At a Glance
- Winter Storm Gage brought blizzard conditions to parts of the Plains the weekend after Christmas, snarling travel in the region.
- It then spread snow, ice and strong winds into portions of the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, interior Northeast and New England.
- The storm caused driving conditions to be very difficult in some areas.
- Power outages were reported from the storm's gusty winds in the Midwest.
- Trees and power lines were downed in parts of New England from significant ice accumulations in the higher elevations.
Winter Storm Gage snarled travel across the Plains the weekend after Christmas, then spread snow, damaging ice and strong winds into parts of the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, interior Northeast and New England in the final few days of 2019.
Gage began as a low-pressure system that swept southward along the West Coast, becoming problematic on Boxing Day in Southern California.
Portions of interstates 5, 8 and 15 in Southern California were closed due to heavy snow, stranding vehicles for hours in the higher elevations of those interstates.
Strong winds downed trees in Lynwood, California, in the Los Angeles metro area, during the early morning hours Dec. 26.
The storm slowly developed as it pivoted across the southern Rockies and began to intensify as it moved northeastward across the Central Plains on Dec. 28.
(MORE: Watch as People Run for Their Lives From Out-of-Control Semi)
Gage pushed an expansive area of rain, snow and ice northward well ahead of the center of low pressure on Saturday, stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Canadian border.
Freezing rain caused slippery roads in portions of southwestern Minnesota and jammed up many roads in the Twin Cities.
Snow and strong winds snarled travel in parts of the Northern and Central Plains on Dec. 29. The storm closed stretches of several interstates in the Plains, some of which didn't reopen until late afternoon on Dec. 30.
Blizzard conditions were reported in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, including in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
An 11-foot-tall snow drift was reported in Bassett, Nebraska, on the morning of Dec. 30, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm then pushed into the Great Lakes and Northeast.
One inch of ice accumulated in Massena, New York, along the state's northern border with eastern Ontario, Canada. Many other high-elevation spots in upstate New York, western Massachusetts and far northwestern Connecticut reported a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of ice accumulation.
(MORE: New York Trees 'Deflate' as Ice Accumulates)
The stress from freezing rain accretion in the Catskills, western Massachusetts and far northwestern Connecticut downed trees and power lines in multiple locations.
This storm even brought thunderstorms with small hail from the mid-Hudson Valley in New York state to parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts on the afternoon of Dec. 30. According to NOAA's Storm Events Database, a pair of quarter-sized hail reports in northern Connecticut and western Massachusetts Monday were the first such reports of large hail on record in December in either state in records dating to 1950.
(MORE: Thunderstorm During an Ice Storm in New England)
Strong winds ahead of this storm's cold front gusted over 50 to 60 mph in parts of Michigan and Ohio on the morning of Dec. 30. More than 100,000 homes and businesses in Ohio were without power for a time early that morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
Snow continued to fall on New Year's Eve Day in northern New England and upstate New York.
Farther west, snow also continued to affect parts of the Great Lakes on New Year's Eve Day. Portions of those regions were experiencing strong wind gusts from 20 to 40 mph as well.
Strong wind gusts, blowing and drifting snow and icy conditions made travel difficult or impossible in these areas.
(NEWS: Winter Storm Leaves Thousands Without Electricity in Midwest, Northeast)
Here are some of the top snow and ice totals by state:
Arizona: 18 inches (estimated) near Alpine; 14.1 inches at Flagstaff
California: 36 inches (estimated) at Mountain High Resort
Colorado: 15 inches at Telluride
Connecticut: 1.3 inches near New Hartford; 0.75 inches of ice near Torrington
Iowa: 2.7 inches near Little Sioux
Kansas: 3.5 inches near Norton; 0.05 inches of ice (estimated) near Goodland
Maine: 18 inches near Greenwood; 12.9 inches in Portland
Massachusetts: 3.7 inches in Savoy; 1 inch of sleet near Pittsfield; 0.75 inches of ice in Goshen
Michigan: 13.9 inches in Painesdale; 3 to 5 inches in Grand Rapids; 0.02 inches of ice (estimated) in Ishpeming
Minnesota: 17.9 inches in Painesdale; 0.35 inches of ice in Sault Ste. Marie
Nebraska: 18 inches in Gross; 13 inches in Broken Bow; 0.13 inches of ice (estimated) in Greeley
New Hampshire: 15.8 inches near South Tamworth; 0.20 inches of ice in Francestown
New Mexico: 22 inches (estimated) near Chupadero (Ski Santa Fe)
New York: 3.1 inches near Olmstedville; 1 inch of ice in Massena
North Dakota: 26 inches in Ellendale; 13.7 inches in Grand Forks (NWS office); 13.5 inches in Fargo
Pennsylvania: 1.8 inches near Dubois; 0.50 inches of ice near Wrighter Corner
South Dakota: 18.9 inches near Cheyenne Crossing; 17.5 inches in Watertown
Utah: 7 inches in Castle Valley and near Moab
Vermont: 6.7 inches in Island Pond; 1.2 inches in Burlington; 0.30 inches of ice in Readsboro; 0.13 inches of ice in Burlington
Wisconsin: 13.5 inches in Gile; 8.8 inches in Rhinelander; 8.2 inches in Eau Claire
Wyoming: 9 inches (estimated) near Burns; 5.5 inches in Cheyenne
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