Lowest pressure 994 mb (29.35 inHg) Casualties 17 | Power outages 110,000 Dissipated 30 November 2015 | |
Type Ice storm
Winter storm
Flood Formed November 25, 2015 (2015-11-25) Maximum snowfall or ice accretion Ice – About 1.5 in (38 mm) in western Oklahoma
Snow – 25 in (64 cm) at Tent Mountain, Nevada Affected areas Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota | ||
Around Black Friday of 2015, a major ice storm occurred in the Southern Central Plains, with areas receiving up to 1 inch (25 mm) of the frozen precipitation. Residents in the areas were without powers for days, if not weeks. The storm also brought snow to parts of the Midwest, with accumulations up to 1 foot (30 cm) of snow. Historic rainfall also fell too, breaking numerous records.
Meteorological history
On November 25, an area of low pressure system moved through the West and central Midwest, dropping snow of up to 1 foot (30 cm), and also brought the first cold blast of the winter season. At the same time, incoming moisture from weakening Hurricane Sandra in the East Pacific was starting to streak through Mexico into the southwestern United States. Interacting with the low pressure area, this combined to produce a plume of precipitation from ice to rain from southern Texas into Minnesota, due to high pressure situated off Maine keeping the Northeast dry for the holiday.
While causing a potent ice storm on its cold side, on the warm sector of the system, severe floods occurred as well, with areas like McKinney in Texas receiving up to 10.53 inches (26.7 cm) of rain over a 4-day period, causing major flooding. Some areas even broke their records for yearly rainfall totals from this system, due to the axis of moisture shooting into Canada.
The storm finally moved out off the East Coast on November 29, and then dissipated a day later.