WINTER STORM WALLOPS EAST WITH SNOW, COLD AND WIND

Jan 22, 2005 — Blinding snow is forecast for the Northeast on Sunday as a raging blizzard moves northward near the coast. Blowing and drifting snow will reduce visibilities near the ground and quickly cover plowed pavement, including in the mid-Atlantic where accumulating snow is forecast to cease Sunday morning. With these gusty winds, temperatures already well below average across much of the East will feel even lower and dangerously so. However, extended forecasts from the NOAA National Weather Service offer sunshine and climbing temperatures on the horizon. (Click NOAA image for larger view of snow mom and kid from a back yard in Falls Church, Va., taken Jan. 22, 2005, as a storm blanketed the Washington, D.C., region with the first significant snow of the season. Click here for high resolution version, which is a very large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Blizzard warnings—for steady winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or greater in conjunction with falling and/or blowing snow and visibilities a quarter-mile or less—issued by the NOAA National Weather Service remain in effect through much of Sunday for much of eastern New York and southern New England and includes large population centers from New York to Boston. Total snow accumulations in these areas are likely to top one to two feet. (Click NOAA image for larger view of weather map from the NOAA Hydrometeorological Prediction Center for Jan. 22, 2005. Click here for latest map. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Such substantial accumulations will surpass the average snowfall for the entire month of January and equal a great percentage of the seasonal average.

Bitter cold air set the stage for snow in the East, and these temperatures can become a health hazard to those with unprotected skin and with prolonged exposure to the cold. A few record lows (for the date) were noted on Friday, including Massena, N.Y., minus 27 degrees F; Rochester, N.Y., minus 6 degrees F; Trenton, N.J., 6 degrees F; Massena set another record on Saturday with a low of minus 29 degrees F.

Before engulfing the upper East Coast on Saturday, snow began in the northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley on Friday and crossed the Ohio Valley late Friday and early Saturday.

Winds gusting between 30 mph and 60 mph on Saturday whipped the snow that piled up to 15 inches in the upper Midwest. Friday’s accumulations set a record for the date in the following cities (previous record and year of occurrence): Rochester, Minn., 8.5 inches (3.0 inches in 1998); Duluth, Minn., 7.6 inches (3.5 inches in 2004); International Falls, Minn., 5.0 inches (3.6 inches in 1957); Wausau, Wis., 4.5 inches (4.0 inches in 1943).

Winter, however, did not dominate the central United States on Friday. As snow fell on the storm’s cold northern and eastern side, temperatures were well above-average from Texas northward to Montana and South Dakota. Some of the record highs (for the date) set Friday include Gage, Okla., 80 degrees F; Dallas-Fort Worth, 79 degrees F (tie); Oklahoma City, Okla., 77 degrees F; East Rapid City, S.D., 64 degrees F; Butte, Mont., 50 degrees F.

Sunshine is forecast to return to the Northeast in earnest on Monday as winds calm, though snow showers and flurries could fly across inland locations. Daytime temperatures will likely rise above the freezing mark on Tuesday from Washington D.C., to New York and in southern New England on Wednesday, making the task of returning the weekend’s movie rentals a bit more bearable.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
Today's National Weather

NOAA National Winter Weather Forecasts

NOAA Weather Service

NOAA National Climatic Data Center (Archived Weather Data)

NOAA Weather Service Suite of Official Weather Products

NOAA Winter Weather Safety/Wind Chill

NOAA Storm Watch

Media Contacts:
Chris Vaccaro, NOAA National Weather Service, (301) 928-8852
National Media: Carmeyia Gillis, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, (301) 763-8000 ext. 7163
NOAA Weather Service Eastern Region: Greg Romano, (301) 713-0622 ext. 169
NOAA Weather Service Southern Region: Ron Trumbla, (817) 978-1111 ext. 140
NOAA Weather Service Central Region: Pat Slattery, (816) 891-7734 ext. 621
NOAA Weather Service Western Region: Greg Romano, (301) 713-0622 ext. 169