History of Winter Storm Fern
Complete History of Winter Storm Fern
Winter Storm Fern has been one of the most significant winter weather events in recent U.S. history, affecting more than 230 million people across a 2,000-mile stretch of North America. Here’s the comprehensive timeline of its development and impacts:
Origins (January 22)
The storm originated from an unusually low latitude off the coast of California and western Mexico around January 22 KLFY
Pivotal Weather. The storm developed from a wave in the upper atmosphere that elongated the polar vortex, normally over northern Canada and Alaska, causing cold air to interact with moisture from the California coast and Gulf of Mexico The Washington Post
.
The system first developed in the Pacific Ocean as a cold-core low moving southeastward toward the Baja California Peninsula Severe Weather Europe
. Given the storm’s expected magnitude, Hurricane Hunters investigated the system in the Pacific to learn about its moisture, position and track before it reached Mexico Pivotal Weather
.
Landfall in Mexico (January 23)
The low-pressure system made landfall on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula late on January 23 while spreading deep subtropical moisture across Mexico and the southern U.S. Pivotal Weather
The system developed over the Great Plains midday January 23, as a broad trough coalesced over the Plains and Rockies Severe Weather Europe
.
Southern Plains and Ice Storm Belt (January 24-25)
Wintry precipitation began progressing eastward, primarily as sleet and freezing rain, spreading into northern Texas, southern Oklahoma, and southern Arkansas Severe Weather Europe
. By midday on January 24, snow and ice had surged from the Central and Southern Plains into the mid-Mississippi Valley, with freezing rain and sleet coating roads as far south as Del Rio, Texas, on the Mexican border Pivotal Weather
.
Catastrophic Ice Accumulations: Nearly 0.75 inches of ice was reported near Hall Summit, Louisiana, southeast of Shreveport KLFY
. Ice accumulations were reported as far south as Corpus Christi, Texas, and as close to the Southeast coast as Goose Creek, South Carolina FOX Weather
.
For many cities like Dallas, Little Rock and Memphis, the wintry weather came in two rounds—one early in the day, followed by a drier period with lighter precipitation, then a heavier final round that swept eastward through the South Pivotal Weather
.
Midwest Impacts (January 24-25)
By the morning of January 25, states such as Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio saw snow accumulation of up to 16 inches The Washington Post
. Indianapolis received 11.1 inches at the airport, marking the city’s heaviest snowstorm in 12 years Pivotal Weather
.
Northeast Transformation to Nor’easter (January 25-26)
By January 25, the winter storm had moved into the Northeast, where it began to transition into a nor’easter Severe Weather Europe
. The storm produced historic snowfall across major cities:
- Boston’s Logan Airport recorded 16.7 inches, with Sunday being Boston’s 9th snowiest day on record Pivotal Weather
- Baltimore received 11.3 inches at BWI Airport and Philadelphia got 9.3 inches at the International Airport—both marking their heaviest snowstorms in 10 years since Winter Storm Jonas in January 2016 Pivotal Weather
- Pittsburgh recorded 11.2 inches, its heaviest snowstorm since the early February 2010 “Snowmageddon” and the second heaviest calendar-day snow this century Pivotal Weather
Canadian Impacts (January 25-26)
The storm extended well into Canada with devastating effects. On January 25, Winter Storm Fern dumped 56 centimeters (22 inches) of snow in Toronto, topping an all-time record in the city’s downtown area that had stood since 1944 Pivotal Weather
. Parts of the Greater Toronto Area received up to 56 cm of snow, starting on January 25 and continuing into the early morning of the 26th Severe Weather Europe
.
Scope and Scale
Winter Storm Fern dumped over 6 inches of snow across 26 states from New Mexico to New England and into eastern Canada KLFY
. More than 20 U.S. state governors issued emergency declarations in anticipation, with the number of counties under a winter storm warning being the highest recorded Severe Weather Europe
.
Human Toll and Disruptions
Fatalities: At least 22 deaths have been attributed to the storm nationwide FOX Weather
, including two people who died from hypothermia in Caddo Parish near Shreveport, Louisiana Severe Weather Europe
.
Power Outages: At its peak, over 1 million customers were without power on the afternoon of January 25 FOX Weather
, with almost 700,000 without power by the morning of January 25 Severe Weather Europe
.
Air Travel: Over 10,000 flights were canceled on Sunday alone, with major hubs in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York effectively shuttered CultureMap Dallas
.
Winter Storm Fern stands as a “once-in-a-decade” event that paralyzed much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States with a combination of record-breaking snowfall in the North and catastrophic ice accumulations in the South, creating one of the most widespread winter weather disasters in recent American history.