Winter Storm

Winter Storm Skylar, Third Nor'easter to Strike the Northeast, Brought Blizzard Conditions and Feet of Snow to New England

At a Glance

Yet another nor'easter has nailed New England, the third since March 2.
Blizzard conditions were reported in parts of Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island.

Snowfall first developed on March 10 from a southeastward dipping disturbance in the Plains. By March 11, light snow fell across the mid-Mississippi Valley, including the St. Louis metro area, then spread into the Appalachians later March 11 into March 12.

(MORE: Winter Storm Central)

Skylar hammered the Northeast corridor on Tuesday, Mar. 13, with heavy snow, damaging winds and minor coastal flooding as it bombed out off the coast.

Skylar has dumped over a foot of snow in parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia and Maine. Seven of those states have picked up more than 20 inches of snow.

The top snowfall total so far is 30 inches in Little Lyford Pond and Holden, Maine. Additional snowfall reports can be found in the next section.

This storm was the third nor'easter to affect the East Coast in less than two weeks.

Winter Storm Riley began March with destructive winds, heavy snow and severe coastal flooding in the Northeast. Last week, Winter Storm Quinn dumped heavy snow that led to additional downed trees and power outages.

(Storm Impacts: No Power for Days in Eastern Massachusetts; 6 Soldiers Caught in Avalanche)

Snowfall

Up to 10.5 inches of snow was reported in the Lexington, Kentucky, metro area March 12, where the average annual snowfall is only 12.6 inches.

Trees were downed by the weight of the heavy, wet snow in Beattyville, Lawrenceburg, Mt. Vernon and Perryville, Kentucky, early March 12.

Rain changed to light snow in the Nashville metro early March 12, with some north metro suburbs picking up an inch or two of wet snow, leading to a slippery morning commute.

Snow was seen sticking to roads in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, during the afternoon and early-evening of March 12, leading to a slick commute.

Accumulating snow was observed as far east as Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Virginia, and eastern North Carolina on the evening of March 12.

Roads were slick in Greensboro, North Carolina, midday March 12, causing at least one car to slide off the road.

In West Virginia, snowfall rates of 3 inches per hour were measured in Camden-on-Gauley and Summersville. Calvin, West Virginia, had picked up 18 inches of snow through March 12.

Snowfall rates accelerated as Skylar pivoted into the Northeast on Mar. 13, with rates as high as 3.25 inches per hour were recorded in New England. The heaviest snow fell from eastern Massachusetts to central and coastal Maine.

New one-day March snowfall records were set on Tuesday in Boston where 14.5 inches fell and in Worcester where 21.8 inches accumulated.

Here are a few selected snowfall totals by state through early Wednesday afternoon:

Connecticut: 23 inches in Oakdale; 21.2 inches near Norwich; 15.5 inches in New London
Iowa: 4.5 inches near Centerville
Illinois: 6 inches in Herald
Indiana: 6 inches near Leopold
Kentucky: Up to 10.5 inches near Lexington; 2.4 inches in Louisville
Maine: 30 inches in Little Lyford Pond and Holden; 20.9 inches in Bangor; 20 inches in Bar Harbor; 14 inches in Portland
Maryland: 7 inches in Deep Creek Lake; 4.3 inches in Oakland
Massachusetts: 29.5 inches in Wilmington; 27.8 inches in Uxbridge; 26.6 inches in Milford; 21.8 inches in Worcester; 14.8 inches in Boston
Missouri: 5 inches near Wright City
New Hampshire: 28.6 inches near Deerfield; 28 inches in Middleton; 27 inches in Danville and Raymond
New Jersey: 7.5 inches in Highland Lakes; 4.8 inches in Greenville
New York: 23 inches in Ellenburg; 18.3 inches in Southampton (Long Island); 17 inches in Chateaugay (Upstate New York)
North Carolina: 9 inches at Mt. Mitchell State Park; 8 inches in Boone; 2 inches in Winston-Salem
Ohio: 3.5 inches in Hiram
Pennsylvania: 8.5 inches in Drakes Mille; 6 inches in Union City
Rhode Island: 25.1 inches in North Foster; 21 inches in Burrillville; 20 inches in Woonsocket; 12.3 inches in Providence
Tennessee: 7 inches at Roan Mountain; 6 inches in Limestone
Vermont: 29.5 near Graniteville; 23 inches in Woodford; 13.5 in East Montpelier; 9.2 inches near Burlington
Virginia: 11.8 inches near Mustoe; 6.1 inches in Blacksburg
West Virginia: 18 inches in Calvin; 4 inches in Charleston

Winds

Skylar rapidly intensified late March 12 into March 13 off the East Coast, as heavy snow and gusty winds spread into New England. Pressure dropped as low as 966 mb on the afternoon of Mar. 13.

Blizzard conditions have been confirmed in Boston, Hyannis, Falmouth, Plymouth, Marshfield and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, as well as Newport, Rhode Island, and Portland, Maine, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS defines a blizzard when the following conditions are met for at least three hours: sustained winds or frequent gusts to at least 35 mph and considerable falling and/or blowing snow that frequently reduces visibility to less than a quarter-mile.

The last time a blizzard had been observed in Boston was during Winter Storm Niko Feb. 7-9, 2017, NWS-Boston reported.

Winds gusted from 35 to 50 mph Tuesday at Boston's Logan Airport. Midday Tuesday, winds gusted as high as 81 mph in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, while Hyannis, Massachusetts, clocked a 79-mph wind gust and Nantucket Island gusted to 77 mph. Reports of trees downed have come in from Long Island and Connecticut to Maine.

Coastal Effects

Nantucket observed a 3-foot storm surge during Tuesday morning's (Mar. 13) high tide, just below the top-10 highest observed tides since 1963. Boston's storm surge was around 2.8 feet at high tide Tuesday morning.