Introduction

Nor’easters are not uncommon around the Atlantic Coast from thee Mid-Atlantic up to Maine.  The counterclockwise wind flow comes from the northeast to the coast. The counterclockwise rotation of the system drives strong, persistent winds blowing from the northeast into the mainland.

Nor’easters usually occur from November to April, The ones producing snow are usually from November to March. but on rare occasions  snow can fall in October . This story is about one of the notorious October snow events on record. I was with The Weather Channel back then and we referred to it as “Snotober” .

At that time my job was to give weather briefings to the staff when the ingredients of this storm hadn’t quite come together. I was quoted by a fellow meteorologist for an article for NBC as saying ” if this storm verifies (and lives up to its fullest potential), it will be the greatest October Northeast snowstorm on record.”

A Historic Weather Event

On October 28, 2011, a high pressure ridge over Canada sent an unseasonably cold air mass from New England to the Mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, surface low pressure organized along the coast of Louisiana, A cold front moved eastward from the Ohio Valley and moved off the the East Coast of the United States, Another low pressure area developed off the coast of the Carolinas on October 29th. The remnants of Hurricane Rina had also been absorbed into the developing system. At the same time, an area of precipitation extended from South Carolina through Pennsylvania, mostly falling as rain with some snow observed at higher elevations. By late that morning, the system was producing precipitation over much of the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

As the low moved to the northeast, it produced widespread snow and winds near hurricane-strength north of the warm front over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Winds as high as 69 mph were observed at Barnstable, Massachusetts  and the National Weather Service, issued a Hurricane Force Wind Warning for the Gulf of Maine and other high seas off New England. Overnight into October 30, the storm passed south of Nantucket Island and it moved over Nova Scotia later that day with a central pressure of 975 mb. A wind gust of 72 mph was recordred ate Mount Desert Rock, Maine. Precipitation diminished over New England as the low moved into Atlantic Canada. As the nor’aster moved out into the Atlantic Ocean, it reached a minimum barometric pressure of 971 mb. as it passed to the east of Newfoundland late on October 31. By the morning of November 1, the storm had fully moved out to sea.

Preparations

Winter Storm Warnings were issued northwestern Virginia through central New England ahead of the storm. On October 29, the Pennsylvania DOT activated their fleet of salt trucks. In eastern Pennsylvania, the most recent significant snowstorm during October was in 1972. Utility crews prepared additional crews in the event of power outages. The Delaware Water Gap Recreational road was closed due to the storm’s threat. Connecticut governor Dan Malloy opened the state’s Emergency Operations Center in  Hartford, which included members of the transportation, health, and energy departments. Officials opened 41 shelters in Connecticut. Occupy Wall Street protesters pledged to remain in Lower Manhattan despite the weather, obtaining coats and blankets.

A photo showing snow falling on “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators in Manhattan, New York during the October snow event in 2011″. Photo Credit- Wikipedia – Pubic Domain.

Widespread Wet Snow

Precipitation began falling across the Mid-Atlantic States on the morning of October 29th. Initially, the precipitation was falling as snow only at the higher elevations . As the surface low moved northward up the coast, winds at the surface backed from northeasterly to northwesterly across much of the Mid-Atlantic region, allowing colder air to push southeastward. This cold air changed the precipitation from rain to snow in the foothills of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Dynamic cooling, where rising air associated with heavy precipitation resulted in atmospheric cooling and the rain changed to snow from rain to snow across the rest of Mid-Atlantic region.

This photo shows snow falling east of Front Royal, Virginia, on October 29, 2011 from a nor’easter. Image Credit-Joseph Zerella on Facebook.

To the north, precipitation began across New England by midday on October 29th. Cold air was already in place across interior New England, so precipitation began as snow for all but the coastal areas. The heaviest snow fell in a band from eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey northeastward to southern New Hampshire and Maine. The snow accumulated quickly in the higher elevations.

A photo showing bent trees  October with heavy wet snow weighing them down blocking a road near Granby, Connecticut, resulting from the nor’easter” of 2011. Photo Credit – Dave Ginsberg.

Snowfall Totals  (from NWS/Wikipedia)

• Peru, Massachusetts: 32.0 inches
• Jaffrey, New Hampshire: 31.4 inches
• Plainfield, Massachusetts: 30.8 inches
• Action, Maine: 20.0 inches
• West Milford, New Jersey: 19.0 inches  (October record) !

Notable Totals By State

• Connecticut: 18.6 inches in Bakersville and 18.0 inches in Winsted
• Maryland: 11.6 inches in Frostburg and 11.5 inches in Sabillasville
• New York: 21.6 inches in Millbrook and 17.7 inches in Bloomingburg
• Pennsylvania: 16.0 inches in Hazleton and Huffs Church
• Vermont: 16.0 inches in West Halifax
• Virginia: 9.0 inches in Skyland and 8.0 inches in Big Meadows 

New York City (Manhattan) recorded 2.9 inches of snow where the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration was taking place.

Impacts

The weight of the snow on trees still full of leaves caused widespread damage to power lines, resulting in over 3.3 million customers losing power in the Northeast region. Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy said the state experienced the largest number of power outages in its history. Most cities in the state opened centers where chilled residents could stay warm. In addition, wind gusts along the coast exceeded 50 mph, with a maximum gust of 69 mph recorded at Nantucket, MA. 

This image shows snow falling with leaves still on the trees in Alden, New York, during the “Halloween Nor’easter in 2011. Image Credit – Daniel Case.

A few of the nearly 40 deaths occurred when people froze to death in their homes, others occurred due to carbon monoxide poisoning as people attempted to heat their homes by alternative means. Air travel was severely disrupted. This included several planes that were stranded on the tarmac at the Hartford airport for up to seven hours.