A pre-Thanksgiving storm buried the Front Range of the Rockies with heavy snow, then brought accumulating snow and strong winds to parts of the Central Plains, upper Midwest and northern Great Lakes.
The Weather Channel named this system Winter Storm Dorothy.
Winter Storm Dorothy began to spin over the central and southern Rockies early on Nov. 26, bringing feet of snow to central Colorado during the day. During the evening, snow began to spread across Nebraska, northwestern Kansas and into the Corn Belt.
One person was killed and three more were injured in an accident involving three semi-trailers and a pickup truck on Interstate 70 just west of Vail, Colorado, during the afternoon of Nov. 26.
Parts of interstates 70 and 76 in Colorado and Interstate 80 in Wyoming closed due to low visibility and heavy snow early on Nov. 26. Hundreds of flights were canceled out of Denver International Airport heading into the busy Thanksgiving travel weekend.
(MORE: Storm Impacts and News)
More than 3 feet of snow fell near Fort Collins in northern Colorado. Denver picked up 9.5 inches of snow.
Near-blizzard conditions were recorded at several sites in eastern Colorado and northwestern Kansas, including Goodland, Kansas, and in Weld County, Colorado. Thundersnow was reported briefly in southern Nebraska, just east of Kearney during the afternoon.
To the south, strong winds whipped up across the Southern Plains, sparking at least one small fire in Oklahoma. A flow of moisture also picked up from the northern Gulf Coast into the Ohio Valley. The moisture combined with wind shear and enough heat to spawn a few tornadoes in Louisiana and Mississippi late on Nov. 26, including two EF2 tornadoes.
Dorothy turned its sights on the Midwest the following day, bringing periods of heavy snow from Iowa and Minnesota to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Kids across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area got off early for Thanksgiving break due to the storm and road conditions. More than two-dozen flights were canceled at the Twin Cities' main airport on the busiest pre-Thanksgiving travel day.
The Twin Cities picked up more than 9 inches of snow, but wind may have been an even bigger story in the southern Great Lakes. Gusts climbed to around 60 mph from Chicago to Indianapolis. Strong winds knocked pieces of wood from a construction site into two cars near the Willis Tower, causing minor injuries to one of the drivers. More than 270,000 customers were in the dark due to the strong winds from Wisconsin and Illinois to Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Dorothy moved into the Northeast on Thanksgiving, bringing gusty winds to much of the region and snow to New England.
Gusty winds put a damper on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. At least one balloon, the Ronald McDonald balloon, ripped in gusty winds, and all of the balloons were lowered to gain control. At least one handler was hit by a balloon and knocked on the ground, but no major injuries were reported.
The strong winds knocked out power to an additional 20,000 customer in Maine where most residents saw a white Thanksgiving.
Snowfall Totals
Snowfall from this storm was heaviest in the Colorado Front Range, where the top total was 40.5 inches at Buckhorn Mountain, in the foothills west of Fort Collins. Boulder picked up 22.3 inches of snowfall.
Snow totals in excess of 6 inches were also measured in parts of eight other states from the Central Plains to the upper Midwest.
Here's a look at top snow totals by state.
Colorado: 40.5 inches at Buckhorn Mountain; 22.3 inches in Boulder; 9.5 inches at Denver International Airport
Iowa: 8.6 inches in Sanborn; 7 inches in Storm Lake
Kansas: 9.5 inches in Bird City; 7.5 inches in Goodland
Maine: 12 inches in Millinocket
Michigan: 16.5 inches in Ishpeming; 15.2 inches near Negaunee
Minnesota: 12 inches in Prior Lake; 9.2 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Nebraska: 14.1 inches near Harrisburg; 8.2 inches in Grand Island
New Hampshire: 5.5 inches in Randolph
South Dakota: 7 inches near Tea; 5 inches in Yankton
Wisconsin: 21 inches in Gile; 9.5 inches in Rhinelander
Wyoming: 28 inches near Battle Lake; 12 inches in Cheyenne
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