed snow and ice Sunday, which led to slick travel across parts of the area – a rare occurrence in mid-October. Parts of Montana, northern Wyoming and the Black Hills of South Dakota have picked up 6 to 12-plus inches of snow, including Sheridan, Wyoming (6 inches), Red Lodge, Montana (10 inches), and Custer, South Dakota (6 to 10 inches). An observer 5 miles west of Red Lodge, Montana, measured 15.6 inches of snow, and an observer 16 miles south of Sheridan, Wyoming, measured 13.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service. A band of moderate snow Saturday night into Sunday morning dumped 4 to 8 inches of snow from southeastern Wyoming into far northern Colorado and the Nebraska Panhandle. Fort Collins, Boulder and Loveland, Colorado, picked up 4 to 7 inches of snow through Sunday morning. Up to 11 inches of snow fell in the foothills west of Boulder. Cheyenne, Wyoming, picked up 4 to 8 inches of snow while up to 8 inches of snow was reported in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Stretches of Interstates 25 and 80 were closed for a time Saturday night and early Sunday morning due to poor winter driving conditions in southeastern Wyoming. The combination of snow and strong winds triggered some sporadic power outages in Torrington, Wyoming, Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. Denver International Airport measured 2.7 inches of snow midday Sunday, with roads mainly wet across the metro area. Meanwhile, the first measurable snowfall of the season fell early Sunday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with some parts of the city picking up over 4 inches of snow. Some snow was reported Sunday morning in the Omaha, Nebraska, metro area. The storm dissipated on October 15.

 **Peak Intensity** | 22 (in.), 1000 mbar

The TornadoGenius Meteorological Center designated Potential Winter Storm Seven on December 29, when numerous warnings were set out for the Northern Plains and Rockies. On December 30, snow began to fall in many of these places, with a top snowfall total of 22 inches being recorded within Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Blizzard conditions were reported across the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota, with some relatively low snowfall totals. PWS Seven dissipated on January 1.

## Storm names

The naming list was released on October 2, 2018. All of the names on this list have appeared for the first time, minus Maya, which appeared on the 2016-17 list.

* Bruce
* Carter
* Diego
* Eboni
* Fisher
* Gia
* Harper
* Jayden
* Kai
* Lucian
* Maya
* Nadia
* Oren
* Petra
* Ryan
* Scott
* Taylor
* Ulmer
* Vaughn
* Wesley
* Xyler
* Zachary *(unused)*