RECAP: Winter Storm Heather

W​inter Storm Heather brought icy conditions to parts of the Northwest and South, triggered avalanches in the Rockies, and snapped record-long streaks without an inch of snow in several cities in the Northeast.

Here's a recap of Heather's history: Heather entered the Northwest on Saturday, Jan. 13, then spread across the South from through Tuesday, Jan. 15.

T​he first impacts were felt in Oregon where a Pacific low pressure system came ashore near Lincoln City, Oregon. The relatively warm Pacific air surged atop cold air nestled in east of the Cascades and into the Willamette Valley and Columbia River Gorge.

A mixture of 2 to 5 inches of snow and sleet and winds as strong as 45 mph were reported in Portland.

W​ind gusts in the Columbia River Gorge to the east of Portland climbed well over hurricane force.

Numerous trees have been reported as downed across the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

Ice and sleet in Salem and Eugene, Oregon caused several crashes in the Willamette Valley, according to KVAL.com. Up to an inch of ice accumulated in the higher terrain around Eugene and along the Pacific coast near Lincoln City, Oregon.

While things began to dry out in the Northwest on Jan. 14, snow spread eastward into the Central Rockies and Central Plains. H​eavy snow from Heather triggered an avalanche near Winter Park, Colorado.

I​n Utah, several resorts in Cottonwood Canyons were closed due to avalanche mitigation. Heavy snow in addition to gusty winds prompted avalanche forecasters at the Utah Avalanche Center to issue extreme danger ratings across much of the state.

Winter Weather News As It Happened Across The Country On January 15

A​s the system moved into the eastern half of the country its circulation disintegrated, but its remnant jet streak lit up a zone of freezing rain, sleet and snow across the South. Over the Plains, snow fell across Dallas and Tulsa while ice snarled roadways in San Antonio and Houston.

S​everal cities from Texas to Ohio canceled their MLK Day festivities due to the wintry weather.

(​WATCH: Southern US Suffers Heather's Snow and Ice)

Parts of the Nashville, Tennessee, metro saw more than 6 inches of snow on Jan. 14-15. There was even a little bit of skiing to be had down Beale Street in Memphis while the city became covered in several inches of snow.

A wintry mix was seen as far south as Houston and Corpus Christi. Portions of Interstate 10 were closed during the morning commute on Jan. 15, where snow and ice caused multiple crashes. Lake-effect snow was even seen in Fort Worth, Texas.

M​ore than 2,100 flights were canceled across the country's midsection on Jan. 15 alone, with significant delays coming out of Dallas, Denver and Chicago. Schools also closed for the Tuesday after the MLK holiday from Louisiana to Alabama as disruptions leaked into the workweek. Airports in New York, Houston and Nashville saw delays on Jan. 16.

H​eather Causes Travel Nightmares From Mississippi to Pennsylvania on January 16

W​hile still spreading an icy mess across the South, Heather's snow spread northeastward into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Jan. 16. Heather's circulation redeveloped off the East Coast and east of the benchmark, meaning it was almost all snow for the Northeast.

700+ day "inchless" snow streaks were snapped in the Northeast. Baltimore (4.9") and Philadelphia (1.5") both ended record-long streaks without an inch of snow in a single day on Sunday. N​ew York City's Central Park picked up a storm total of 1.4 inches, with an inch of that falling on Monday and therefore ending their record 701-day stretch without a daily snowfall of an inch or more.

Washington, D.C., ended its second-longest streak by picking up 4.1 inches.

B​y early on January 17, the storm was sweeping across eastern Canada and precipitation had ended in the U.S., but bitterly cold air swept across the East and Great Lakes. Temperatures tumbled into the single digits across the South and wind chills dropped into the minus 20s and 30s across large sections of the Plains and Midwest.

A​round the Great Lakes, the cold air turned the warm lakes into lake-effect snow machines, which dumped feet of snow on Buffalo. The snow continued on Jan. 18 as Winter Storm Indigo arrived.

T​he snow and following frigid airmass caused streets across the Interstate-65 corridor to cake with ice, and caused Nashville schools to remain closed a week after the passage of Heather. Some roads in northern Alabama were impassable for much of this time.

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