SWE values were near- to above-normal across parts of the Cascades, Bitterroots, Sierra Nevada range and portions of the central Rockies.
with near-record low precipitation for the month across California, Nevada and Utah. By the end of January, SWE values dropped significantly across the western U.S. Portions of the northern Cascades, northern Rockies and front range of the central and southern Rocky Mountains had SWE values 75 percent of median or less at the end of December. On December 31, SWE values were at or above 100 percent across most of the region with portions of the Cascades, Sierras and Great Basin reporting SWE values in excess of 200 percent of median. The total annual water budget for agriculture and human use in the mountainous West is highly dependent on the amount of snow melt that will occur in spring and is proportional to the amount of snow on the ground, which can be approximated by a measure of the snow water equivalent (SWE). Melting of winter and spring mountain snowpack provides a crucial summer water source across much of the western United States. January 31 Mountain Snow Water Equivalent By the end of the month, snowcover waned to approximately 35 percent of the CONUS, ending a very active winter-weather month across the U.S. At least 100,000 people were without power during this storm. This low pressure system intensified at nearly double the rate of a classic bomb cyclone, dropping 35 millibars in an 18-hour period. Boston measured 23.6 inches of snow and tied its greatest 1-day snowfall total. This event was classified as a Category 1 snowstorm on the RSI scale. Approximately 39 percent of the CONUS was blanketed in snow on the 29th. A type of nor'easter known as a bomb cyclone, or a rapidly intensifying low pressure system, developed over the Atlantic Ocean along the East Coast on January 28-30 and brought 1-2 feet of snow and blizzard conditions along the coastline from Delaware to Maine. Sunflower, Kansas - just 3 inches shy of the state 24-hour record. Near-record snowfall was reported across portions of Colorado and Kansas on January 25 with up to 27 inches of snow reported at Mt. A coastal Carolinas ice storm occurred on January 20-21 with ice accumulations near Charleston leading to hazardous travel conditions and power outages. Portions of New York state reported 18-24 inches of snow with this event, which was classified as a Category 2 storm across the Southeast Region, considered "Significant", per the Regional Snowfall Index (RSI), and a Category 1, "Notable", storm for both the Ohio Valley and Northeast regions. Maximum CONUS snowcover during this event occurred on the 17th with 43.7 percent coverage. and saw snow accumulate across portions of the Midwest and from the southern Appalachians into the Northeast. On January 13-18, another cold front traversed the central and eastern U.S. from January 2-4, bringing the CONUS snowcover to 50.5 percent on the 3rd - the maximum extent for the month. A cold front traversed the central Plains, Great Lakes and eastern U.S. mountain ranges, northern Plains, Great Lakes and New England. (CONUS) was covered by snow at the beginning of January according to NOAA's National Snow Analysis.
Thirty-nine percent of the contiguous U.S.