Winter Storm

Winter Storm Harper Brings Widespread Snow to the West, Midwest and Northeast (RECAP)

At a Glance

Winter Storm Harper crossed the country from the West to New England.
Heavy snow fell in the Sierra, Rockies, Midwest and New England.
Heavy ice accumulation brought down power lines in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Winter Storm Harper brought widespread snow from the Mountain West to the Midwest and Northeast in mid-January 2019.

The heaviest snow totals produced by Harper were in the Sierra Nevada, but portions of upstate New York also saw more than 20 inches.

Winter Storm Harper's Track and Snow Totals
(Snowfall totals are shaded from Jan. 18-20 and do not include all snowfall that fell in the West. )

(MORE: Winter Storm Harper Kills 6; Cancels Thousands of Flights)

Harper evolved from a large low pressure system just of the Pacific Northwest coast. Energy from that system spread high elevation snow to the Sierra and rainfall to much of California on Jan. 16-17.

More than 4 feet of snow was reported in the Sierra Nevada from Harper.

The snow closed Interstate 80 through the Sierra at times as high winds gusted over the mountains and crashes occurred in Donner Pass.

Winds gusted over 130 mph in parts of the northern and central Sierra late Jan. 16 into early Jan. 17. Mammoth Mountain even gusted to 164 mph with a sustained wind of 132 mph early on Jan. 17.

Harper spread some snow through the Rockies and Utah's Wasatch on Jan. 17 while continuing to provide snow in the Sierra and Cascades.

On Jan. 18, numerous slide offs were reported in eastern Nebraska and northwestern Missouri where light freezing rain made roads and sidewalks slick. A Southwest plane slid off the runway in Omaha in snowy and icy conditions.

Light snow was reported in parts of Oklahoma and Texas, including the Dallas area, early Jan. 19.

Freezing rain early Jan. 19 resulted in ice accumulation that downed power lines in parts of central Indiana, including Winchester, Losantville and Farmland.

At least a foot of snow fell Jan. 18-19 in southeastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin, including a report of 15 inches near Heron Lake, Minnesota.

Several accidents were reported on Interstate 44 in Missouri due to the snowy conditions there Jan. 19. Near-blizzard conditions also created a 15-car pileup in south-central Missouri.

Winter Storm Harper dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow in parts of the Northeast as it rolled up the East Coast Jan. 19-20. The heaviest strip was from east-central New York through central New England and into Maine.

Harper brought 16.9 inches of snow to Caribou, Maine, vaulting the town to its snowiest January on record (46.6 inches).

Warm air punched northward ahead of Harper's surface low on the East Coast, bringing mainly rain to New York City and Cape Cod.

A heavy stripe of freezing rain accumulated from western and central Connecticut into western and central Massachusetts.

Ice accretion of just over three-tenths of an inch was reported in Meriden, Connecticut, early Jan. 20. The ice caused some power outages and tree damage in Hamden.

Up to a quarter inch of ice accretion was recorded in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The warm southerly air also caused some minor coastal flooding in Delaware, New Jersey and Massachusetts early on Jan. 20. Multiple streets were underwater in Scituate, Massachusetts, due to the astronomical high tide and strong winds. A few streets around Boston, including I-93 had some flooding.

Here are selected snowfall and ice totals from Harper Jan. 16-20, 2019. Some totals may include snow from other disturbances, especially on the West Coast. For snow, only totals greater than 4 inches are included.

Arkansas: 6 inches in Booneville
California: 52 inches at Squaw Valley; up to 36 inches in June Mountain Ski Area
Connecticut: 7.2 inches in North Granby; 0.39 inches ice in Meriden; 0.31 inches ice in Danbury
Colorado: 25 inches at Steamboat Ski Resort; 14 inches in Silverton
Idaho: 10 inches near Atlanta and Hailey
Illinois: 10 inches in McHenry; 6.2 inches in Rockford; 5 inches at Chicago O'Hare Airport
Indiana: 9 inches in Princeton; 0.25-0.33 inches of ice in the northeastern suburbs of Indianapolis
Iowa: 14 inches near Bluffton; 8 inches near Mason City
Kansas: 0.25 inches of ice near Reager and Norton
Kentucky: 6.5 inches at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Covington
Maine: 20 inches near Frenchville; 16.9 inches in Caribou
Maryland: 6 inches near Ridgeley
Massachusetts: 20.3 inches in Savoy; 4.9 inches in Boston; 0.50 inches ice in Framingham
Michigan: 11 inches in Three Rivers; 5.8 inches at Detroit Metro Airport
Minnesota: 15 inches in Heron Lake; 8.5 inches in Albert Lea
Missouri: 9 inches in Hunter; 0.10 inches of ice in Paris
Montana: 10.5 inches at Condon
Nebraska: 0.22 inches ice near Lincoln
Nevada: 38 inches at Mount Rose Ski Area
New Hampshire: 15.3 inches in Shelburne
New Jersey: 0.30 inches ice in Highland Lakes; 4 inches snow in Hamburg
New Mexico: 6.1 inches near Chama
New York: 26.3 inches at Lake Desolation; 18 inches near Rochester; 16 inches in Syracuse; 14.2 inches in Buffalo; 0.40 inches ice in Newburgh
Ohio: 16.5 inches near Castalia; 12 inches near Akron; 6.2 inches in Cleveland
Oregon: 6 inches near Trout Lake
Pennsylvania: 17.8 inches near Erie; 10 inches in Altoona; 8 inches in State College
South Dakota: 14 inches in Madison and near Colman
Utah: 13 inches at Brighton
Vermont: 19.8 inches in Landgrove; 16.8 inches in Burlington
West Virginia: 6 inches in Snowshoe
Wisconsin: 12 inches in Two Rivers; 5 inches in southern Milwaukee
Wyoming: 18 inches near Whiskey Park

The southern warmer side of Harper produced strong to severe thunderstorms from eastern Louisiana to southern Alabama, including at least one strong tornado near Wetumpka, Alabama, on Jan. 19.

(MORE: Tornadoes Tear Through South)