December 2009 North American blizzard

Not to be confused with 2009 North American Christmas blizzard.

December 2009 North American blizzard
Category 4 "Crippling" (RSI/NOAA: 12.78)
Satellite image of the nor'easter on December 20 near the Mid-Atlantic states.
TypeExtratropical cyclone
Blizzard
Winter storm
FormedDecember 16, 2009[1]
DissipatedDecember 20, 2009
Lowest pressure968 millibars (28.6 inHg)[2]
Tornadoes
confirmed		4
Max. rating1EF0 tornado
Maximum snowfall
or ice accretion		26.3 inches (67 cm)[3]
Fatalities7 fatalities[4]
Areas affectedEast Coast of the United States (from North Carolina to Maine)
Canadian Atlantic provinces (portions of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador)[5]

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The December 2009 North American blizzard was a powerful nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009, and became a major snowstorm that affected the East Coast of the United States and Canadian Atlantic provinces. The snowstorm brought record-breaking December snowfall totals to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

The blizzard disrupted several regions, and in some areas the snowfall rate prevented snow plows from maintaining the roads. The blizzard caused flights and trains to be canceled, and left areas without power. Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and New Castle and Kent counties in Delaware declared a state of emergency. Seven deaths were reported to have been caused by the storm.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference TWC blog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "HPC Storm Summary #9". Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference TWC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytimes1221 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference cbcnews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).