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February 2013 North American blizzard

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February 2013 Nor'easter
TypeNor'easter
Blizzard
FormedFebruary 7, 2013
DissipatedStill active
Highest gust89 mph (143 km/h)[1]
Lowest pressure968 mbar (28.6 inHg)[2]
Maximum snowfall
or ice accretion		40 inches (1.0 m) in Hamden, Connecticut[3][4]
Fatalities13[5][6][7][8][9]
DamageUnknown
Areas affectedMidwestern United States
Mid-Atlantic states
New England
Atlantic Canada
Central Canada

The February 2013 nor'easter is a historic winter storm that brought heavy snowfall, hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions to Ontario and Atlantic Canada, as well as the upper Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States.[1] Much of New England received heavy snow, with up to 40 inches (1.0 m) in some areas.[10][11][12] More than 6300 flights were canceled.[13] Northeast Corridor and numerous public transit services were suspended,[14] and travel was banned on many roads, including all public roads in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Snowfall stopped and all blizzard warnings expired by 4 p.m. EST on February 9 within New England, except far northeast Maine.[15]

Meteorological history

Late on February 7, a low pressure area was located over southern Georgia and moving northeastward, and another low pressure area was located over northwest Indiana, moving to the east.[16] By the next day, the southern low had moved over North Carolina and was rapidly intensifying. It contained a large area of precipitation that extended across the Mid-Atlantic states into New England.[17] The southern system quickly moved to the north-northeast, and was offshore New Jersey by late on February 8.[18] The two systems merged on February 8,[19] resulting in heavy snow for much of New England (especially southern and eastern New England).

On the afternoon of February 9, as the storm was departing New England and moving towards Nova Scotia, the structure of the storm on satellite imagery resembled that of a tropical cyclone with a well-defined eye feature while located east of Cape Cod.[20]

Preparations

Canada

Environment Canada issued winter storm warnings for much of Ontario, and Toronto issued an extreme weather alert ahead of the storm.[21] Several universities and colleges closed, from the Kitchener-Waterloo area east to Toronto.[22][23] Many flights were cancelled at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Greyhound cancelled bus service to New York.[24] In the Maritimes, blizzard warnings were in effect for parts of New Brunswick[25] and all of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, with over 50 centimetres (20 in) possible.[26][27]

United States

The precursor to the nor'easter over the Southeastern United States on February 7

By late on February 7, winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories were issued for the northeastern United States, from the Upper Midwest to New England. There was also a blizzard warning for the New York metropolitan area, all of Connecticut, all of Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts, as well as coastal New Hampshire and coastal Maine.[16] On February 8, blizzard warnings were expanded to include inland portions of southeast New Hampshire, and inland portions of Maine's coastal counties.[28] By February 8, storm warnings and hurricane force wind warnings were in effect for the New England and Mid Atlantic waters, in addition to coastal flood warnings.[citation needed]

In Chicago, officials deployed 199 snow trucks, and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority sent 182 plows for its road system.[29] In the northeast United States, the storm threatened beaches and dunes in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy from the previous October.[30] Due to the storm's threat, airlines canceled more than 2,700 flights, mostly for February 8. In New York, officials readied snow removal crews,[31] with more than 250,000 tons of salt prepared.[30] Schools were closed in Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island, among other cities.[32]

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy declared a state of emergency at 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 UTC) on February 8, and closed limited-access highways statewide at 4:00 p.m. Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating planned for 30 percent of customers to lose power in Connecticut, and hired out-of-state line crews to assist with power restoration.[33] Governor Malloy on February 9 ordered all roads in the state closed except to essential vehicles.[34]

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee declared a state of emergency on February 8, and issued a travel ban for interstates and other major highways effective 5 p.m. EST.[35][36]

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency at 12:00 p.m. EST on February 8, and banned vehicles from all public roads after 4:00 p.m.; it was the first statewide driving ban in Massachusetts since the Blizzard of 1978. The ban did not include snowplows, police/fire/ambulance vehicles, hospital workers or media workers; and the ban also did not include privately-owned and operated roads (such as roads as part of apartment complexes).[37][38] The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) suspended subway, commuter rail, bus, and boat service at 3:30 p.m on February 8,[39] and flights at Boston Logan International Airport were suspended at 4:00 p.m.[40] Boston mayor Thomas Menino ordered schools to close and recommended that businesses shut down during the storm.[31]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on February 8.[41] Maine Governor Paul LePage declared a state of emergency as well.[42] New Jersey Governor Chris Christie activated his state's Emergency Operations Center on the morning of February 8.[43]

More than 800 National Guard soldiers and airmen were activated in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York to support actions needed on state roads.[44]

Impact

File:Blizard North havenCT.jpg
The snowfall in North Haven, Connecticut
The storm's impact in New York City was relatively limited

In Canada

The storm brought significant snow to Ontario from February 7 to February 8. Snowdrifts caused major disruptions on roads and highways.[45] The storm also brought snow and high winds to Ottawa and Montreal.

In the U.S.

The secondary low over Indiana produced light to moderate snowfall that extended to Wisconsin.[16] Totals reached 11.6 in (290 mm) in Muskegon, Michigan.[16] The storm previously dropped snow in Chicago,[quantify][31] and 8.5 in (220 mm) was reported in Beach Park, Illinois.[when?] Several traffic accidents were reported.[where?][29]

Snow and rainfall began on February 8 across the Northeastern United States; by late that day, totals reached 8 in (200 mm) near Milton, Vermont.[18] Later that evening, snow was falling at 2 to 3 inches (51 to 76 mm) per hour in coastal Massachusetts.[46] In Massachusetts, about a dozen homes in Quincy were evacuated late on February 8 due to coastal flooding. Voluntary evacuation orders were issued for oceanfront residents in Revere, Marshfield, and Scituate.[47]

By 12:00 a.m. EST on February 9, 19 inches of snow had fallen at Mount Sinai, New York on the north shore of Long Island in Suffolk County and 18.5 inches at Manchester, Connecticut.[citation needed] Wind gusts of over 50 mph were reported in Boston and over 60 mph on Nantucket Island.[48]

As of 11:30 am EST on February 9, Wilmington, Massachusetts had 33.5 inches of snow.[citation needed] By 9:20 a.m. EST on February 9, 11.4 inches of snow had fallen at Central Park in New York. Although only 11.4 inches fell in Central Park, most of Long Island was hit with 20"+ totals, some as high as 30 inches on the East End of Long Island.[citation needed]

Hundreds of cars got stuck on the Long Island Expressway in Suffolk County beginning the afternoon of February 8. Officers were working to get them off the road safely throughout the night.[49]

Coastal New England experienced the strongest winds from the storm, with a peak gust of 89 mph (143 km/h) at Mount Desert Rock in Maine.[1]

The snowstorm caused the Boston Bruins ice hockey team to postpone a Saturday afternoon game at the TD Garden against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[50]

Boston's Logan Airport recorded a wind gust of 76 mph, and 84 mph was measured in Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts. When the snow stopped, the highest amount recorded was 40 inches in Hamden, Connecticut. The 31.9 inches of snow in Portland, Maine set a new record for the city from a single snowstorm. It was the second highest total in Hartford, Connecticut with 22.8 inches; Concord, New Hampshire received 24 inches of snow. It was the third-largest snowfall in Worcester, Massachusetts with 28.7 inches.[51]

Power

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts experienced an automatic shutdown at around 9:15 p.m. EST on February 8 after losing off-site power; there was no threat to the public.[52]

The storm caused power outages, shortages at gas stations, and numerous car accidents across the region.[53] As of 12:45 a.m. EST on February 9, 321,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts, 191,000 in Rhode Island, and 32,000 in Connecticut.[44] By 10:30 a.m., over 655,000 customers were without power due to the storm, including 405,000 in Massachusetts and 185,000 in Rhode Island.[54] As of the evening of the 9th, approximately 575,000 people were without power.[55]

Air travel

In North America, more than 6,300 flights were canceled as of 11 a.m. EST on the 9th. In the New York City area, John F. Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Airport opened 7 a.m. on the 9th.[56] In Boston, Logan International Airport is scheduled to re-open at 11 p.m. on the 9th; and in Hartford, Bradley International Airport is scheduled to re-open at 6 a.m. on the 10th.

Fatalities

Canada:

In Toronto, poor road conditions were blamed for at least 350 car crashes that resulted in two fatalities, and an 80-year-old woman died while shoveling snow. A car crash also killed one person in Quebec.[57][11]

United States:

Names

See also: Winter storm naming controversy

The Weather Channel dubbed the storm "Winter Storm Nemo",[58] in keeping with a list of names given to notable winter storms that the The Weather Channel began in 2012.[59] Hartford, Connecticut, CBS affiliate WFSB named the storm "Blizzard Charlotte", in keeping with a long-standing station tradition of naming major winter storms affecting Connecticut dating back to the early 1970s.[60][61] The National Weather Service has rejected naming winter storms, and some media organizations such as The New York Times and The Washington Post stated that they would not use a name for the storm.[62][63] Other names include "The Blizzard of 2013" (or "The Blizzard of '13"), and "Blizzard 2013".[64][65]

References

  1. ^ a b c http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/MDRM1.cwind National Data Buoy Center MDRM1 Continuous Winds Data
  2. ^ Allison Monarski (February 9, 2013). "Storm Summary Number 09 for Great Lakes and Northeast Major Winter Storm". College Park, Maryland: Hydrometeorolgical Prediction Center. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  3. ^ National Weather Service – Eastern Region Hydrometeorological Event Display
  4. ^ "Storm Summary". www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  5. ^ "At least 4 dead as blizzard moves east from Ontario". CTV news. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  6. ^ Mike Benischeck (February 8, 2013). "Wind, snowfall intensifying; More than 6 inches so far in Poughkeepsie, Rhineback". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "5 Storm-Related Fatalities Reported". NBC Connecticut. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "Clobbered by record-setting blizzard, Northeast begins to dig out". NBC News. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Boy Dies From CO Poisoning In Snowed-In Roxbury Car". WBZ-TV Boston. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  10. ^ Snow, Mary (February 9, 2013). "650,000 without power as blizzard heads out to sea". New York, New York: CNN. Retrieved February 9, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b Major snowstorm wallops Ontario – Canada – Canoe.ca
  12. ^ http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-02-08/blizzard-cancels-u-dot-s-dot-flights-threatens-historic-snow
  13. ^ a b "1 dead, 500,000 without power from ongoing blizzard". CNN. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  14. ^ "Airlines cancel flights, Amtrak and other transit halted as blizzard looms". The Washington Post. 2013-02-08.
  15. ^ "Massive power outages as Northeast blizzard turns deadly". USA Today. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  16. ^ a b c d Allison Monarski (February 7, 2013). Storm Summary Number 01 for Great Lakes and Northeast Major Winter Storm (Report). Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  17. ^ Sean Ryan (February 8, 2013). Storm Summary Number 03 for Great Lakes and Northeast Major Winter Storm (Report). Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  18. ^ a b Allison Monarski (February 7, 2013). Storm Summary Number 04 for Great Lakes and Northeast Major Winter Storm (Report). Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  19. ^ "Massive snowstorm seen from space in satellite photo". CBS News. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  20. ^ "Dramatic satellite image of the nor'easter shows an eye-like center". The Post-Standard. Syracuse. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  21. ^ City issues extreme weather alert ahead of winter storm | CP24.com
  22. ^ Widespread closures, including some city services, as snow buries region | therecord
  23. ^ Winter storm: School closures for Feb. 8, 2013 | CP24.com
  24. ^ Toronto Struggles to Cope with ... Snow – Canada Real Time – WSJ
  25. ^ [1]
  26. ^ Blizzard bearing down on Atlantic Canada CBC.ca
  27. ^ Weather Warnings - Queens County P.E.I. weatheroffice.gc.ca
  28. ^ "National Weather Service Forecast Office – Portland-Gray, Maine". National Weather Service Gray, Maine. National Weather Service. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  29. ^ a b "Winter storm: Snow tapers off here, Northeast braces for blizzard". Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  30. ^ a b "Blizzard Barrels Toward Area". The Wall Street Journal. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  31. ^ a b c Scott Malone (February 7, 2013). "New England to bear brunt of powerful blizzard". Reuters. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  32. ^ Bridget Murphy (February 7, 2013). "Blizzard Nemo update: 2 feet of snow possible". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  33. ^ "Malloy Declares State of Emergency As Storm Covers Connecticut". courant.com. Feb 8, 2013.
  34. ^ "CT Road Closures". CT DEMHS. CT DEMHS. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  35. ^ RI gov declares state of emergency for major storm – News – Boston.com
  36. ^ "RI issues non-essential travel ban on highways". The Boston Globe. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  37. ^ Nemo prompts Gov. Deval Patrick to declare state of emergency for Massachusetts | masslive.com
  38. ^ Northeast Blizzard Warnings Posted As Region Braces For Up To Several Feet Of Snow
  39. ^ MBTA riders juggle schedules to take last-minute rides – Boston.com
  40. ^ Planes are still flying in and out of Logan, but service was be suspended at 4 p.m. Friday – Boston.com
  41. ^ New York State Has Declared A State Of Emergency – Business Insider
  42. ^ "Maine Gov Declares State of Emergency". Mpbn.net. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  43. ^ Christie activates N.J. Emergency Operations Center ahead of storm | NJ.com
  44. ^ a b "Mammoth snowstorm knocks out power to more than half a million customers". NBC News. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  45. ^ Staff Writer (February 6, 2013). "Alberta Clipper + Texas Low = 'significant' snow storm Thursday night into Friday". Bullet News. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  46. ^ Erin McClam; Kari Huus (February 9, 2013). "Mammoth snowstorm knocks out power to more than half a million customers". NBC News. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/08/16895255-this-is-it-mammoth-winter-storm-lashes-northeast" ignored (help)
  47. ^ http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/02/08/stormmain/VmF0TYMNl4SdTA1HOVh9eI/story.html
  48. ^ "Mammoth snowstorm knocks out power to more than half a million. customers". NBC News. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  49. ^ "HUndreds Of Cars Stuck On Long Island Expressway". Associated Press. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  50. ^ "Bruins/Lightning Game Postponed". BostonBruins.com. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  51. ^ "Massive power outages as Northeast blizzard turns deadly". USA Today. February 9, 2013.
  52. ^ "Mass. nuclear power plant loses power, shuts down during snowstorm; NRC monitoring". The Washington Post. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  53. ^ "'This is it': Mammoth winter storm lashes Northeast". Usnews.nbcnews.com. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  54. ^ Clobbered by record-setting blizzard, Northeast begins to dig out – U.S. News
  55. ^ "Clobbered by record-setting blizzard, Northeast begins to dig out". NBC News. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  56. ^ "Massive power outages as Northeast blizzard turns deadly". USA Today. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  57. ^ "Northeast blizzard: a state-by-state look". WNYW TV. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  58. ^ "Winterstorm Nemo naming". latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  59. ^ Niziol, Tom (November 11, 2012). "Why The Weather Channel is Naming Winter Storms". Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  60. ^ The story behind naming winter storms (Video). Hartford, Connecticut: WFSB (Meredith Corporation). Retrieved 2013-02-08. {{cite AV media}}: Text "date-2013-02-08" ignored (help)
  61. ^ Larrañeta, Izakshun E. (2013-02-08). "Call it Nemo or Charlotte, it's still going to snow". The Day. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  62. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/us/winter-storms-name-means-very-little.html
  63. ^ Don't Call that Storm 'Nemo'? Twitter Begs to Differ | Time
  64. ^ "Blizzard of 2013 Brings Another Threat: Coastal Flooding". www.climatecentral.org. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  65. ^ Pete Spotts (February 8, 2013). "Snowfall forecast for Blizzard of 2013 just got bigger. What changed?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
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