top 10 worst winter storms weather channel
West Virginia and Ohio set statewide single-storm snowfall records, as did the city of Pittsburgh. Some residents in Mississippi were without power a month after the storm. At the time, this was the most destructive ice storm of record in New England. Adjusted for inflation, this storm today would've caused over a quarter million dollars in 2013. March 12-13, 1993: The Storm of the Century, Jan. 25-27, 1978: The Cleveland Superbomb, Nov. 25-27, 1950: The Great Appalachian Storm, Jan. 12, 1888: The Schoolhouse Blizzard (or Childrens Blizzard). Days of freezing rain led to heavy ice accumulations of 1 to locally more than 2 inches in northern Arkansas and portions of Kentucky in late January 2009. Winter storms can unleash an array of hazardous weather, causing destruction that sometimes amounts to billions of dollars in damage. In Upstate New York and portions of Connecticut, temperatures were even colder, and 45 to 60 inches of snow accumulated. That is the first time I've seen this," Fox9 meteorologist Cody Matz tweeted. Baltimore and Washington, DC, received between 15 and 30 inches of snow. Dan Littlefield of Campe Ellis attempts to clear snow from his car Sunday morning, March 14, 1993. The vehicle landed upside down in a creek and sunk into the frozen water, officials said. 44K views, 17 likes, 0 loves, 6 comments, 24 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Weather Channel Originals: A mother goes into labor during a Halloween #Blizzard. The White Hurricane 1913 The first storm on our list is the "White Hurricane" of 1913 and was the worst storm to ever hit the Great Lakes region. A daily weather map from Dec. 31, 1978, of the North Texas ice storm. FEATURED PROGRAM: Your Zip Code Go. Daily Weather Maps Project), Dallas Area Storms Cause Power Transformer To Explode, Five Worst Weather Super Bowls, NFL Title Games, Super Bowl week in February 2011 was a snowy, icy mess, 100-mile wide swath from Louisiana to West Virginia, worst ice storms to ever hit North Carolina. Based on these NESIS values, there are five categories of winter storms, somewhat analogous to theSaffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: Building off the work of Kocin and Uccellini, scientists at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) developed theRegional Snowfall Index (RSI)to rate snowstorms in other regions, mainly east of the Rockies, including the Midwest and South dating to 1900. Snow drifts blocked roads in northern Oregon and the Cascades mountains passes. The Blizzard of '96 was the snowstorm of record in both Philadelphia and Newark and set the state snowfall record in Virginia (48 inches at Big Meadows), snarling travel and shutting down schools. The "Mataafa Storm" of 1905 was named after SS Mataafa, which was wrecked during the storm. The storm caused one of the largest power outages in North Carolina's history at that time. Nashville recorded a low temperature of minus 13on Feb. 2. The snow put stress on the roofs of structuresand slowed transportation, according to NOAA. In mid-December, an ice storm left more than 500,000 customers without power in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Knickerbocker Storm, the Storm of the Century, Snowmageddon it's the blizzards that earn titles that do the most damage. Days of freezing rain led to heavy ice accumulations of one to locally more than two inches in northern Arkansas and portions of Kentucky in late January of 2009. We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good. Over 200,000 customers lost power in Louisville and it took as long as 10 days to get all customers back online. The Weather Channel warned it could be the Twin Cities' heaviest snowstorm in over a decade. Breaks in between bursts of snow across portions of the Midwest, including the Twin Cities, limited this storm from becoming a Top 10 snowstorm for the region as was originally forecast. Below we lay out the10 most costly winter storms since 1980, according to NOAA. 1. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Northeast Region (Maryland to Maine) RSI Cat. ", So the Winter Storm Severity Index for this week has the Twin Cities in the Extreme Impacts category. We didn't forget about the storm dubbed theCleveland Superbomb of Jan. 1978. "Bomb cyclone" is a meteorological term that describes a hurricane-like storm that develops when a cyclone undergoes "bombogenesis." The heaviest snow of the storm fell from the highest elevations of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Led by Michael Squires, the NCEI team realized they needed to adjust snow thresholds by region. Wind gusts over 70 mph and hail measuring 1 inch in diameter were reported in Oklahoma City . The last month of the spring, May, is a comfortable month in Boxford, Massachusetts, with an average temperature varying between 63. were without power. Punishing wind chills as low as minus-50 degrees and up to a foot of powdery snow overwhelmed the region; where the Great Lakes were near enough to add moisture to the air, as many as three feet of snow accumulated. Heavy snow and strong winds occurred from South Dakota through Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and into the Sierra. Mount Washington (New Hampshire) 2. View of Worcester, Massachusetts, after the November 1921 ice storm. 1922: The Knickerbocker Storm. In Arkansas, Mel Coleman, CEO of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative described the scene,"In all of my years I have never seen anything that compares to the damage this storm has caused. Many Americans who missed out on a white Christmas got their fill of snow when a blizzard carved a path of disruption down the East Coast, leaving thousands of travelers across the country stranded as airlines grounded more than 7,000 flights. 10 YEARS LATER: Many Superstorm Sandy victims in New Jersey are still paying for the storm. 16 lives were lost in the U.S. and an additional 28 deaths related to the ice storm were reported in Canada. The Arctic Top Ten Worst Flash Floods (9/18/2016) 10: 2010, Albert Pike Campground, AR 9: 2015, Utah/Arizona border In addition to impaired travel conditions, "life-saving actions may be needed" throughout the storm. Many roads were blocked as well, making travel nearly impossible in some areas. Of the more than 310 weather and climate events with damages exceeding $1 billion since 1980, this storm is the country's second-most costly winter storm to date. These ratings are based on the aerial coverage and amount of snow in each region. A significant winter storm will impact the area Tuesday through Thursday. Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists. More than 2 million lost power. Water systems in Texarkana and Hot Springs, Ark. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Some freezing rain coated cars and roads in western and northern New York. From February 14 to 19, the Great Blizzard of 2003 covered the East Coast in several feet of snow. A quick hit of snow whipped eastward from the Dakotas to the Twin Cities and western Great Lakes late in the day as forecasts increased toward a Top 5 snowstorm in the Twin Cities. New Year's 1961 (Northern Idaho) A three-day ice event ushering in 1961 with. This series was originally intended to premiere on June 7, 2020, but due to live coverage of Tropical Storm Cristobal, the premiere was instead set to June 14. The most recent billion dollar winter storm was Winter Storm Riley in March 2018. The Knickerbocker Storm battered the upper South and middle Atlantic United States for two days, dumping a record-breaking 28 inches of snow on Washington, D.C. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. At its height, a total of 1.3 million residents were left without power in multiple states. The 1996 storm claimed the lives of 154 people, many of whom died in car accidents, and the ensuing floods killed 33 more. All of this ice and snow led to more than 900,000 power outages for customers across the Midwest. There were 19 deaths reported due to the blizzard, several of them from heart attacks while shoveling snow, according to the Washington Post. More than 145 miles of high-voltage transmission lines were downed in southeast Missouri. Extensive damage totaling $3 billion was reported in portionsTexas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Two thousand residents were treated for injuries from vehicle accidents, falls on ice and frostbite. A winter storm is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. There have been only 28 Category 5 winter storms in the U.S. since 1900, based on the RSI. It brought 28" to the Nation's Capital and caused the roof of the Knickerbocker. Kentucky Gov. NWS' scale classifies extreme impacts as causing "substantial disruptions" to everyday life. Indoors, power outages can be a major issue this time of year too, so make sure youre prepared for them. An immense low-pressure zone, powered by a massive dip in the jet stream and blocked from sliding out to sea, took an unusual east-to-west track across the Mid-Atlantic. January 6-10, 1996. Bedford, Michigan reported 0.70 inches of ice and Franksville, Wisconsin, (south of Milwaukee) picked up 0.75 inches. One of the deadliest in Washingtons history, the disaster claimed 98 lives and gave the storm its name. DePodwin said a "swath of ice" is forecasted to hit north of Chicago into lower Michigan and western New York. and much of the region is now under a Winter Storm Warning. These names have been coined using schemes such as the days of the year that the storm impacted or noteworthy . 9. Heavy snow continued to fall for nearly two days as the storm stalled near Long Island. More than 80,000 utility poles were pulled down by the weight of the ice. Accumulating freezing rain in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan caused major tree damage and power outages. Contents 1 Episode Details Ice storms have a destructive reputation, so it's no surprise one of them ranks this high on the list of billion-dollar winter storms. Sixteen inches of snow came to Portland on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 1937, paralyzing traffic for . As the storm moves across the states, sleet and freezing rain are expected to develop. Okay, well, chances are none of us were around for the epic snowstorm of December 1890. An intense winter storm brought copious amounts of snowfall to the region, with all of Kentucky and southern Indiana receiving several inches of snow. Don't tell that to the hundreds of thousands who lost power around the Christmas holiday, due to the combination of high winds and heavy snow downing trees and power lines. We've collected a list of 10 of the worst ice storms in U.S. history, starting with one in northern Idaho. The Blizzard of 1996 resulted in 150 deaths and around $3 million in damages across the Northeast. Which City Is the Worst for Fall Allergies This Year? The "extreme impacts" classification had one meteorologist concerned. We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good. We trudge back in time to revisit some of the worst blizzards in U.S. history. Over 1 inch of ice accumulated in many locations from northeastern Texas into southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and northern Louisiana. In mid-December, an ice storm left more than 500,000 without power in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Parts of theDelaware, Susquehanna, upper Ohio, Potomac and James River basins experienced significant flooding, according to NOAA. The Chicago Blizzard of 1967 shut down O'Hare Airport and stranded 20,000 cars and 1,100 CTA buses. At least 600,000 customers were without power. More than 120 winters have come and gone since the so-called Great White Hurricane, but this whopper of a storm still lives in infamy. Baxter St., New York City during the Blizzard of 1888. It was Kentucky's largest power outage in history at the time, with 609,000 homes and businesses in the dark. Snowmageddon was sandwiched between two other blizzards at the beginning and end of February, prolonging the cleanup process. Over 500,000 in northern New England lost power. We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good. Dangerous travel conditions also could be experienced in Denver, Colorado, during the day on Wednesday as the city receives anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of snow. At the time, this was the most destructive ice storm of record in New England. Beshear called in National Guard troops to help clear roads and go door to door to check on families in the western part of the state (the worst-hit area). Herbert A. French/Buyenlarge/Getty Images. Locations from Oklahoma to southernMissouri, southern Illinois, Kentucky, northern Tennessee, northeast Georgia and the Carolinas were impacted byfreezing rain, sleet and snow. That goes to show just how epic this week really could be. The last one was the February 2011 Groundhog snowstorm in the Midwest. Pummeling many regions from midday on December 26 through the following afternoon, the post-holiday storm featured a rare meteorological event known as thundersnow, in which thunder and lighting are accompanied by heavy snow rather than rain. Here you can see the day's top weather forecasts, stories and expert insights from the most trusted source in weather. During the intermission, the theaters flat roof gave way under the weight of the wet snow, and concrete, bricks and metal rained down onto the audience. More than 270 people were killed across fourteen states, including 44 from an ocean surge and severe thunderstorms in Florida; the blizzard caused $11.3 billion of inflation-adjusted damage to become Americas costliest winter storm until the February 2021 cold wave. Over 200,000 lost power in Louisville and it took as long as 10 days to get all customers back online. Vehicles are seen during a heavy snowstorm on a highway in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 22, 2022. Drifts to 10 feet were reported in Minot, North Dakota. Winter Storm Riley from March 2018 is the most recent entry on the list. Washington, DC, was buried beneath 28 inches of snow in the Knickerbocker Storm of 1922. A pair of infamous Chicago snowstorms of1967and 2011 made the list, as well. Damage to power lines, trees, and phone lines was estimated at $20 million. In his book, Extreme Weather, Christopher Burt cited a paper in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, stating, "Ice on the side of any dense, unbroken evergreen tree 50 feet high and on average 20 feet wide would have weighed five tons" due to the weight of accumulated ice. The heavy icing caused widespread damage to trees, power lines and power poles. The storm also induced severe coastal flooding and erosion. Roads from the teams' hotel to the Georgia Dome were too hazardous. Just days later, another winter storm hit Atlanta on Super Bowl weekend. The second worst ice storm in history hit the South Feb. 9-13, 1994. Affecting what would have been 49 million people according to current population, the Great Appalachian Storm was so intense and wound up it turned basic meteorology in the northern hemisphere on its head. At least 30,000 power poles were downed or snapped in Arkansas. New Year's Eve 1978 was the worst ice storm in North Texas in three decades, producing ice accumulations up to 2 inches thick in a 100-mile-wide swath from just west of Waco to Paris, Texas. The Superstorm of 1993 (also called the Storm of the Century) was one of the most intense mid-latitude cyclones ever observed over the Eastern United States.The storm will be remembered for its tremendous snowfall totals from Alabama through Maine, high winds all along the East coast, extreme coastal flooding along the Florida west coast, incredibly low barometric pressures across the . Blizzard conditions pounded the adjacent plains of the Dakotas. Barbara Buckner looks over her home that was destroyed by a tornado in Norman, Oklahoma, Feb. 27, 2023. The flat landscape, just east of the Rockies, is ideal for powdery, windswept snow north of developing storms and along powerful cold fronts; a small handful of blizzards occur in this part of the country each year. Causing 300 deaths and $6 to $10 billion in damages, the Storm of the Century lived up to the hype. Like hurricanes, Category 5 winter storms are rare. Little snow fell during the first major blizzard of 1888, which struck exactly two months before the crippling March storm in the Northeast. Record snow and incredible cold: Jan. 17-19, 1994. Most of Texarkana, Hot Springs and Little Rock, Arkansas, were without power. Take control of your data. "The rest of central & Southern MN in the Major Impacts category. On February 5, when snowflakes failed to materialize in the pre-dawn hours as meteorologists had predicted, many people chalked it up to faulty forecasting and went about their lives. Prepare your home: If theres a snow storm coming your way, heres how to get your home ready for extreme cold. Around 2,000 flights were canceled, and 20 people died, according to CNN. Remember, the calculations take into account only snowfall and population, not necessarily severity of impact and, of course, not wind. Damage was estimated at $14 million in Dallas County alone. Paul, the second heaviest snowstorm on record in Green Bay, Wisconsin, dumping in excess of 30 inches of snow in parts of eastern Wisconsin. were also down. A woman walks through drifting snow in Cambridge, Mass., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015. winter storm moving across us results in warnings, cold weather alerts for more than 150 million americans Travelers wait in line to check in for their flights at Terminal 1 at MSP Airport in . AP In March 1888, the Great Blizzard of 1888 hit the Atlantic coast. Sign Up for the Morning Brief - a weekday newsletter infused with your forecast, fun facts, articles and bite-sized nuggets to energize your day. Heavy sleet accumulations across much of southern Illinois and parts of southeastern Missouri caused dozens of roof collapses. Olive largely began late on Monday, Feb. 20 as a plunge in the jet stream and accompanying low pressure system dipped into the Northwest and Northern Rockies. Its impacts were so severe that it made an exclusive list as one of 144 weather disasters compiled by NOAA which have exceeded a billion dollars in damage from 1980-2012. On a pedestalby itself, the Blizzard of 1993 caused $9.8 billion in damage as it roared through the East CoastMarch 11-14. That said, billion-dollardisastersfrom winter storms are far less common than those caused by severe thunderstorms and tropical cyclones. Popular Mechanics 's John Galvin described the storm as "three days of crippling snow, whirling seas, coastal flooding, blizzards, tornadoes, and bone-chilling cold" and called the amount of snow and rain that it dropped 44 million acre-feet "almost biblical." In 2004, Paul Kocin, currently a National Weather Service meteorologist, and Dr. Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service, developed the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, or NESIS, to rank and compare Northeast snowstorms. Over the next few days, the storm made its way northeast, breaking records along the way. The storm was so damaging that the National Weather Service in both Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky, rated it as the worst weather event of the decade for their respective areas. Six inches of ice accumulated in parts of northwest Texas on Jan. 22-24, 1940, according to Weather Underground's Christopher Burt. David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe/Getty Images. The snow really ramped up as an arctic cold front swept southward through the Rockies, Great Basin and Sierra on Feb. 21. The ice storm caused extensive damage totaling $5.7 billion (CPI-adjusted) in portionsof Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Steve Beshear described it as the biggest natural disaster the state had experienced in modern history. For the first time, governors could declare a state of emergency before a single snowflake fell. 67 N, 71 W Boxford, MA 10-Day Weather Forecast star_ratehome 52 East. DePodwin said blizzard conditions could be experienced across much of southern Minnesota, parts of South Dakota and Nebraska. But when it comes to snowfall, this was a doozy. Light snow began around 3 PM on Sunday the 11th, accumulating to near 3 inches by midnight. Farther east, 8 inches of snow was reported in Groton, Vermont, and Inlet, New York. The storm is anticipated to start Monday night and move through the upper United States until early Friday when it exits after impacting New York. 5 Storms (Kansas to Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi). Winter storm naming in the United States has been used sporadically since the mid-1700s in various ways to describe historical winter storms. Sleet, freezing rain and ice were reported along the southern edge of the snow, or from eastern Iowa to western New York. Dallas Area Storms Cause Power Transformer To Explode, Cold Or Flu? The storm caused the largest power outage in North Carolina's history. In the decade that followed, partly in response to the 1888 storm and the massive gridlock it wrought, New York and Boston broke ground on the countrys first underground subway systems. Necessities such as food and water were difficult to obtain and lines for gas were hours long. Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Traverse City, Michigan, also could see heavy snow. More than 350 people may have died, and the storm was the single costliest weather event in U.S. history at the time. For example, a four-inch snowfall in Dallas, an area less equipped to deal with removing that snow, is more impactful than a four-inch snowfall in Syracuse. Trees fell on homes and cars and blocked roads. The storm claimed 24 lives in Kentucky and another 18 in Arkansas from a combination of traffic accidents, hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning. The most severe blizzards in U.S. history have killed dozens, or even hundreds. At least nine deaths were reported from the storm. NESIS snowfall map of the Mar. The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as an event in which strong winds, exceeding 35 miles per hour, coincide with blowing or falling snow to reduce visibility below a quarter mile. In these storms, the same jets of moving air that allow sustained 35 mile per hour wind also transport plentiful moisture from the south and frigid temperatures from the north. Florida Keys Hurricane Year: 1935 Location: Florida. These were the two most widespread, damaging ice storms of record in Arkansas at the time, dating to 1819, according to the National Weather Service. The storm dropped up to 2 feet of snow in the Litchfield Hills and a record. AccuWeather Winter Storm Piper Continues East Meteorologist Heather Tesch takes a look at Winter Storm Piper and shares the latest forecast. A low-pressure area intensified while sliding north along a stalled Mid-Atlantic front, and sustained winds above 50 mph pulled frigid air into the cities of the Northeast. Here are our tips for staying warm when its super cold and some ideas for picking the best winter coat. Which City Is the Worst for Fall Allergies This Year? Americans in the northern United States will face a severe winter storm starting Monday night in the northern Rocky Mountains and continuing for several days. "We will see very heavy snow falling at rates of 1 to, in some places, maybe even 2 inches per hour," DePodwin told Newsweek, adding that wind gusts could reach up to 40 miles per hour. Top Ten Winter Weather Events in Southern Indiana and Central Kentucky 1. Of all the states affected, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama saw the worst impacts. Of all the states affected, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama saw the worst impacts. 5 Storms (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota; Iowa). Tofino 5. Packing fierce winds, bitter cold, and often heavy snow, the blizzard has earned a reputation as the most severe type of winter storm. 1) October Snowstorm Deb DiBendetto The freak October Snowstorm in 2011 - just 2 months after Irene - was remarkable. Pedestrians make their way along an icy street outside the Georgia Dome before the start of Super Bowl XXXIV between the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans In Atlanta, Georgia. All three major airports in the New York metropolitan area were closed, and New York City became a ghost town. New Year's Eve 1978 was the worst ice storm in North Texas in three decades, producing ice accumulations up to 2 inches thick in a 100 mile-wide swath from just west of Waco to Paris, Texas. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Herbert A. French/Buyenlarge/Getty Images, Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images. From mudslides to wildfires and devastating. Beshear called in National Guard troops to help clear roads and go door-to-door to check on families in the western part of the state, the worst-hit area. Natural disasters can be more powerful and destructive than all other forces on the planet. More than 145 miles of high-voltage transmission lines were downed in southeastern Missouri. Heres what to do if you get stuck in a winter storm plus some winter essentials to keep in your car. In his book, Extreme Weather, Weather Underground's Christopher Burt cites a paper in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society stating "ice on the side of any dense, unbroken evergreen tree 50 feet high and on average 20 feet wide would have weighed five tons" due to the weight of accumulated ice. A half-million were still without power three days after the storm. Credit: Tennessee State Library and Archives/Ralph Morrissey Collection, Residents of Montreal, Canada walk with their belongings to their cars while seeking shelter after losing Jan. 8, 1998. Credit: MARCOS TOWNSEND/AFP/Getty Images, (NOAA Central Library/U.S. Power outages and tree damage was widespread in this area. Area airports, including Minneapolis-St. Paul and Milwaukee canceled and delayed hundreds of flights. DePodwin told Newsweek that "treacherous" travel conditions and power outages are likely. The most destructive ice storms bring heavy ice accumulation, sometimes on the order of several inches. On January 27 and 28, 1922, Washington, D.C., was hit with 28 inches of snow, the most the capital has ever received in one blizzard. 10 Day Weather - Boxford, MA As of 3:13 pm EDT Today 60/ 34 2% Sat 29 | Day 60 2% SSE 6 mph Abundant sunshine. 12-14, 1993 Superstorm. The powerful storm dragged a massive shield of snow, accompanied by howling wind and followed by extreme cold, from the Florida panhandle to Maine. The weather service said Mountain High, one of the closest ski resorts to Los Angeles, received an eye-popping 7-and-three-quarter feet of snow during the last storm, with more possible this week. Florida Keys Hurricane / Credit 10. Parts of the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham metro areas were paralyzed for days. But that didnt stop them from fallingand with a vengeance. Atlanta lost a bid to host the 2009 Super Bowl, awarded instead to Tampa, Fla. The category-three classification in the Ohio Valley region was more of an artifact that the storm was split between regions of the RSI analysis. Nearly 80 percent of Maine's population lost electrical service. The most destructive ice storms feature heavy ice accumulation, sometimes on the order of several inches, that, when combined with strong winds, bring down trees and power lines, plunge hundreds of thousands into the dark sometimes for several days. March 1-3, 2018 Winter Storm Riley: $2.2 billion, 8. Acres upon . Snowdrifts covering parked cars on 110th Street after more than 20 inches of snow fell in two days in New York City in 1996. Jan. 19-22, 1985 Winter Storm and Cold Wave in Central and Eastern States: $2 billion. The snow really ramped up as an arctic cold front swept southward through the Rockies, Great Basin and Sierra on Feb. 21. When combined with strong winds, they can bring down trees and power lines, and plunge hundreds of thousands into the dark sometimes for several days. The liquid total of rain, melted snow and melted ice (from sleet and freezing rain) will be around 2-3. After a stretch of rainy but unseasonably mild weather, temperatures plunged and vicious winds kicked up, blanketing the East Coast in snow and creating drifts up to 50 feet high.