Formed December 22, 2009 | Dissipated December 28, 2009 | |
 | ||
Type Extratropical cyclone
Blizzard
Winter storm Lowest pressure 985 millibars (985 hPa) Maximum snowfall or ice accretion 40.0 inches (102 cm) (Lead, South Dakota) Areas affected Midwest, Great Plains, Parts of Ontario, Eastern Seaboard | ||
The 2009 North American Christmas blizzard was powerful winter storm and severe weather event that affected the Midwestern United States, Great Plains, Southeastern United States, the Eastern Seaboard, and parts of Ontario. The storm started on December 22, was reported to have claimed at least 21 lives, and disrupted air travel during the Christmas travel season. In the Southeastern and Central United States, there were 27 reported tornadoes on December 23–24. The storm, a Category 5 "Extreme" one on the Regional Snowfall Index, was the first winter weather event to rank as such since the Blizzard of '96.
Contents
Snowfall
Snowfall varied across the United States. South Dakota may have received the most: 30.8 inches (78 cm). In Minnesota, 26 inches (66 cm) was received near Pequaywan Lake on the state's North Shore. Parts of Texas recorded snowfall as high as 9 inches (23 cm) at Post. Snowfall in Nebraska caused six deaths. In Oklahoma, a state of emergency was declared after blizzard conditions killed 3 people and dropped 19 inches of snow. Iowa saw high snowfall as well.
The storm was so intense that it wrapped warm air around the north and west side of it and cold air and snow blew in from the south. Rochester, Minnesota, in the northern half of the storm, saw rain with temperatures in the mid 30's Fahrenheit while snow was falling just to the west in a 1,300-mile (2,100 km) band stretching from Canada south to at least Dallas, Texas, giving that region its first "White Christmas" since 1929. Interstate 29 was completely closed in North and South Dakota, and then in stretches into Missouri.
Rain
Heavy rain in parts of the Midwest prompted the National Weather Service to issue Flood Warnings for many areas. The max rainfall amount recorded so far is 6.89 inches (17.5 cm) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Freezing rain fell across Iowa and Illinois, affecting travel to and from O'Hare International Airport. The Chicago area saw as much as ten inches of snow following the freezing rain and sleet.
Tornadoes
Several houses were destroyed near Lafayette, Louisiana, possibly by a tornado. Near Longview, Texas a EF-2 tornado left a path of destruction nearly one mile long. Another tornado near Lufkin, Texas produced EF-3 damage.