January 3–4, 2022 nor'easter
The storm over North Carolina on January 4
Meteorological history
FormedJanuary 3, 2022
DissipatedJanuary 4, 2022
Category 1 "Notable" winter storm
Regional Snowfall Index: 2.33 (NOAA)
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion15.5 in (39 cm) in Huntington, Maryland, U.S.
Extratropical cyclone
Lowest pressure992 hPa (mbar); 29.29 inHg[1]
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes2
Maximum ratingEF1 tornado
Overall effects
Fatalities5
Damage
  • Per NOAA: >$2.1 million (2022 USD)[2]
  • Per Aon: $495 million (2022 USD)[3]
Part of the 2021–22 North American winter
Commuters and truckers along I-95 in Virginia still stranded the day after the January 3 storm brought traffic to a complete halt

A nor'easter exited the East Coast of the United States on January 4, producing snowfall from Alabama to New England. The winter storm was unofficially named Winter Storm Frida by The Weather Channel.[4]

Preparations

In preparation of the winter storm, Washington D.C. declared a state of emergency and shut down the National Zoo. The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency for 5 counties in the southern portion of the state.[5] New York City also issued a travel advisory due to a forecast of light snow.[6]

Impact

Damage from the storm reached $495 million.[3]

Southeastern United States

As much as 6.0 inches (15 cm) accumulated in Huntsville, Alabama, and 6.9 inches (18 cm) fell at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.[7][8] A peak snowfall accumulation of 15.5 in (39 cm) was recorded in Huntingtown, Maryland.[9] Many vehicles and motorists across Interstate 95 in Virginia were stranded due to the snow, with some of them for 24 hours. Over 1,000 motor crashes were also reported and assisted by the state's police. A car crash also killed three people in Maryland.[10] Two others died in the winter storm, one each in Tennessee and Georgia, bringing the total up to 5.[11] Thousands of flights were canceled in the eastern United States.[12] At the Baltimore Washington International Airport, a ground stop was temporarily instituted.[13] An Amtrak train also got stuck in Lynchburg, Virginia due to the storm.[14] This storm came after a day of record high temperatures; the temperature in Huntsville, Alabama the day before the storm (January 1) was 79 °F (26 °C), a record for January.[15] Snow even fell as far south as Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where temperatures dropped from 75 °F (24 °C) to 34 °F (1 °C).[16] The winter storm also caused 343,000 power outages in Virginia and 42,000 in Maryland.[17] North-central, northeast and northwest portions of Georgia were placed under winter storm warnings by the National Weather Service on 1 January.[18] Mccaysville registered an unnoficial snow accumulation of 4.5 inches (11 cm), followed by Blue Ridge at 4.0 inches (10 cm).[19] Some of the areas of the state also saw power outages.[20] Winter alerts were also placed over some areas of the state. Over 59,000 household customers lost electricity across Charlotte, with 159,000 overall over the Carolinas. Some establishments were completely wrecked by the strong winds the storm brought, and trees were reported to have been downed.[21][22] This further rose to 211,000 by 3 January and lessened to 2,500 as rescue teams started working to restore electricity.[23] Flooding also occurred in Durham, North Carolina due to 3 inches (76 mm) of rain.[24] Rainfall totals reached up to 4 inches (100 mm) in Raleigh,[25] and two tornadoes touched down throughout the state.[26]

Mid-Atlantic States

In Ellendale, Delaware, 14.5 inches (37 cm) of snow fell on 3 January.[27] This led to a chicken house collapse on 4 January which trapped and injured a 12-year-old girl.[28] Due to hazardous conditions, speed limits on parts of the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike were reduced to 45 mph (72 km/h), while the speed limit was reduced to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) on the Delaware Memorial Bridge.[29] Parts of U.S. Route 40 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey shut down due to flooding.[30] Additionally, the Atlantic City International Airport was closed for 7 hours.[31] At the airport, 13.0 inches (33 cm) of snow was recorded just 24 hours after the temperature was 62 °F (17 °C).[32] Unusually, the nor'easter struck with very little warning and produced little to no snow north of Philadelphia and Toms River, New Jersey.[33] The city of Philadelphia itself received only 1 inch (2.5 cm) of snow, much less then locations further south.[34] The result of the cutoff also resulted in South Jersey being the snowiest region of New Jersey for the 2021-22 winter, which was only the third time in history that occurrence happened.[35]

Iceland

Farther north, in Iceland, news about the storm were dispatched across the country's people as a preparation.[36] The south and western parts of Iceland were also placed under an orange warning by the Icelandic Meteorological Office by 5 January.[37] The Icelandic Coast Guard also alerted vessels and fishermen in ports regarding the brunt of it.[38] Icelandair also canceled some flight operations by that day owing to the storm.[39] In the southwest portion of the country, rescue teams were reported to have been responding to the calls by the citizens there regarding the impact of the storm. Across Reykjavík, they responded to flying roofs of different houses and establishments. Suðurnes (Southern Peninsula) and Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) were also severely affected. A hut was also blown away by strong winds in Vatnsleysuströnd.[40]

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the storm, the Virginia Department of Transportation launched an investigation into the shutdown on I-95. However, the 41-page report on the incident failed to blame someone. However, the report did state that then-governor Ralph Northam declined to use the Virginia National Guard to help, which his successor Glenn Youngkin criticized him for.[41] In Delaware, campsites at Redden State Forest was closed following the storm.[42]

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "WPC surface analysis zoom, pan, animation and archives". wpc.ncep.noaa.gov.
    2. ↑ National Weather Service; National Centers for Environmental Information (April 2022). "Storms Events Database (January 3-4, 2022)". Storm Events Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
    3. 1 2 Q1 Global Catastrophe Recap, Aon, April 2022
    4. ↑ "Winter Storm Frida Causes Troubles from the Southeast to Mid-Atlantic". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
    5. ↑ Eastern US hit with 1st winter storm of 2022, bringing heavy snow, wind, Fox 10 Phoenix, January 3, 2022
    6. ↑ "1st winter storm of 2022 hits NYC, more snow possible later this week". www.audacy.com. 3 January 2022.
    7. ↑ Barnett, Carson Meredith and Jessica. "Snow totals reach as high as 7 inches in North Alabama". Allen Media. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
    8. ↑ "Snow totals: How much snow fell across the region and who got the most?". WTOP News. 2022-01-04. Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
    9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    10. ↑ Trujillo, Briana (January 3, 2022). "3 Killed in SUV, Snowplow Crash on Columbia Pike in Montgomery County". NBC 4 Washington. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
    11. ↑ Jenkins, Cameron (January 4, 2022). "5 dead, hundreds stranded in winter storm". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
    12. ↑ "Archived copy". www.usnews.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    13. ↑ Flights Destined For BWI Thurgood Marshall Grounded Due To Weather, CBS News, January 3, 2022
    14. ↑ Snow stalls Amtrak in Virginia, with excruciating delays, AP News, January 4, 2022
    15. ↑ "Sneak attack storm bringing heavy snow, severe weather to Eastern U.S." Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
    16. ↑ Say it ain't snow: Flakes fall in Florida after 40-degree temperature drop, Fox Weather, January 3, 2022
    17. ↑ Heavy Winter Storm Hits D.C. Area and Knocks Out Power Across Southeast Archived 2022-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times, January 3, 2022
    18. ↑ Beesley, Ryan (2 January 2022). "North Georgia hit by snow flurries, heavy winds". FOX 5 Atlanta. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    19. ↑ "First snow of the season falls in North Georgia". 11Alive.com. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    20. ↑ "Major winter storm causes turmoil throughout the US Capital Region". WSWB. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    21. ↑ "Winter storm brings heavy snow to NC mountains, Charlotte area sees wintry mix". wcnc.com. 2 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    22. ↑ "Winter weather impacting Western North Carolina". WSPA 7News. 2 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    23. ↑ "Power restored for most across N.C. after Monday's winter storm". spectrumlocalnews.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    24. ↑ Renshaw, Jannett; O'Brien, Brendan. "Winter storm pounds Washington as it moves across U.S. East Coast". Reuters. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
    25. ↑ Three Storms in Three Weeks Jump Start the Winter, North Carolina State Climate Union, January 24, 2022
    26. ↑ The 2021-2022 winter was warm and fierce in North Carolina, Spectrum News 1, March 5, 2022
    27. ↑ "Ellendale ends up with highest snowfall total". 4 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
    28. ↑ "Two girls rescued after chicken house roof collapse in Ellendale". 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
    29. ↑ N.J. weather: Speeds reduced on Parkway, Turnpike due to snowstorm, NJ.com, January 3, 2022
    30. ↑ Route 40 Closed Due To Flooding In Egg Harbor Township, Patch, January 3, 2022
    31. ↑ "Atlantic City International Airport Reopens After Snow Storm". Patch. January 3, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
    32. ↑ South Jersey Winter Storm Pictures — From 62° Sunday to 6″+ of Snow Monday Read More: South Jersey Winter Storm Pictures and Snow Totals, WPG Talk Radio, January 4, 2022
    33. ↑ "January 3, 2022: Winter Storm Hits Delmarva and South Jersey". National Weather Service. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
    34. ↑ Snow Totals: Where Did More Than 1 Foot Fall in NJ, Del.?, NBC Philadelphia, January 3, 2022
    35. ↑ N.J. weather: Here’s how much snow fell this winter, and why this was a very rare season, NJ.com, March 28, 2022
    36. ↑ "Gera ráð fyrir miklu álagi í nótt og í fyrramálið" [Expect heavy loads at night and in the morning]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    37. ↑ "Appelsínugul viðvörun – fylgist með lægðinni ganga yfir" [Orange warning - monitors the depression walk over]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    38. ↑ "Vont alls staðar en verst suðvestanlands" [Bad everywhere but worst in the southwest of the country]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    39. ↑ "Icelandair fellir niður flug á fimmtudag" [Icelandair cancels flights on Thursday]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 4 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
    40. ↑ "Björgunarsveitir farnar að finna fyrir óveðrinu" [Rescue teams have begun to feel the effects of the storm]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    41. ↑ I-95 Shutdown: Report criticizes Virginia's response to January snowstorm that stranded hundreds, Fox 5 DC, April 2, 2022
    42. ↑ Redden Forest Campsites and Trails Closed Due to Snowstorm, Delaware.gov, January 6, 2022
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