January 2019 North American winter storm

The January 2019 North American winter storm was a long-lived winter storm, forming as a large area of low pressure off the Pacific Northwest shoreline January 16, making its way to the Northeast by January 21. Its effects included heavy rain/high elevation snow and gusty winds in California, severe weather in the south, near-blizzard conditions in Upstate New York, an ice storm in New England and minor coastal flooding in the Mid-Atlantic.[1]

January 2019 North American winter storm
TypeExtratropical
Winter storm
Ice storm
Tornado outbreak
FormedJanuary 16, 2019
DissipatedJanuary 21, 2019
Tornadoes confirmed10
Max. rating1EF2 tornado
Highest winds
  • 132 mph (212 km/h) at Mammoth Mountain, California
Highest gust164 mph (263 km/h) at Mammoth Mountain, California
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion52 inches (130 cm) at Squaw Valley, California
Power outages100,000+
Casualties10
Areas affectedSouthwestern United States, Rocky Mountains, Midwest, Northeastern United States, Eastern Canada
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

Meteorological history

A large area of low pressure formed just off the coast of the Pacific Northwest January 16th, before making landfall in California January 17th. Very heavy, high-elevation snow fell in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain ranges. The storm tracked across the Great Plains and through the Midwest before delivering heavy snow to the mountains of Upstate New York and Northern New England, eventually moving through Atlantic Canada and drifting out to sea.

Impacts

California

The storm entered North America via California, as it made landfall January 16th and 17th. Moisture from the storm caused heavy, high elevation snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, peaking at 52 inches (130 cm) in Squaw Valley. Winds gusted up to 162 mph (263 km/h) at the top of Mammoth Mountain. The powerful winds knocked out power to 97,000 statewide.

Colorado

The Rocky Mountains in Colorado also experienced heavy snow, although lighter than in California.[2]

North Dakota & South Dakota

Light to moderate snow and gusty winds affected travel across the states.

Missouri

Travel was halted by the storm in Missouri. 575 motorists were stranded, 285 car accidents occurred, 43 people were injured and two suffered fatal injuries.

Indiana

Ice accumulation followed a period of freezing rain.

Minnesota

In Minnesota, there were five reported collisions with snow plows by cars in 24 hours.[3]

New York

A band of heavy snow resulted in the accumulation of 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) of snow in Upstate New York, primarily in the mountains.

Vermont and New Hampshire

Heavy snow fell in much of both states.

Connecticut

The storm affected the state as an ice storm. Ice accumulations peaked at 1/6 of an inch. Power outages and tree damage affected the places hit worst.

Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts reported a quarter inch of ice accretion. In Cape Cod, mostly rain occurred.[4]

Maine

The heaviest snow in the Northeast from the storm fell in Maine, with some localities reporting more than 2 feet (60 cm+) of snow.[5]

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, expecting snowfall rates up to 2 inches (5 cm) per hour. A 24-hour commercial vehicle ban was put in place for all interstates besides the I-95, although speed limits were reduced.

New Jersey

A state of emergency was declared days before the storm hit.[6]

Tornado outbreak in the southeast

At the southern end of the cold front, multiple states in the southeast and on the Gulf Coast were impacted by a small, early-season tornado outbreak. 10 tornadoes touched down across the affected states.[7]

Louisiana

An EF-1, with 105 mph winds, uprooted trees and damaged homes in Washington Parish.

Mississippi

Rankin county was hit with an EF-0 earlier in the day before being struck again, this time by an EF-1, a few hours later.

Alabama

The town of Wetumpka was impacted by an EF-2 tornado. The town's mayor, Jerry Willis said at a news conference that the town "suffered a tremendous amount of damage." Four injuries were reported. The historic First Presbyterian Church in Wetumpka was destroyed. The state was hit with two other tornadoes, both rated EF-1, touching down in Autauga and Coosa counties.

Florida

Tyndall AFB, which had already been devastated by Hurricane Michael 3 months prior, reported EF-1 tornado damage.

See also

References
  1. https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2019-01-15-winter-storm-harper-snow-forecast-plains-midwest-northeast
  2. "Final in a Series of Storms to Pound California Through Thursday". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  3. District 6, MnDOT (2019-01-19). "At least five snowplows were hit in Minnesota in the past 24-hours, including this crash near Belle Plaine. Please give our drivers room to work. Slow down. Avoid distractions. Keep distance between vehicles. #MnDOThttps://twitter.com/JDLauritsen/status/1086420521233850369 …". @mndotsoutheast. Retrieved 2019-03-27. External link in |title= (help)
  4. "Winter storm harper bringing snow to plains, midwest and northeast".
  5. "Winter Storm Harper Could Mean Major Snow from Plains to NE". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  6. "State of emergency declared in Pennsylvania, New Jersey as Midwest, Northeast rush to finalize snowstorm preparations - AccuWeather.com". m.accuweather.com. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  7. "Tornadoes Tear Through South: Extensive Damage Reported in Wetumpka, Alabama". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
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