By January 24th, 2015, Boston had recorded a mere 10.6 inches of snow on the 2014-2015 winter. By the end of the winter, the city had picked up 110.6 inches, setting a new record for snowiest winter ever. Within 61 days of that year, the city saw 100 inches of snow. 94.4 inches of this snow fell within a 30 day window, shattering the previous 30 day record of 58.8 inches. This is just one city's snapshot of what became an epic, generational weather event for New England.
THE SET-UP
The 2014-2015 winter started off very tame. December saw below average snowfall and above average temperatures. It was not until the calendar flipped to 2015 that things began to change. In early January, a severe cold wave engulfed much of the United States. Temperatures in New England reached toward -40° in Maine. Montpelier set a record low of -20°. While the cold ebbed and flowed throughout the month, a persistent longwave trough in the east and a massive ridge in the west set up. January averaged nearly 4° below average.
The persistent pattern that began in January intensified greatly in February, making January seem tame. The month averaged 10-15° below average. In Boston, it did not rise above freezing for 15 straight days, from February 6th to February 20th. Sixteen of the month's 28 days saw measurable snowfall in Boston.
This pattern was unusually stubborn and led to persistent cold over the east with warm and dry conditions over the west. The massive ridge over the west simply would not budge. The pattern was highly amplified and conducive to large-scale storms developing. The final major piece of this event was above average temperatures over the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Nor'easters feed on the temperature contrast between warm air over the ocean and cold air over land.
The combination of persistent cold over the east and above average warmth over the ocean created the perfect breeding ground for storms. All that was left was for low pressure systems to form and take advantage of this perfect setup. To say systems took advantage of this setup is likely an understatement.
THE TIMELINE
THE STORMS
Many snow events crossed New England during the six week period from late January to early March. With that said, four major snowstorms traversed the region in a 30 day period and became the cornerstones of the snow blitz.
BLIZZARD OF 2015
A couple days after a quick system brought plowable snow to New England, a powerful blizzard struck the region. This storm had the perfect setup to wallop southern and eastern New England. A rapidly strengthening nor'easter moved right over the benchmark. This came after the previous storm swung the door wide open for Arctic air to enter the region, allowing for a snowstorm just about everywhere with little mixing issues.
This storm may be regarded as one of the biggest snowstorm busts in New York City history, but in New England, it was the opposite. The storm dropped a maximum of 36 inches in New England, measured in a handful of Massachusetts communities. Worcester measured 34.5 inches while Nashua, New Hampshire picked up 33.2 inches, both records for biggest one storm snowfall in their respective cities. Just over 2 feet fell in Boston, making it the 5th largest snowfall for the city.
On top of the massive dump of snow, hurricane-force winds and significant coastal flooding lashed the shoreline. A deep and persistent cold settled over New England after the storm, with Boston barely managing to rise above the freezing mark for the rest of January and the very start of February.
Photos: Severe coastal flooding amid the deep freeze in Scituate, Massachusetts (Micheal Dwyer); Buried car near the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border on January 27, 2015 (Medeis)
GROUNDHOG DAY STORM
Less than one week after the Blizzard of 2015, another major snowstorm rolled through New England. This storm shot off the Mid-Atlantic coast and tracked to the south of New England, so it wasn't quite as potent as the previous week's blizzard. Still, it managed to drop another foot to foot and a half of snow on the region. This really added to the snowpack as no melting occurred between storms. In fact, the snowpack was refreshed by a small clipper system which brought a few inches between these two storms.
While snow totals of 10-18 inches were commonplace around New England, some communities saw more, with Lunenburg, Massachusetts recording 24 inches. Lunenburg was one of the jackpot towns that received 36 inches from the blizzard, leaving over five feet of snow on the ground after this storm.
EARLY-FEBRUARY STORM
Within another six day time-span came the major third storm in as many weeks. Temperatures again struggled to rise above freezing for many in New England before another one to two feet of snow would fall. The peak of this long-duration storm came from February 8-9. Boston picked up 22.2 inches, adding to the several feet already on the ground.
At this point, roof collapses were becoming concerningly common around the northeast. We had officially reached the point where snow shovels were being hauled up ladders in the brutal cold. Snow drifts and piles were reaching upwards of 7-10 feet and icicles hung from roof to ground off houses. The entirety of the New England coastal plain was hammered, with snow depth reports of 50+ inches across Downeast Maine. Boston recorded its deepest snow depth ever at 37 inches at this point.
Also at this point, Boston already broke its 30-day snowfall record with 71.8 inches falling since January 24th. This broke the previous record by 13 inches, and it had only been 18 days at this point. Bangor, Maine tied its 30-day record with this storm, measuring 53 inches total. Boston and Bangor's previous records were in place since 1978 and 1969 respectively. Both of those years include some of the region's most notorious and harsh winter weather. At least a trace of snow was observed in Boston for eight straight days amid this storm.
Photos: Large icicles and snow drifts outside a home in Methuen, Massachusetts (Jim Davis); Large snow piles line the streets in Weymouth, Massachusetts
MID-FEBRUARY BLIZZARD
Another week began with another major snowstorm. About a week after the previous major storm, the final one would plow through the region. This storm came to New England in a very similar way to the Blizzard of 2015. A rapidly intensifying nor'easter passed near the benchmark once again, dumping another foot plus of snow. The snowfall jackpot for this storm was 25 inches in Robbinston, Maine.
This storm was quick-moving, which helped limit snowfall amounts from getting completely out of control. The storm began on the evening of Valentine's day with snowfall ramping up quickly the morning of the 15th. A band of thundersnow with snowfall rates of up to 4 inches an hour tore across eastern Massachusetts. This blizzard was accompanied by Arctic air, with highs barely making it out of the teens for most. The night of the 15th dropped below zero for many. Wind gusts of 50+mph dropped wind chills into the -20s to -40s during and after the storm.
Photos: Aftermath of the mid-February blizzard in Boston (Scott Eisen; Brian Snyder)
FEBRUARY COLD
In what had already been an extremely cold February, the last blizzard of the season swung the door open for the coldest temperatures of the season. From February 15th to the 20th, temperatures did not crack 30° for a majority of New England. Most days did not even get close to that mark. February's average temperature was 10 to 15° below average for the entire region. 26 of the month's 28 days were at least 5° below average for Boston with 17 of those days at least 10° below average.
Rutland, Vermont; Montpelier, Vermont and Portland, Maine set new records for the coldest February on record. The average monthly temperatures for Rutland and Montpelier were a mere 5°. Portland averaged 14°. Hartford, Connecticut not only set a new February cold record, but the 16.1° average became the coldest monthly average of any month ever.
With the cold came the snow, and not just from the four major storms discussed above. As stated before, sixteen days of the month saw measurable snow in Boston, with all of it totaling up to 64.8 inches. Bangor, Maine saw at least a trace of snow everyday for seven days straight (February 19-25).
CAPPING OFF THE RECORD
While the mid-February blizzard was the last major snowstorm of the bunch, it certainly did not stop snowing. A total of 13 days after February 15th saw measurable snow in Boston. The biggest of the bunch came on March 15th, when 2.9 inches fell. After the February 15th storm, Boston sat at 95.7 inches for the season.
This was 11.9 inches short of the all-time record for snowiest winter. That 2.9 inches on March 15th officially put the city over the top, giving the 2014-2015 winter the crown, beating out 1995-1996. Another two inches would be added onto the total, bringing the season snowfall to 110.6 inches, the new mark to beat. The final snowfall of the season fell on March 28th. After a below average January, February and March temperature-wise, April came in at about average. The city dropped below freezing for the final time on April 2nd.
AFTERMATH
Once the snow blitz wrapped up, the paramount concern was the growing potential for roof collapses. On February 16th, Massachusetts governor Charlie Barker reported a total of 58 roof collapses in the state. Among them was a partial collapse at a Bridgewater Elementary School, which shut down the building for the remainder of the year. Another major collapse at an apartment building in Portsmouth, New Hampshire led to a hasty evacuation where residents were given 10 minutes to pack up what they could and leave.
Photos: Bridgewater Elementary School (The Enterprise); Portsmouth apartment building (NBC News)
Another issue became where to put all of the snow, since it was in no hurry to melt. Boston's answer included piling all the snow up in one location. With 100 inches in about 60 days, this resulted in a massive heap of snow that reached 75 feet at its peak. When the snow stopped falling in March, the meltdown began. It became quite a guessing game as to when the last bit of this massive snow farm would melt.
The final answer would take well into the summer to determine. The last bit of the snow officially melted on July 14th, just over 100 days after the final measurable snow fell in the city. Unfortunately, the giant heap of snow became an eyesore as it turned from a crisp, white pile to an increasingly dingy, gray color as the melting gradually revealed heaps of garbage and debris picked up by plows.
Photos: Boston's mega snow heap (Micheal Dwyer; Steven Senne)
CONCLUSION
Individual snowstorms in New England often get to stand alone, to be remembered by their one impact. Here at New England Storm Center, we have the New England Snowstorm Hall of Fame for these storms. Rarely do multiple major storms compound on each other the way they did in 2015.
There were very cold, snowy and harsh winters in the 60s and 70s, as well as the 90s. Many of the harshest winters in these previous decades included somewhat of a break between storms and cold. The 2014-2015 winter was nearly constant for six straight weeks. Even the 1977-1978 winter saw a decent break and some warmth between major storms on January 20th and the Blizzard of 78 in early February.
While the impacts may have been lessened from past events as technology and forecasting improved over the decades, the sheer magnitude and numbers of this event remain unmatched for southern New England in modern record keeping. When looking at sheer numbers, this event may only have been surpassed by the Great Snow of 1717, when four storms reportedly struck New England in a nine day time frame, but that's a story for another day.
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