Twelve states from North Carolina to Maine received measurable snowfall from the Northeast; eight of them had locations that reported more than a foot of snow.
Due to the moderating effect of ocean heat and humidity, coastal areas often see less snow during winter storms. But in this case, coastal New Jersey, Long Island, and the New England coast from New London to Cape Cod and Boston attracted the heaviest snowfall, with flakes flying at speeds of up to 8-10 cm per hour in some areas. According to reports from the National Weather Service (NWS), more than 53 cm of snow was measured in Providence, Rhode Island; 73.6 cm fell in Norton, Massachusetts, 76.2 cm in Quincy; and 56 cm fell in Norwich, Connecticut. Boston tied a record for the most snow in a 24-hour period with 60 cm, and Islip, New York, had its second-highest daily total (59 cm).
the powerful nor’easter it also brought strong winds that at times approached hurricane force. The NWS determined that Blizzard conditions in various locations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which affected up to 11 million people.
A snow storm is defined as a period of at least three hours with snow falling, gusts of wind persistent higher than 55 kilometers per hour and visibility less than 0.4 kilometres.
Marshfield, Massachusetts, endured such conditions for 12 hours, Newport for 9.5, and Boston for 7.5. Wind gusts reached Category 1 hurricane strength on Cape Cod, Cape Ann and Nantucket.
The combination of strong winds and abundant snow forced the cancellation of almost all air and train travel in the region.. More than 100,000 people lost power during the storm, though nearly all had their lights on on the morning of January 31. The MODIS sensor on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a natural-color view (top) as people shoveled their way out on January 30, 2022.
As millions of people sheltered below, a small team of scientists funded by NASA flew over and into the winter storm to make measurements and better understand the evolution of winter storms. The multi-year Microphysics and Precipitation Investigation mission for Storms Threatening the Atlantic Coast (Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Storms, IMPACTS) is the first comprehensive study of blizzards in the eastern United States in nearly 30 years. The science team includes researchers from NASA, several universities, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NASA scientist Adrian Loftus took several photos (above and below) in the late afternoon of January 29 while serving as mission scientist at the research plane P-3 Orion from NASA.
“Snowstorms are really complicated storms, and we need all the data — models, aircraft instruments, weather soundings — to really figure out what’s going on inside these storms.said Gerry Heymsfield, IMPACTS deputy principal investigator and scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
In recent winters, the team has been tracking rain and snow storms in the Midwest and Eastern United States in two NASA aircraft equipped with scientific instruments. With a ER-2 at high altitude flying above storms and P-3 flying through the cloudsScientists have been collecting data on snow particles and the conditions in which they form. Scientists have also been measuring cloud properties from below using ground-based radar.
Winter storms often form narrow structures called snow bands.said Lynn McMurdie, IMPACTS principal investigator and an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington. One of the main goals is to understand how these structures form, why some storms do not have snow bands, and how snow bands can be used to predict snowfall.
Picture of NASA Earth Observatory by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Photos by Adrian Loftus, NASA GSFC. Michael Carlowicz’s story with Sofie Bates, NASA Earth Science News Team.
NASA Earth Observatory
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