December 15–17, 2020 nor'easter
The December 15–17, 2020 nor'easter was a powerful nor'easter that hammered the Northeastern United States and produced widespread swaths of over 1 foot (12 in) of snow in much of the region from December 15–17, 2020, ending a 1,000+ day high-impact snowstorm drought in much of the Mid-Atlantic and coastal New England regions. The system developed out of a weak area of low-pressure that first developed over the Central United States producing some snowfall before moving eastward, and by December 16, a new, dominant area of low pressure began to develop along the Southeast coast. This low steadily deepened as it moved along and impacted the Mid-Atlantic coastline, prompting several winter-related advisories and warnings for much of the Northeast.
Category 2 "Significant" (RSI/NOAA: 5.58) | |
| Type | Extratropical cyclone Nor'easter Winter storm Ice storm |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 14, 2020 |
| Dissipated | December 19, 2020 |
| Highest winds |
|
| Highest gust | 63 mph (101 km/h) in Mantoloking, New Jersey |
| Lowest pressure | 995 mb (29.38 inHg) |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 2 on December 16 |
| Max. rating1 | EF2 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 1 hour, 26 minutes |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | Snow – 48 in (120 cm) near Danbury, NH Ice – 0.60 in (1.5 cm) near Pipers Gap, Virginia |
| Fatalities | 7 fatalities |
| Damage | > $125 million (2021 USD) |
| Power outages | 230,000 in Maine alone |
| Areas affected | Southern Plains, Upland South, Southeastern and Northeastern United States (primarily New England and the Mid-Atlantic), Atlantic Canada |
Part of the 2020–21 North American winter 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
Multiple states that were expected to be impacted by the nor'easter, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia declared states of emergencies on December 15–16 in advance of the storm. New York and Boston declared a snow emergency the day of the storm as well. The nor'easter brought significant snowfall to metropolitan areas such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., which eclipsed the entire snowfall total from the previous winter season, as well as Boston and Portland that saw over a foot of snow from the storm. Tens of thousands lost power during the storm, and the storm caused high wind gusts along the Jersey Shore, in addition to rough surf and even storm surge in coastal Massachusetts. At least 7 people have been confirmed killed as a result from the storm, and it is estimated to have caused over $125 million (2021 USD) in damages. The winter storm was rated Category 2 winter storm on the Regional Snowfall Index (RSI) scale, the first such storm for the Northeastern United States since a nor'easter in March 2018. The system was unofficially named Winter Storm Gail by The Weather Channel.