 GOES-16 satellite imagery of the rapidly deepeningnor'easter impactingNew England at 14:19UTC (9:19 a.m.EST) on December 5 | |
| Type | Extratropical cyclone Winter storm Nor'easter Blizzard Bomb cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 4, 2020 |
| Dissipated | December 8, 2020 |
| Highest winds |
|
| Highest gust | 105 mph (169 km/h) atMount Washington, New Hampshire |
| Lowest pressure | 976 mb (28.82 inHg) |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | Snow – 18 in (46 cm) atCarrabassett Valley,Maine |
| Maximum rainfall | 2.62 in (6.7 cm) atNewport,Rhode Island[1] |
| Fatalities | None reported |
| Damage | > $25 million (2021USD)[2] |
| Power outages | > 280,000 |
| Areas affected | Southeastern United States,Northeastern United States,Atlantic Canada |
Part of the2020–21 North American winter | |
TheDecember 5–6, 2020 nor'easter brought heavy snowfall, hurricane-force wind gusts, blizzard conditions, andcoastal flooding to much ofNew England in the first few days of December 2020. The system originated on theMid-Atlantic coast late on December 4. It then moved up theEast Coast of the United States from December 5–6, bombing out and bringing heavy wet snow to the New England states. It brought up to 18 inches (46 cm) of snow in northern New England, with widespread totals of 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) farther south.
The nor'easter caused over 280,000 power outages, mostly inMaine, in addition to causing several injuries.[3] The system is estimated to have caused at least $25 million (2021 USD) in damage.[2] It was unofficially namedWinter Storm Eartha byThe Weather Channel.[4]
Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depressionThe nor'easter originated as a weakfrontal system overAlabama late on December 4.[5] Several hours later, the system began to grow more organized, transitioning into anextratropical cyclone overNorth Carolina by 03:00UTC on December 5.[6] The developing low-pressure exited the coast 6 hours later, with a minimumcentral pressure of 1,000 millibars (30 inHg).[7] After this point, the nor'easter began to undergobombogenesis, reaching an initial central pressure of 984 millibars (29.1 inHg) off the coast ofRhode Island at 18:00 UTC that day.[8] After making landfall inNantucket 3 hours later with a central pressure of 981 millibars (29.0 inHg),[9] the low-pressure strengthened further, reaching its peak intensity of 976 millibars (28.8 inHg) at 06:00 UTC on December 6 off the coast ofMaine.[10] After slowly weakening for several hours that, it made landfall inNew Brunswick at 18:00 UTC with a central pressure of 984 millibars (29.1 inHg).[11] The system weakened slightly overNew Brunswick, but began to weaken faster after emerging into theGulf of Saint Lawrence.[12] At 21:00 UTC on December 7, the weakening nor'easter made landfall inNewfoundland with a central pressure of 992 millibars (29.3 inHg).[13] After this point, the low-pressure began to rapidly weaken, with the system dissipating inland over Newfoundland the next day.[14]
Winter Storm Warnings were issued on December 4 and 5 in advance of heavy, wet snow and possible blizzard conditions acrossNew England, including bothBoston andPortland.Winter Weather Advisories were issued further south, andHigh Wind Warnings were placed into effect onCape Cod in anticipation of hurricane-force wind gusts.
InConnecticut, near-whiteout conditions were reported for prolonged periods on December 5, leading to numerous crashes on interstates.I-84 was closed in both directions fromTolland, Connecticut, to the Massachusetts state line for hours as a result of numerous crashes and a lack of snowplows.[4]
Massachusetts State Police lowered the speed limit to 40 mph onI-90 at noon on December 5 due to ongoing whiteout conditions on the roadways. A crash was reported on I-90 inMillbury a few hours later, prompting the closure of two lanes. Over 1,800 snow removal vehicles were deployed in Massachusetts to clear roads of snow and ice. Over 26,000 power outages resulted in Massachusetts, and several thousand of those were not restored until the next day.Dennis recorded a wind gust of 68 mph (109 km/h) on the afternoon of December 5.[3]
InNew Hampshire,Mount Washington recorded the second-highest snow total during the storm with 17.9 inches (45 cm) falling there and the highest wind gust during the storm, with a peak wind gust of 105 mph (169 km/h). The state recorded over 60,000 power outages, and most were not restored until December 6 or 7.[3]
Carrabassett Valley, Maine, recorded the highest snowfall total during the storm, with a total of 18 in (46 cm). Meanwhile,Cranberry Isles reported sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) during the height of the storm. Maine also had the highest number of power outages, with 210,000 customers being put without power and some outages lasting for days. Much of Maine also faced whiteout and near-blizzard conditions for prolonged periods of time, resulting in numerous crashes on roadways.[3]
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