January 2000 North American blizzard

The Carolina Crusher
Meteorological history
FormedJanuary 18, 2000
DissipatedJanuary 30, 2000
Category 3 "Major" blizzard
Regional snowfall index: 7.86 (NOAA)
Max. snowfall20–30 inches (51–76 cm) – Raleigh-Durham
Overall effects
Damage$800 million in North Carolina[1]
Areas affectedEastern United States, Eastern Canada

The Carolina Crusher was one of the most powerful winter storms on record in parts of North Carolina, USA. The storm impacted the Greater Richmond Region on January 25th, 2000, causing thousands of power outages and leaving 11 in (280 mm) of snow in Richmond, Virginia, and 20.3 in (520 mm) at Raleigh-Durham International Airport before moving out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Meteorological history

The storm began forming during a mild winter with below-average snowfall across much of the East Coast. Snow first started falling on Wednesday, January 19th, the major storm portion began on Friday, January 21st, 2000.

Initially, computer models suggested that an area of low-pressure would develop and, after getting energy from another low-pressure system in Canada, track up the East Coast. But over the weekend, some computer models no longer showed a strong storm. By Monday, January 24th, forecasters called only for "snow flurries" and "up to an inch of accumulation on the ground."[3]

Some meteorologists considered classifying the event as part of the Big Storm which was occurring in Canada at the time. The North American storm's low-pressure system originated over the northern Great Lakes, then entered over Appalachia where it strengthened considerably. Following this, it went into the North again to collide with the warm front that was approaching.

Progression of the storm

A dip in the jet stream had created a trough, which caused rain in northern Florida and snow in Georgia. By the morning of the 24th, the storm was located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola, Florida. By the evening of the 24th, it was rapidly intensifying against the South Carolina coast. By Tuesday, January 25th, it was near Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm moved northeastward along the Atlantic Seaboard. Later in the day, it was located 80 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It then began to weaken and by the morning of the 26th, it was located just east of Portland, Maine. The storm was poorly forecast because of other simultaneous storm events and the awkward buildup of two low-pressure systems.[2]

Impact of the storm

Progress throughout the northern territories, including Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, was significantly more damaging due to high winds, wet snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Snowfall rates of around 2 inches per hour were common during the first hours of this storm. Businesses, schools, airports, malls, and government offices were closed on January 25th due to weather.

In Pennsylvania, this was the most significant winter storm since the Blizzard of 1996. Most municipalities declared the standard snow emergencies where accidents, traffic hazards, and power outages occur. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power, mainly in the Philadelphia area.

For Delaware, the change from wet snow to heavy, dry snow helped cut down on the number of damages.

In addition to heavy snow, New Jersey also experienced wind gusts as strong as 60 mph along the shore, moderate coastal flooding, and drifts as high as 4 feet. The storm's intensity was lighter during the late morning and afternoon hours before strengthening again in the evening. The winter storm caused numerous accidents around the region.

In the southwestern territories, the wind was not as severe as in the north. In Richmond, Virginia, the snow fell as sleet then immediately turned into dry snow. The power outages came late the following week due to the rise in temperatures, with the snow already on the ground becoming wet snow.[3]

Charlotte, North Carolina received almost a foot of snow in a 12 hour period. Raleigh, North Carolina and Annapolis, Maryland both had 20-24 inches, while Washington, D.C. had 14 inches. Areas that had less snowfall include Boston, Massachusetts and New York City, New York which both had 5 inches.[3]

Loss and damages

Raleigh and other areas of North Carolina were shut down for many days due to large amounts of snow remaining and poor road conditions.

There were at least three confirmed deaths from heart attacks shoveling snow in Pennsylvania. In Maryland, the National Weather Service reported at least eight deaths.[4]

Total accumulations

Pennsylvania and Delaware

Total accumulations in Pennsylvania included:

  • in Monroe County 13 inches in Saylorsburg, 11 inches in Long Pond, 10 inches in Bossardsville and East Stroudsburg, 7 inches in Scotia and 6.5 inches in Pocono Summit;
  • in Northampton County, 14 inches in Williams Township and 7 inches in Bath;
  • in Lehigh County 10 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 7 inches in Allentown;
  • in Berks County 11 inches at the Blue Marsh Lake, 10 inches in Morgantown and Vinemont, 8 inches in Kutztown and Lincoln Park;
  • in Chester County 12 inches in Kennett Square and West Barlborough Township, 11 inches in Downingtown and West Chester, 9 inches in Coatesville and 8 inches in Honey Brook and Glenmoore;
  • in Montgomery County 14 inches at the Willow Grove NAS, 12 inches in Wynnewood, 11.5 inches in Norristown, 11 inches in King of Prussia and 7 inches in Pottstown;
  • in Bucks County 13.6 inches in Chalfont, 12.5 inches in Furlong, 12 inches in Doylestown and 9 inches in Springtown and Langhorne;
  • in Delaware County 11 inches in Springfield and 9 inches at the Philadelphia International AirportTotal accumulations in Delaware included:
  • in New Castle County 10 inches at the New Castle County Airport;
  • in Kent County 11 inches in Woodside and Dover, 9 inches in Milford and 8 inches in Viola;
  • in Sussex County 8.5 inches in Georgetown, 8 inches in Seaford, 6.5 inches in Lewes, 6 inches in Laurel and 5 inches in Rehoboth Beach.

New Jersey

Total accumulations included:

  • in Sussex County 15 inches in High Point, 14.7 inches in Culver Lake, 13.5 inches in Wantage, 9.5 inches in Sparta and 8 inches in Sussex;
  • in Warren County 12 inches in Phillipsburg and 11 inches in Allamuchy;
  • in Morris County 12 inches in Oak Ridge, 11 inches in Long Valley, 9 inches in Whippany and Rockaway and 6 inches in Madison;
  • in Hunterdon County 13 inches in White House Station, 11.5 inches in Califon and 10 inches in Flemington and Wertsville;
  • in Somerset County 10.5 inches in Neshanic, 10 inches in Pottersville and 9 inches in Branchburg and Somerville;
  • in Middlesex County 6 inches in New Brunswick and Woodbridge;
  • in Monmouth County 7 inches in Ocean Grove and Manasquan, 6 inches in Howell and Union Beach;
  • in Mercer County 10 inches in Washington's Crossing, 8 inches in Princeton and Hightstown;
  • in Burlington County 13 inches in Moorestown, 10 inches in Lumberton and Marlton, 9 inches in Mount Laurel and 7 inches in Bordentown;
  • in Ocean County 10 inches in Brick, 9 inches in Brant Beach and 8 inches in Jackson;
  • in Camden County 14 inches in Gloucester City, 11 inches in Somerdale, 10 inches in Pennsauken and 8 inches in Cherry Hill;
  • in Gloucester County 13 inches in Sewell and Mullica Hill, 11.5 inches in Swedesboro;
  • in Salem County 10.3 inches in Deepwater;
  • in Cumberland County 9 inches in Seabrook, 8 inches in Millville and 7 inches in Vineland;
  • in Atlantic County 10 inches in Pomona, 9 inches in Estell Manor and 8.3 inches at the Atlantic City International Airport;
  • in Cape May County 10 inches in North Wildwood, 8.5 inches in Cape May City and 8 inches in Cape May Courthouse

North Carolina

Total accumulations included:

  • 2 in (51 mm) in Gastonia and New Bern
  • 4 in (100 mm) in Jacksonville
  • 5 in (130 mm) in Salisbury and Wilmington
  • 7 in (180 mm) in Winston-Salem
  • 8 in (200 mm) in Rocky Mount and Tarboro
  • 9 in (230 mm) in Kannapolis
  • 10 in (250 mm) in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Smithfield
  • 14 in (360 mm) in Carrboro
  • 15 in (380 mm) in Asheboro
  • 16 in (410 mm) in Sanford, Chapel Hill, and Fayetteville
  • 18 in (460 mm) in Durham
  • 20 in (510 mm) in Monroe
  • 24 in (610 mm) in Raleigh

The Outer Banks received rain with the system and the mountains did not receive any precipitation.

References

  1. ↑ Winter Storm Event, North Carolina State University
  2. ↑ "Climate-Watch, January 2000". National Climatic Data Center. February 16, 2000. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Storm pushes N. Carolina into state of emergency". CNN. January 25, 2000.
  4. ↑ "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" (PDF). www.weather.gov. Retrieved August 3, 2026.

[1] [2]

37°28′34″N 77°25′55″W / 37.476°N 77.432°W / 37.476; -77.432

  1. ↑ "Second Guessing Mother Nature: Forecasting the Surprise Snow of January 2000". NASA Earth Observatory. NASA. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ "January 2000" (PDF). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Patterns. National Weather Service. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.