February 2007 North American blizzard

February 2007 North American blizzard
Category 3 "Major" (RSI/NOAA: 8.90)
Snow cover in Monkton, Vermont, U.S. in February 2007
TypeExtratropical cyclone
Blizzard
Winter storm
FormedFebruary 12, 2007
DissipatedFebruary 17, 2007
Lowest pressure970 mb (28.64 inHg)
Tornadoes
confirmed
19
Max. rating1EF2 tornado
Maximum snowfall
or ice accretion
48 in (120 cm) Stowe, Vermont, U.S.
Fatalities37 (1 tornadic)
Damage>$58.32 million (2007 USD) [1]
Areas affectedMidwestern and Eastern North America, Gulf States

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The February 2007 North American blizzard was a massive winter storm that affected most of the eastern half of North America, starting on February 12, 2007, and peaking on Valentine's Day, February 14. The storm produced heavy snowfalls across the midwestern United States from Nebraska to Ohio and produced similar conditions across parts of the northeastern United States, and into Canada in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Significant sleet and freezing rain fell across the southern Ohio Valley and affected portions of the east coast of the United States, including the cities of Boston, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia.

The southern portion of the storm produced severe thunderstorms with numerous tornadoes reported. One tornado hit a subdivision of New Orleans that was still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. In total, this storm system was responsible for 37 deaths across 13 U.S. states and Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec. The NOAA classified the storm as a Category 3 "Major" storm.[2] The National Weather Service has determined that this storm was one of the three largest snowstorms to hit the inland areas of the northeastern United States since 1940.[3]

  1. ^ "NCDC: Event Details". Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  2. ^ NOAA. "VALENTINE'S DAY WINTER STORM CLASSIFIED AS A CATEGORY 3 "MAJOR" STORM". Retrieved February 27, 2007.
  3. ^ "Valentine's Day storm stacks up against history". Times Union. Albany, NY. Retrieved February 27, 2007.[dead link]