2010–11 North American winter

none Snowstorm in the USA ESA209721.tiff Extensive snow cover across the Northeastern U.S. on January 31, 2011 December 21 – March 20 December 1 – February 28 October 23, 2010 April 16, 2011 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard January 31–February 2, 2011 996 $1.8 billion (2011 USD) 36 confirmed 17 total 12 total 3 total 40.5 in cm on at Savoy, Massachusetts 1 in mm on at Cashtown, Pennsylvania January 8–13, 2011 56 total 2010 *Winter of 2010–11 in Great Britain and Ireland The 2010–11 North American winter was influenced by an ongoing La Niña, seeing winter storms and very cold temperatures affect a large portion of the Continental United States, even as far south as the Texas Panhandle. Notable events included a major blizzard that struck the Northeastern United States in late December with up to 2 ft in of snowfall and a significant tornado outbreak on New Year's Eve in the Southern United States. By far the most notable event was a historic blizzard that impacted areas from Oklahoma to Michigan in early February. The blizzard broke numerous snowfall records, and was one of the few winter storms to rank as a Category 5 on the Regional Snowfall Index. While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, there are two definitions of winter which may be used. Based on the astronomical definition, winter begins at the winter solstice, which in 2010 occurred late on December 21 (early on December 22 in EST), and ends at the March equinox, which in 2011 occurred on March 20.Earth's Seasons: Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php United States Naval Observatory September 21, 2015 June 14, 2016 Washington, D.C. PHP https://web.archive.org/web/20150831000837/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php August 31, 2015 dead Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28.Meteorological vs. Astronomical Seasons https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-summer%E2%80%94what%E2%80%99s-difference NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information June 21, 2013 June 14, 2016 Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months, with some variability. __TOC__ Seasonal forecasts 250 US temp outlook winter 2010–11 NOAA.jpg Temperature outlook US precip outlook winter 2010–11 NOAA.jpg Precipitation outlook center On October 21, 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center issued its US winter outlook. It predicted a La Niña to form. The Outlook predicted colder and wetter than average winter for the Pacific Northwest and Northern plains. It also predicted that the Southern plains, Gulf States, Southwest and Southeast Regions receiving a warmer and drier winter season with Florida having equal chance of a below or above average temperatures. The central United States, Mid Atlantic and New England had equal chances of having below or above average temperature and precipitation. It predicted that Alaska would have colder than average temperatures with an equal chance for above average or below average precipitation. It predicted that Hawaii would be drier than average in November but Wetter December through February. NOAA: Another Winter of Extremes in Store for U.S. as La Niña Strengthens http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101021_winteroutlook.html noaanews.noaa.gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 25 March 2017 Seasonal summary Events The 2010–2011 winter featured several significant storms, and one of them was a historic storm. A storm that spawned a devastating tornado outbreak in mid-April was responsible for a late-season blizzard in the Great Plains. Late October bomb cyclone 0 2010 October 2010 North American storm complex.jpg 955.2 9 October 24 October 27, 2010 1 18.5 October 2010 North American storm complex In late October, a massive cyclone brought a serial derecho to a large portion of the United States, as well an early season blizzard to parts of the Midwest and Canadian Prairies from October 25 through October 28. Forming over the Upper Midwest, it intensified rapidly prompting the storm to be classified as a bomb cyclone which are more common over the ocean rather than over land.Strong Extratropical Cyclone over the US Midwest https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=46662 Earth Observatory 29 October 2010 NASA 30 April 2017 The massive storm across the entire country and up into Canada bringing a wide variety of weather. It was responsible for 69 tornadoes across the country with an EF2 being the highest category. It had its highest recorded winds in Nebraska at 70 mph km/h on and the highest recorded snowfall totals being 9 in cm on in St. Louis County, Minnesota.Gerhardt Mary Beth Midwest High Wind Event https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/winter_storm_summaries/event_reviews/2010/Midwest_High_Wind2010.pdf wpc.ncep.noaa.gov NWS 2 May 2017 Late December blizzard 3.27 2010 December 2010 Nor'easter 2010-12-27 1820Z.jpg December 2010 North American blizzard path.png 960 36 December 24 December 28, 2010 7 60 December 2010 North American blizzard This was a long-lived storm that primarily effected the Pacific Northwest and eastern regions of the US and Canada. The storm developed along the so-called Pineapple Express Atmospheric river as a disturbance in the Gulf of Alaska on December 5 and intensified as it began to move toward land. By the 8th it reached the coast of northwest North America but significantly weakened and a new storm formed in the Gulf of Alaska. By December 15 the storm had moved back toward the west coast and interacted with a kona low situated over Hawaii which feed the storm more energy through the Pineapple Express. The storm had undergone Explosive cyclogenesis on December 19, which caused flooding and mudslides in California.Pineapple Express blamed for S. Cal storms https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/12/22/S-Calif-storm-unleashes-torrent-of-rain/UPI-41611293008400/ UPI UPI 28 April 2017 It would start to weaken as it move towards the Gulf of Mexico. It would dump snow on the mountains of Southern California and the 4 Corners region of the Country. When the storm reached Texas it absorbed Gulf Stream moisture and reintensified as it moved toward the Florida Panhandle on December 24. It transferred into a nor'easter as it moved up the east coast on December 27. It dumped snow on a portion of the Mid Atlantic and New England and was officially classified as a blizzard in New York City.The Blizzard of 25-27 December 2010: Forecast Analysis https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/winter_storm_summaries/event_reviews/2010/December25_27_2010_Blizzard.pdf wpc.ncep.noaa.gov 29 April 2017 North Carolina saw snowfall totals as high as 12 in cm. Philadelphia received 12.2 in cm of snow and nearby Trenton, New Jersey saw upwards of 20 in cm on snowfall totals. New York City and surrounding cities received anywhere from 12 in cm to 32 in cm of snow. Boston and coastal areas of Virginia saw only 12 in cm of snow. Wind gusts reached 40–50 mph km/h out in certain areas, creating horrible driving conditions.The Weather Prediction Center Storm Summary Message https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html wpc.ncep.noaa.gov NWS 29 April 2017 The highest winds were recorded in Nova Scotia of 94.4 MPH (151.9 kp/h). New Year's Eve tornado outbreak thumb|A map of the tornadoes that struck. 2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak A tornado outbreak struck the southern United States in late December. The Storm Prediction Center has been calling for a significant severe weather event since December 25. However the predictability of the event was uncertain but, forecasts gained confidence as the event drew closer. On December 30 only marginally conductive conditions were present for a severe weather to form. Later on an approaching cold front induced supercells to form in the evening hours. The storm had spawned up to 5 EF3 tornadoes. The highest recorded non tornadic winds were 80 mph km/h on. On December 30, a few tornadoes were reported in portions of Arkansas. On the morning of December 31 there were several reports of tornadoes in Illinois and Missouri. In the afternoon and into the next day in Mississippi, a tornado in Jackson, Mississippi, prompted a tornado emergency to be issued.Storm Prediction Center 20101231's storm reports https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/101231_rpts.html spc.noaa.gov NWS 2 May 2017https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Flash+Flood&eventType=%28Z%29+Flood&eventType=%28C%29+Hail&eventType=%28C%29+Heavy+Rain&eventType=%28C%29+Thunderstorm+Wind&eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=12&beginDate_dd=30&beginDate_yyyy=2010&endDate_mm=01&endDate_dd=02&endDate_yyyy=2011&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL# Storm Events Database ncdc.noaa.gov NWS 2 May 2017 Early January nor'easter 3.50 Nor'easter 2011-01-12 GOES-13.jpg 969 40.5 January 8 January 13, 2011 January 8–13, 2011 nor'easter July 2023 In the middle of January, a storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico and interacted with cold air mass in Canada. This storm eventually merged with an Alberta clipper over Cape Hatteras. It tracked up the east coast as a nor'easter before moving out to sea. It brought winter weathering the form of snow and freezing rain from Texas to Atlantic Canada. It brought snowfall to areas that got hit hard by the previous blizzard. In New England there were reports of two feet of snow. Late January nor'easter 2.65 Nor'easter 2011-01-26 1545Z.jpg 975 40.5 January 24 January 28, 2011 2 January 25–27, 2011 nor'easter In late January, another major snowstorm hit the Northeast. It brought a winter storm to the mid Atlantic and a blizzard to New England. It hit two weeks after the previous nor'easter and one month after the December nor'easter, striking one week before the historic blizzard. The first part of this system hit the northeast as a coastal low with snow lasting from early January 26 to mid day of January 27. The second round of snow came when an upper-level low moved from eastern Tennessee to southern New England. This round had much steeper lapse rates than the first round and there were reports of thundersnow in some of the heavier bands. Areas with rain had gradually changed over to freezing rain then sleet.Hamrick Dave Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. Winter Storm January 26-27, 2011 https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/winter_storm_summaries/event_reviews/2011/Mid-Atlantic_Northeast_WinterStorm_Jan2011.pdf wpc.ncep.noaa.gov NWS 3 April 2017 Groundhog Day blizzard 21.99 2011 2011-02-01 North American blizzard 2131Z.jpg 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard path.png 996 27 January 31 February 3, 2011 36 1800 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard On January 31, a low-pressure system formed in Montana, and merged with a storm that pushed in from Northern California and a third storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the Midwest, on February 1, and rapidly intensified. The resulting storm brought a historic blizzard to the Midwest. It was the first storm to rank as a Category 5 on the RSI since 2009. It brought a tornado outbreak to the southeast states with most reported in Alabama. It brought a blizzard and winter storm from New Mexico to New England and later up into Atlantic Canada. Chicago received 1 to 2 feet of snow and 60 mph winds.NWS Chicago http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lot&storyid=63527&source=2#snowfall_totals NWS 28 March 2017 The greater area of northern Illinois getting anywhere from 20 to 28 inches of snow. It hit the Midwest and New England with an ice storm along the warm front and mixed precipitation from New Mexico to Northern Texas. This ice storm brought 1 in cm of ice to several areas.Pazniokas Mark Malloy: Ice storm could be more trouble than record snows February 2011 https://ctmirror.org/2011/02/01/malloy-ice-storm-could-be-more-trouble-record-snows/ ct mirror 28 March 2017 Late January–early February cold wave Following the major blizzard in the Midwest on Groundhog Day, a major cold wave behind the storm's cold front left temperatures plunging, with wind chill values dropped as low as -36 °F °C in Boise City, the lowest recorded wind chill in the state since the deployment of the Oklahoma Mesonet.Blizzard rakes Oklahoma, stranding motorists and closing schools NewsOK.com February 2, 2011 http://newsok.com/blizzard-rakes-oklahoma-stranding-motorists-and-closing-schools/article/3537445 https://web.archive.org/web/20110205080722/http://newsok.com/blizzard-rakes-oklahoma-stranding-motorists-and-closing-schools/article/3537445 2011-02-05 dead In Mexico, the temperatures dropped to -18 C F in the Ciudad Juárez metropolitan area in Mexico, and in the mountains area plunging to -23 C F, resulting in the deaths of at least six people in the coldest temperatures recorded in the area in at least half a century.Cold snap chills northern Mexico https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12370717 February 6, 2011 BBC Latin America February 4, 2011 Mid-April storm complex Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011 On April 14, a storm developed across the Midwest, bringing a tornado outbreak to much of the United States, and became the largest April tornado outbreak until the 2011 Super Outbreak, later in the month. In the southern part of the country, this tornado outbreak spawned 178 tornadoes, with the strongest category being an EF3. It was reported that the storm also produced large hail and straight-line winds. The system brought a late season snowstorm to the Midwest and Northern Plains, and blizzard conditions to parts of South Dakota and northern Nebraska. With surface temperatures near freezing the snow was unusually wet for the region. This led to bad driving conditions on Interstate 80 and Interstate 90.Hamrick Dave Central U.S. Snowstorm and Southeast Severe Weather Outbreak April 14-16, 2011 https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/winter_storm_summaries/event_reviews/2011/April_14-16_Snowstorm_Severe-Outbreak_2011.pdf wpc.ncep.noaa.gov Weather Prediction Center 25 March 2017 Records United States On February 10, 2011, Oklahoma set a statewide low temperature record, reaching a low temperature of -31 F C, in the town of Nowata.https://www.poncacitynews.com/news/oklahoma-winter-weather-look-records-broken-so-far Oklahoma winter weather: A look at the records broken so far | Ponca City News Mexico Temperatures dropped to -18 C F in the Ciudad Juárez metropolitan area in Mexico, and in the mountains area plunging to -23 C F, the coldest temperatures recorded in the area in at least half a century. Season effects 2010–11 2011 Late October bomb cyclone October 24 – 27 0 N/A 70 (112) 955.2 9 (22.5) N/A Midwest, Canadian Prairies $18.5 million 1 November winter storm November 13 – 15 1 1.207 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Upper Midwest Unknown Unknown Mid December winter storm December 11 – 14 3 8.191 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Midwest, Ohio Valley, Northeastern United States Unknown Unknown Late December blizzard December 24 – 28 2 5.326 95 (153) 960 36 (91) N/A Western United States, Central United States, East Coast of the United States, Eastern Canada $60 million 7 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak December 29 – January 2 2 5.926 80 (130) Unknown Unknown Unknown United States West Coast, Mountain states, Midwest, Southern United States Unknown None Early January nor'easter January 8 – 13 2 4.157 unknown 969 40.5 (103) N/A Midwest, Southern United States, Mid-Atlantic States, New England, Eastern Canada Unknown None Late January nor'easter January 24 – 28 1 2.643 unknown 975 26 (66) N/A Southern United States, Mid-Atlantic States, New England, Eastern Canada, Greenland Unknown 2 Groundhog Day blizzard January 31 – February 3 5 21.990 70 (110) 996 27 (69) 1.0 (2.5) Central United States, Southeastern United States, New England, Northeastern Mexico, Great Lakes, Eastern Canada, Greenland $1.8 billion ≥36 Early February winter storm February 8 – February 11 4 11.798 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Southern United States Unknown Unknown Mid February winter storm February 19 – February 23 2 4.296 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Northern Mountain states, Midwest Unknown Unknown Late February winter storm February 24 – February 27 1 1.736 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Midwest, Northeastern United States Unknown Unknown Early March winter storm March 4 – 7 0 N/A Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Mid March winter storm March 9 – 12 0 N/A Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Late March winter storm March 23 – 25 1 2.350 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Midwest, Northeastern United States Unknown Unknown Mid-April storm complex April 14 – 17 1 1.827 70 (110) 984 16 (40) 0.3 (0.76) Midwest Unknown None 12 October 24 April 17 955.2 40.5 (103) 1.0 (2.5) 1.88 billion ≥46 See also Weather Global storm activity of 2010 References External links 2010 Storm Summaries from the Weather Prediction Center 2011 Storm Summaries from the Weather Prediction Center 2009–10 North American winters 2010–11 2011–12 Winter Winter Winter Winter