This article is about the nor'easter that occurred in April 2021. For the nor'easter that occurred on this date 14 years earlier, seeApril 2007 nor'easter.
April 2021 nor'easter
NASA satellite imagery of the nor'easter near peak intensity overCape Cod at 18:58UTC (2:58 p.m.EDT) on April 16
TheApril 2021 nor'easter, also referred to as the2021 Spring nor'easter, was a significant late-seasonnor'easter that impacted much ofNew England with heavy snowfall, gusty winds,thundersnow, and near-whiteout conditions from April 15–17, 2021. The system originated from a weakfrontal system late on April 14 overNorth Carolina, which moved into the ocean the next day and began to strengthen. The low-pressure steadily deepened as it moved up theEast Coast, and developed aneye-like feature just prior to peak intensity. It prompted a fairly large area ofWinter Storm Warnings across interior sections ofNew England, withWinter Weather Advisories being issued closer to the coast. Over 20,000 customers lost power at the height of the storm on April 16 due to heavy wet snow, and near-whiteout conditions were reported in many areas.[4] Several injuries, some serious, occurred as well, mostly due to traffic incidents on poorly-treated roadways during the storm.[5][6][7] Damage estimates from the system are currently not calculated.
The nor'easter formed as a weakfrontal system at 18:00UTC on April 14 over westernNorth Carolina, along an already existing series of fronts stretching down theU.S. East Coast.[8] Several media outlets referred to the nor'easter as the "Spring nor'easter" due to its unusual occurrence in mid-spring.[9][10][11][12][13] It had transitioned into anextratropical cyclone by 12:00 UTC on April 15, as it moved offshore into theAtlantic Ocean and slowly began to strengthen.[14] The low-pressure then steadily strengthened as it moved northeastward up the coast, with its minimumcentral pressure dropping below 1,000 millibars (30 inHg) at 00:00 UTC on April 16.[15] The system then turned northwards towards the southeasternMassachusetts coastline, while beginning to strengthen faster.[16] Strongmesoscale banding developed in central and easternMassachusetts, resulting in much higher snowfall totals than initially forecasted in those areas.[17][18]
The nor'easter then proceeded to make two consecutive landfalls, first inDukes County, Massachusetts and again nearHyannis, Massachusetts between 12:00 and 15:00 UTC, as it reached its peak intensity of 988 millibars (29.2 inHg) overCape Cod.[19] While maintaining peak intensity, the nor'easter made a third landfall nearKingston, Massachusetts at 21:00 UTC, before making a fourth and final landfall nearBarnstable, Massachusetts at 00:00 UTC on April 17.[20][21] After this point, the nor'easter began to steadily weaken while moving northeast towardNova Scotia, and later passing to the south of it.[22][23] The weakening nor'easter then slowly meandered east of Nova Scotia, moving to the northeast and making landfall along the southern coast ofNewfoundland at 00:00 UTC on April 20, with a central pressure of 998 millibars (29.5 inHg).[24] After coming ashore, the nor'easter began to rapidly weaken, dissipating over eastern Newfoundland later that day.[25]
Much of theMid-Atlantic saw heavy, soaking rain from the nor'easter, in areas where temperatures weren't cold enough to support snow.[34]New York City picked up 0.83 inches (21 mm) of rain, and areas further to the north saw even more.[35] The rain resulted in aNew York Mets game against thePhiladelphia Phillies being postponed.[36] Up to 2.5 inches (64 mm) of rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic, with the highest totals just outside of theNew York metropolitan area.[37] The region also saw strong gusty winds from the storm, resulting in windswept rain in many areas. Some areas along the southernLong Island shore also reported minorcoastal flooding due to the system.[6][38] TheAdirondack Mountains ofUpstate New York changed over to snow briefly on the back edge of the storm, and up to 6 inches (15 cm) accumulated on the highest peaks.[39]
Snowfall accumulation inLexington, MA during the storm
In advance of the storm,Green Mountain Power inVermont warned customers of possiblepower outages during the storm and prepared for restoring power if necessary. They also reminded customers to be prepared for power outages, possibly lasting up to a day. TheVermont Agency of Transportation warned of poor road conditions due to heavy wet snow, and closedVT 108 inStowe prior to the storm to reduce work forsnowplow operators.[40] InNew Hampshire, dozens of school districts announced school closings or a switch to remote learning for April 16 in advance of the storm.[41]
InRhode Island, a coating of snow was observed inProvidence, with up to 4 inches (10 cm) falling in the northwestern part of the state. Snowflakes were even observed as far south asNarragansett Bay for a period of time.[6] In Massachusetts, theBerkshires andWorcester Hills in Massachusetts saw a widespread 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) of snow from the system, while the lower elevations ofGreater Boston saw 1–3 inches (2.5–7.6 cm).[42] TheBlue Hill Observatory inMilton picked up 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) of snow, making it the sixth-largest April snowstorm on record for the city.[6][43] The Boston area also observed occasionalthundersnow on the morning of April 16, during the period of heaviest snow and highest instability.[6] High snowfall rates and snow-covered roads in central and eastern Massachusetts ledMassDOT to deploy over 240 additional snowplows at 10 a.m.EDT on April 16.[18] A game between theBoston Red Sox andChicago White Sox atFenway Park was postponed due to the snow at the stadium.[44]
InNew Hampshire, widespread snowfall amounts of 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) were observed, with some areas reporting even higher totals.[6] InMaine, thePortland International Jetport delayed a number of flights due to heavy snow and extremely gusty winds. At the airport, snowfall rates of over 1 in/hr (2.5 cm/hr) and wind gusts of over 50 mph (80 km/h) were observed.[6] Numerous crashes occurred on snow-covered roadways, withMaine State Police responding to three serious crashes. Crashes on roadways were the main source of injuries from the storm.[45] Snowfall accumulations weren't as high in Maine as neighboring states, but up to 9 inches (23 cm) of snow was observed in western areas of the state.[10][46]
Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression
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