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Weather Events:
Nor'easter of March 5-7, 2001
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This storm brought heavy snow to parts of New York and New England, but many in the northeast might remember it as the "non-historic" storm of March 5-7, 2001. During the days leading up to the storm, most of the major weather prediction models showed the possibility of a major east coast storm, with some at times indicating the possibility for what was termed a "historic" blizzard along the east coast. The media picked up on this and the hype began. It was fueled by the Extended Forecast Discussion issued by the HPC (Hydrometeorological Prediction Center) on Friday afternoon, March 2.
Read HPC Discussion
Due to the forecasts of severe winter weather, schools and businesses announced in advance of the storm that they would close on Monday March 5. The state of Connecticut took the unusual step of declaring that highways would be closed. A significant coastal storm did form, but somewhat later and farther north than early forecasts had indicated. This resulted in warmer air and light rain or mixed precipitation occurring from the mid Atlantic on north on Monday. By late Monday a potent coastal storm did form off of the northeast coast in time to give very heavy snows to parts of New England. Peak totals in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire through Wednesday ranged between 2 and 3 feet.
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On Tuesday, as the storm retrograded somewhat, heavy snows developed to the southwest yielding snow amounts between 12 and 18 inches across Southern Connecticut and into central Long Island. Farther to the west, snowfall ranged from 3 to 6 inches in New York City with the amounts increasing from southwest to northeast across the city. South and west of New York, the storm was a no-show.
The map at the right depicts storm total snowfall over Long Island. Click it to view a larger image.
This storm is remembered primarily for the "busted" weather forecasts, especially in the mid-atlantic where virtually no snow fell, but it did provide some very heavy snows and also high winds in a few locations in the northeastern United States. This satellite image of the departing storm on Wednesday afternoon clearly shows the snow cover over Long Island and southern Connecticut.
Click the links below for additional storm statistics and maps:
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