Winter Storm Quinn Hammers the West With Feet of Snow and Brings Blizzard Conditions to Northern Plains

Winter Storm Quinn hammered the West with feet of snow and brought blizzard conditions to the northern Plains during its first two phases.

Quinn will bring heavy snow to the Northeast Wednesday as a coastal low-pressure system develops. For more details on the Northeast forecast for Quinn, see our coverage at the link below.

(MORE DETAILS: Winter Storm Quinn Northeast Forecast)

Here's a recap of Quinn's history in the West, Plains and Midwest.

West Recap

Winter Storm Quinn began as a slow-moving, but deep trough dropped southward from the Gulf of Alaska toward the Pacific Northwest on Feb. 28. A cold front associated with Quinn swept through the West Coast, from Washington to central California, on March 1 with a reinforcement of moisture and cold air.

Blizzard conditions and snow drifts up to 4 feet were reported near Kingvale, California, late March 1.

Snow totals in the Sierra Nevada were measured in feet March 1-4.

At the summit of Squaw Valley Ski Resort in California's Sierra Nevada, wind gusts over 130 mph were clocked March 1, with several gusts over 70 mph in other parts of California and Nevada March 2.

The warm side of Quinn also brought locally heavy rain to California.

Dozens of collisions were reported on San Francisco Bay Area highways, according to the Associated Press, likely due to rainy and windy conditions. In the Bay Area, many rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches had been reported from the evening of Feb. 28 into the afternoon of March 1 while a few spots in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, located south of the Bay Area, had seen more than 6 inches of rain.

In Southern California, a burst of locally heavy rain prompted a flash flood warning for parts of the Thomas Fire burn area on the morning of March 2.

Multiple collisions and slide-offs were reported near Spokane, Washington, due to icy conditions during the early-morning commute March 2.

Carson Pass, on California State Highway 88, was closed in both directions March 2 due to snow. Chain controls were put into effect in most passes through the Sierra.

Several semis were blown over in southwestern Wyoming due to high winds. At least one minor injury was reported, and that stretch of road was restricted to light semis on the morning of March 2 into that afternoon.

Wind gusts across northern Utah and southern Wyoming ranged from 60 to 90 mph on the morning of March 2, including a gust to 74 mph in Salt Lake City.

Glasgow, Montana, received 13 inches of snow from Quinn on March 4. That is the northeastern Montana town's second-heaviest one-day snowfall in records dating 1894. By midday March 5, its storm-total snowfall had increased to 14.7 inches.

Here are selected snowfall totals from the West.

• California: 81 inches at Kirkwood; 72 inches at June Lake; 68 inches at Squaw Valley; 62 inches at Mammoth Mountain
• Colorado: 7 inches at Snowmass and Sunlight ski resorts
• Idaho: 40 inches at the Swede Peak SNOTEL near Hailey; 37.7 inches at the Galena Summit SNOTEL near Ketchum
• Montana: 18.1 inches at the Lakeview Ridge SNOTEL near Island Park; 14.7 inches in Glasgow; 10 inches near Billings
• Nevada: 57 inches at Mount Rose; 28 inches near Incline Village; 7.5 inches at Reno Airport
• Oregon: 10 inches near O'Brien; 2.5 inches near Bend
• Utah: 17 inches near Almo; 8.2 inches in Salt Lake City
• Washington: 26 inches in Malott; 0.05 inches of ice near Millwood (near Spokane)
• Wyoming: 41 inches at the Grand Targhee SNOTEL near Alta; 29 inches in Jackson Hole

Here are selected wind gust reports in the West.

• California: 146 mph near Alpine Meadows; 63 mph at the South Lake Tahoe Airport
• Idaho: 62 mph near Magic Mountain
• Nevada: 87 mph at Mather RAWS weather station; 82 mph near Verdi; 79 mph at the Mount Rose Summit; 69 mph near Carson City
• Utah: 87 mph at Snowbasin near Ogden Peak; 86 mph in Alta; 74 mph near Salt Lake City
• Wyoming: 71 mph near Garrett

Plains, Midwest Recap

Quinn moved into the northern Plains on March 4, where thundersnow was reported in Williston and Ray, North Dakota. Heavy snow blanketed highways across northwestern portions of that state.

Blizzard conditions ramped up in the northern Plains on March 5, lingering into early March 6.

Pierre, South Dakota, reported blizzard conditions for nearly 10 hours on March 5. Blizzard conditions were observed in Parkston, South Dakota, for 11 hours and 35 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

Near-zero visibility and 8-foot-high drifts were reported early March 6 near Red Elm, South Dakota, a rural community in the northwestern part of the state.

Interstate 90 in central and eastern South Dakota and Interstate 29 in eastern South Dakota were closed by the snow and high winds for a time March 5-6.

Quinn brought up to 19 inches of snow to North Dakota in Ellendale. South Dakota saw up to 16 inches of snow in Frederick. 

Whiteout conditions were observed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area just in time for the March 5 evening commute. The Twin Cities received a quick 2 to 4 inches of snowfall.

Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were clocked in western South Dakota on March 5.

Here's a look at select snow totals as of March 6.

• Iowa: 6.4 inches in Sioux Center
• Illinois: 2.5 inches in Freeport and Schapville; 0.4 inches in Chicago
• Michigan: 8 inches at Leelanau State Park
• Minnesota: 14 inches in Menahga, Bluffton and Oylen; 4.6 inches in Minneapolis
• Nebraska: 3.5 inches in Lynch
• North Dakota: 19 inches in Ellendale; 5.5 inches in Fargo
• South Dakota: 16 inches in Frederick
• Wisconsin: 12 inches near Stone Lake; 6.1 inches in La Crosse

PHOTOS: Winter Storm Quinn