2011 Groundhog Day blizzard
The 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard was a powerful and historic winter storm that affected large swaths of the United States and Canada from January 31 to February 2, 2011, especially on Groundhog Day. During the initial stages of the storm, some meteorologists predicted that the system would affect over 100 million people in the United States. The storm brought cold air, heavy snowfall, blowing snow, and mixed precipitation on a path from New Mexico and northern Texas to New England and Eastern Canada. The Chicago area saw of snow and blizzard conditions, with winds of over  . With such continuous winds, the Blizzard continued to the north and affected Eastern and Atlantic Canada. Blizzard conditions affected many other large cities along the storm's path, including Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, El Paso, Las Cruces, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Dayton, Cleveland, New York City, New York's Capital District, and Boston. Many other areas not normally used to extreme winter conditions, including Albuquerque, Dallas and Houston, experienced significant snowfall or ice accumulation. The central Illinois National Weather Service in Lincoln, Illinois, issued only their fourth blizzard warning in the forecast office's  16-year history. Snowfall amounts of were forecast for much of Northern and Western Illinois. An ice storm ahead of the winter storm's warm front also brought hazardous conditions to much of the American Midwest and New England, and many areas saw well over of ice accumulation. Numerous power outages, flight cancellations, airport closures, road closures, roof collapses, rail and bus cancellations, mail stoppages, and school, government, and business closures took place ahead of and after the storm; many of these disruptions lasted several days. Several tornado touchdowns were reported in Texas and a tornado watch was issued for  parts of Alabama, ahead of the cold front in the warm sector of the storm. In addition, thundersnow was recorded at some locations, including downtown Chicago. At least 36 deaths were reported to be related to the storm, many of them in shoveling or auto-related incidents, and the total damages were US $1.8 billion. Meteorological synopsis. A High-pressure system with a maximum pressure of moved ahead of the storm, moving eastward across Montana. A low-pressure system from the Pacific Ocean later came ashore over Northern California and crossed the Rocky Mountains, merging with an Alberta clipper  low and a developing Texas low, drawing moisture from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The storm later intensified and moved northeast, tanked, and developed a long warm front stretching toward the New England states, and moving northeast along this jet stream track. Lake effect snow events started over Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan from northeasterly winds. Following the predominant jet pattern, the storm developed a very rapid forward trajectory and began to migrate toward the lower Great Lakes. The heaviest snow fell in a wide swath from central Oklahoma to Illinois, Indiana and the Ohio Valley. An official blizzard warning  was issued in Southern Ontario for the first time since 1993, although the Canadian definition changed in 2010. Areas affected. Canada. Nova Scotia. Because the storm dumped some of snow in parts of Nova Scotia, and winds up to some 50 km/h (31 mph) to some areas in eastern Canada, schools and businesses were closed on Thursday morning, the 3rd of February. Lower Sackville near Halifax received of snow. New Brunswick. Numerous school, bus and flight cancellations occurred in the province in preparation for the biggest winter storm during the winter of 2010–2011. A barn roof collapsed during the  storm in the community of Baie Verte. Ontario. The storm dropped 20–30 centimetres of snow over Southern Ontario. Hamilton saw more than 25 centimetres due to an intense Lake Effect band from the west end of Lake Ontario caused by an enhanced wind from the east-northeast, Toronto was spared more than was forecasted with 15 centimetres and a winter storm warning in effect. Areas from the Lake Huron shoreline east to London and Hamilton were under a blizzard warning. There were reports of thundersnow in Windsor, Ontario, when the storm began to hit the region Tuesday night on February  1; the city and nearby Chatham-Kent also declared a snow emergency, effectively enacting a parking ban to ease snowplow efforts, due to forecasted snow totals of 30+ centimetres, and the snow clean-up in the city is likely to cost $700,000 CAD, about 1.5 times more than normal. The Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board closed all schools for the first time since the Blizzard of 1999, a controversial decision given the less than anticipated outcome and snowfall totals resulting from the storm. Schools were also closed in the Windsor area and elsewhere . Quebec. A traffic pile-up stretching three kilometres near Montreal, Quebec involving a school bus and many other vehicles sent 29 people to hospital for injuries. All schools in the Eastern Townships School Board near Sherbrooke were closed. Newfoundland. Wind speeds exceeding hit areas near Clarenville and Bonavista, while schools in eastern parts of St. John's were closed. Mexico. Chihuahua. Northern Mexico suffered widespread infrastructure damage from the storm, and several weather-related deaths. In Chihuahua City, the temperature dropped to in Ciudad Juárez, which lies just across the border from El Paso, Texas, in the Mexican state of  Chihuahua, a regional state of emergency was declared Tuesday evening, just ahead of the cold weather system, with Mexican authorities urging citizens to stay indoors. Despite the snow and ice that developed across the borderland, the major International Bridges remained open during the blizzard. Additionally, to help ease the electricity crash across Texas due to the freezing weather, Mexican officials arranged for the transfer of 280 megawatts of power to the United States via utility hookups located in Nuevo Laredo (across from Laredo, Texas) and Piedras Negras, Coahuila (near Eagle Pass, Texas). The cold wave behind the storm's cold  front left temperatures plunging to in the Ciudad Juárez metropolitan area, and in the mountains area plunging to , resulting in the deaths of at least six people in the coldest temperatures recorded in the area in at least half a century. In addition, 35 animals died at a zoo, and closures of schools and factories occurred in the city. On Wednesday, authorities in Juárez announced that convoys would be traveling out to remote regions and slum areas to ensure that citizens are warm and have the supplies they need to get through the next few days. On Thursday, Mexican officials  suspended energy exports to Texas, citing cold weather damage at five power stations across Mexico that resulted in a total loss of 1,000 megawatts of electricity in Northern Mexico. Power stations in Mexico were able to meet the resulting energy demands in Northern Mexico, but could not spare additional electricity to aid Texas. In Juarez, overnight temperatures in the single digits left 90% of the city without water service due to frozen pipes, and the failure of thermoelectric generators at a power station in Samalayuca, 30 miles south of Juarez, left citizens without power for roughly five hours. Nuevo León . In Monterrey, Nuevo León's capital city, the cold air killed many trees and other types of tropical plants. Snow was observed in the high peaks in the mountains and the fountain in the main Alameda park got frozen overnight. United States. Connecticut. Connecticut experienced up to of snow and ice accumulations, resulting in widespread tree damage and power outages. The additional snow and ice accumulation on top of several feet of snow prior to the storm led to roof collapses in Bethany, Waterbury, and Middletown. The West Rock Tunnel on the Wilbur Cross Parkway was closed for several hours  due to accidents caused by slippery conditions, while service was disrupted on the Metro-North Railroad and at Bradley International Airport. The heavy snow caused at least 136 roof collapses of barns, greenhouses and other farm structures. Illinois. In Chicago, in anticipation of the imminent blizzard conditions, 1,300 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports. By 4:30pm, CST (22:30 GMT), the storm reached blizzard status with sustained winds exceeding , with white-out conditions being reported by spotters in the Old Town neighborhood on the city's North Side. while Lake Shore Drive was temporarily shut down due to impassable  conditions. City officials said on February 2, that at least 900 cars and buses were stranded on Lake Shore Drive, with their drivers and passengers being trapped in some cases for as long as 12 hours (many drivers opting to stay with their cars in the false-fear of being ticketed for abandoning their vehicles instead of walking the short distance to the high-rise buildings lining the drive), but that closing the roadway earlier could have resulted in disastrous traffic conditions and possible accidents on other Chicago area streets. Tow trucks began pulling cars from Lake Shore Drive on  the evening of February 2, and moving them into six temporary lots for motorists who abandoned their vehicles to arrive and claim. The city of Chicago was unable to keep track of the license plates for each vehicle, which led to complaints from many drivers and by the time they located their vehicles, many were unable to retrieve them from the lots because they were parked bumper-to-bumper.; on February 3, the City of Chicago reopened Lake Shore Drive to traffic before rush hour. On February 1, the Chicago Public Schools announced that some schools would be closed and  some would remain open on the following day (Wednesday, February 2), which marked the first district-wide cancellation of classes since the Blizzard of 1999. Heavy snow and high sustained winds gusting in excess of , caused rail switches to freeze on the CTA's Red Line and blew a portion of the roof off Wrigley Field. Northwestern University, Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago canceled classes Wednesday for the first time in over a decade due to the weather. Over 39,000 state workers were ordered not to come into work due to the weather; this was the  largest figure since a blizzard in 1979. Mail service was stopped on Wednesday for six post office regions in Northern Illinois. Amtrak train service out of Chicago was also canceled across Illinois on Wednesday. In the central part of the state, numerous municipalities were all but shut down by the storm. On Monday, residents rushed to the stores to stock up on groceries, and numerous stores reported record sales. On Tuesday, several school districts and universities pre-emptively canceled classes for Tuesday evening and all-day Wednesday. Many school districts planned to close a second day in a row, on  Thursday. About of snow fell Monday night. Tuesday afternoon brought heavy snowfall and sustained winds, with gusts of over . Local government officials encouraged all businesses to close down, and local hospitals braced for the storm by preparing living and sleeping areas for essential personnel. Flights from area airports were canceled, and local officials repeatedly urged residents not to travel, since because of the whiteout conditions, snow plows had been taken off the roads. Interstate 80 was closed Tuesday night between Morris and Princeton. On Wednesday, I-290 and Illinois Route 53 were shut down from Lake Cook Road in Arlington Heights  to St. Charles Road in Elmhurst. Forty vehicles were abandoned on Route 53. Parts of Interstate 57 were also shut down. The state police described most expressways as "impassable". 50 motorists stranded on Illinois Route 47 south of Huntley received assistance from a snowmobile club, while dozens of motorists had to be rescued on Illinois Route 72, west of Hampshire. During the storm's peak on Tuesday night, more than 100,000 customers were without electricity across the state, including 79,000 ComEd customers across Northern Illinois and 35,800 Ameren customers in Central Illinois. Several charities set up shelters for the homeless  and those stranded by the blizzard, and governor Pat Quinn mobilized 500 Illinois National Guard troops to help rescue stranded motorists. Hundreds of motorists had been rescued off Interstates 290, 55, 57, and 80. In addition, over 80 traffic accidents were reported. 11 snow-related deaths had been reported in Illinois by February 3. The body of an individual was recovered from Lake Michigan by Chicago Police. The pedestrian had reportedly been walking on a lake-front pathway when he had been blown into the lake by strong winds. In Grayslake, a man was killed in a crash while driving  through the storm, while a woman in Mundelein died from hypothermia in her vehicle. A man in Chicago was also found dead in his home, which had no heat. In Barrington, a teacher died of a heart attack while leaving school on Tuesday. Five cardiac-related deaths from shoveling snow occurred in Lyons, Downers Grove, Mount Prospect, Carol Stream, and Glendale Heights. In rural LaSalle County, a man died while trying to walk through the storm after his vehicle was stranded on a rural road. Additional official snowfall totals included at Chicago-Midway International Airport, 16.4 inches at the National  Weather Service office in Romeoville, and at Chicago Rockford International Airport. The storm's highest total of was reported in northwest suburban Roselle and Medinah, Illinois. Peak gusts during the blizzard included at O'Hare and along the lakefront. Indiana. Near Wheatfield, a teenage boy and a hitchhiker he picked up were killed during the blizzard when a semi crashed into the compact car they were driving in. Central Indiana saw ice, followed by snow and high winds, which gusted over . A peak of 50,000 Duke Energy customers were without power due to the storm, including nearly half of the Purdue  University campus at one point. A 57-year-old South Haven resident collapsed and died after clearing snow from his driveway. The city of Indianapolis received nearly a half inch of ice from the blizzard, effectively paralyzing the city and leaving many without power. Iowa. Southeastern Iowa saw up to of snow. The heaviest snow fell in the eastern half of the state. Des Moines fared slightly better, where only fell. Some roads remained closed on Wednesday night, and over the course of the storm, state troopers responded to 151 accidents and assisted 428 motorists. Kansas. In Kansas, 53 counties  were declared disaster areas. Especially hard hit were eastern sections of the state, which saw over a foot of snow and whiteout conditions. Government offices and the state legislature were closed on Wednesday, but expected to reopen on Thursday. At least two deaths were blamed on the storm. Maryland. Baltimore received freezing rain during the day on February 1, which changed to rain as temperatures rose on February 2, and the overall icing in that region was less than expected. Massachusetts. In Berkshire county snowfall amounts of 10 inches accumulated. Michigan. A 73-year-old Dansville man was killed in  a vehicle crash. Universities that closed due to the snow include Western Michigan University, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, University of Michigan Flint, University of Michigan Dearborn, Wayne State University and Central Michigan University. Missouri. In Missouri, a state of emergency was declared by Governor Jay Nixon, who activated the Missouri National Guard. On February 1, Interstate 70, which runs east–west from St. Louis to Kansas City, the entire width of Missouri, was closed by the Missouri Department of Transportation due to white-out conditions and increasing snowfall. It was the  first time in Missouri history that any interstate was closed across the entire state. Kansas City was under a blizzard warning for only the 2nd time since 1980, and only the 3rd time in its entire history. Columbia experienced the town's first blizzard warning with this storm in their history. Many local school districts canceled classes, the University of Missouri shut down for an unprecedented three successive days. The University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri (which received 23 inches of snow, which in turn broke the all-time record for the town for snowfall in one day) was  closed an unprecedented three days as well. A scheduled St. Louis Blues hockey game on February 1 was postponed until the 22nd. Areas of Missouri also reported significant sleet accumulation. In St. Louis, some MetroLink service was suspended due to ice on the rails. Several malls were closed due to ice in the parking lots. One person in central Missouri was killed during the storm. New Jersey. In New Jersey, snow, rain and ice were all problems. In central New Jersey Ice storm warnings were put into effect. In portions of northern New Jersey, the forecast called for of snow  and over of ice. The roads were slippery and it was hard for cars to maneuver on the roadways. New Mexico. Up to of snow fell in the Sangre de Cristo, and the Central Mountain Chain of New Mexico, while up to 6 inches fell in the Albuquerque Metro Area. The heaviest snowfall totals were at the Santa Fe Ski Area, and at Sandia Peak east of Albuquerque, Bonito Lake in Lincoln County, and Tres Ritos in Taos County. A 180-mile stretch of Interstate 25 was closed between Las Cruces and Belen due to strong winds and blowing snow . On Thursday evening, Governor Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency across southern New Mexico, due to the steadily decreasing natural gas supply brought about by the catastrophic failure of the El Paso Electric Company's power grid. New York. New York City received almost an inch of ice from freezing rain during the night of 1–2 February, causing public transportation on both bus routes and the Long Island Rail Road to be either delayed or shut down entirely. One Long Island resident was killed by a fire sparked by cooking fuel during the storm. Ohio. Ohio was on the  warm sector of the low-pressure system. On the night of January 31 – February 1, the Cleveland and Akron area received a Winter Storm Warning from the NWS Cleveland Field Office for snow and freezing rain. On Monday night of snow fell during the pre-frontal warm front. During the overnight hours of February 1–2, as the center of low pressure moved from Missouri to lower Indiana, it carried a warm front, with warm air advection and a shallow cold air pool at the bottom. This led to freezing rain in parts of Northeast Ohio. In Canton ice accretion ranged  from , which led to power lines and trees crashing, leaving almost 40,000 people without power. In the Greater Cleveland area, there was 0.1 inch of ice accretion and scattered outages in the Cleveland suburbs of North Royalton, where 2,000 people lost power, and also in parts of Garfield Heights and Maple Heights. Scattered outages were reported in other parts of the area. The temperatures overnight went from at 7:00PM to at 5:00 AM turning the freezing rain to liquid rain, and the NWS canceled the Winter Storm Warning earlier at 5:00. On Wednesday morning as the low moved to New  England, cold air advected behind the low and temperatures had plummeted to the middle-20s Fahrenheit by 4:00 PM with Cleveland receiving of snow and breezy conditions. In the Dayton area, an Ohio Highway Trooper and his wife died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a running generator that built up gas in their home after the home lost power. Oklahoma. The heavy snowfall, along with sleet and some freezing rain, began developing over Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle on the evening of January 31, with a state of emergency declared by Governor Mary Fallin earlier that day. As a result of  the emergency declaration, a state law prohibiting price increases of more than 10 percent on most goods and services during and for 30 days after an emergency declaration went into effect, and will remain in effect for 180 days after the declaration order for prices of repairs, remodeling and construction. The Salvation Army of Central Oklahoma opened three shelters and one warming station for those stranded by the storm outdoors, the homeless, and those who lost power during the storm; two in Oklahoma City, one in Norman and one in El Reno, with teams from the Oklahoma chapter of the  American Red Cross placed on standby. Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and Tulsa International Airport were closed, with Will Rogers remaining closed for 20 hours; I-44 from Stroud to the Missouri state line, Interstate 40 near Okemah and westbound lanes of I-40 east of Henryetta were among many major highways closed, and the Indian Nation, Creek and Muskogee turnpikes were all either closed entirely or in stretches. Most school districts in the state including the Oklahoma City and Tulsa public school districts, as well as most Oklahoma City government offices were shut down a day in advance of  the storm. The United States Postal Service released a statement saying that it was attempting to make deliveries across the state but that "some areas may be undeliverable", due to the heavy snow and very low visibility; mail delivery in Oklahoma City did not occur in most areas due to the conditions. Temperatures across the state on February 1 and 2nd hovered in the single digits to mid-teens. Winds gusted to near at times creating ground blizzard conditions across the eastern half of the state; wind chill values dropped as low as in Boise City, the lowest recorded wind  chill in the state since the deployment of the Oklahoma Mesonet. Heavy snow caved in the roof of a building on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino complex in Tulsa containing a poker room and electronic casino games, the damage was confined to an area that was part of the original structure built in 1992. There was no one injured as a result of the roof collapse as no people were in the affected area at the time; the hotel towers, a concert venue, a convention center, and retail operations at the complex were unaffected and remained open. The "Tulsa World