December 2015 North American storm complex

December 2015 North American storm complex
GOES-13 satellite image of the storm complex over the Southern United States on December 26
TypeExtratropical storm
Winter storm
Ice storm
Blizzard
Tornado outbreak
Flood
FormedDecember 25, 2015 (2015-12-25)
DissipatedDecember 30, 2015 (2015-12-30)
Highest winds
Lowest pressure989 mb (29.21 inHg)
Tornadoes
confirmed
32 confirmed
Max. rating1EF4 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2
2 days, 2 hours, 4 minutes
Maximum snowfall
or ice accretion
41 in (1.0 m) at Bonito Lake, New Mexico
Fatalities59 fatalities
Damage≥ $3 billion[1]
Power outages> 65,000
Areas affectedSouthwestern, Central, and New England regions in the United States (particularly Texas); Northern Mexico; Southeastern Canada.

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The December 2015 North American storm complex, also known as Winter Storm Goliath,[2] was a major storm complex that produced a tornado outbreak, a winter storm, a blizzard and an ice storm in areas ranging from the Southwestern United States to New England.[3] Tornadoes struck the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas[4] while several other states, especially Missouri, were affected by heavy rain and snow causing severe floods. As the system moved through the Great Lakes, heavy rain, ice pellets and heavy snow fell in the entire region. Wintry mix moved through southern Ontario and Quebec had significant snowfall on December 29. Almost 60 people were killed during the storm system's progression and aftermath, making it one of the deadliest such systems of 2015 in the United States.[3]

  1. ^ "Global Catastrophe Recap -December 2015" (PDF). ReliefWeb. AON. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Finch, Brooke (3 May 2016). "Winter storm Goliath still impacting eastern NM". Albuquerque Journal.
  3. ^ a b "Goliath: The Deadliest U.S. Storm System of 2015". The Weather Channel. December 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "Tornadoes sweep through Dallas area; significant damage". Msn.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-27.