North American blizzard of 2003
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The Blizzard of 2003, also known as the Presidents' Day Storm of 2003, or Presidents' Day Storm II, was a historical and record-breaking snowstorm on the East Coast of the United States and Canada, which lasted from February 15 to February 18, 2003. It spread widespread heavy snow across the major cities of the Northeastern US, making it the defining snowstorm of the very snowy winter of 2002-2003. All cities from Washington DC to Boston were covered in 15 to 30 inches (38-76 cm) of snow, and those cities were brought to a standstill due to problems caused by temperatures and the snow. In Baltimore and Boston, this was the biggest snowstorm on record, with 28.2 and 27.5 inches (71.6 and 69.9 cm) respectively.
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[edit] The Life of the Storm
The storm developed in the southern Rockies on February 14, and moved through southern Missouri and the Lower Tennessee Valley during the next few days. It brought heavy rain and severe weather to the Deep South, including the nation's first tornado of the year. Farther north, snow and ice affected the Midwest. Southern Iowa and eastern Illinois also got significant snow, with 11 inches (28 cm) in Des Moines. In Kentucky this was mostly an ice storm, with some locations receiving up to 3/4" (2 cm) of ice. Much of Ohio received heavy snowfall, Mansfield receiving 21 inches and Columbus receiving about a foot. At the same time, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore got light snow on February 15. A strong Arctic high pressure system funnelled frigid air to the East Coast. It significantly slowed down the storm, and kept all precipitation in the form of heavy snow and some sleet.
However, early on February 16, torrential snow started falling in those two cities, and the snow later moved to Philadelphia. Heavy snow was continuously reported, falling at rates of up to 4 inches (10 cm) per hour. In addition to that, temperatures were frigid, around 15°F (-10°C), so the snow had no trouble accumulating. The heavy snow continued all day, and it reached New York City in the evening. At about the same time, the snow changed to sleet in Washington, D.C., and significantly lowered the accumulation. Throughout the rest of the Northeast, however, the snow continued for much of the night. The sleet changed back to snow by the next morning in Washington, D.C., and soon ended. By that time, a secondary low pressure system formed off the Virginia coast and travelled north, turning this storm into a nor'easter for New York City and Boston. Blizzard Warnings were issued, and the snow began in Boston that day. In the evening, the heavy snow ended in New York City, and it ended in Boston on the morning of February 18. After that, the storm weakened and brought a few inches of snow to other parts of New England.
 42nd street, NYC, near the UN, looking West during the February 2003 winter storm. |
 Madison Avenue, NYC, near Grand Central Station, looking South during the February 2003 winter storm. |
 Times Square, NYC, during the February 2003 winter storm. Image shows the city garbage collection trucks outfitted with snow plows and scoops. |
 Corner in Hells Kitchen neighborhood, NYC, during the February 2003 winter storm. |
[edit] Impact
This snowstorm paralyzed much of the East Coast with its heavy snow. Washington's Reagan National Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport in New York were shut down completely, and Dulles Airport had one runway open. With snow continually accumulating, road travel was nearly impossible. In Baltimore, the roof of the historic B&O Railroad Museum collapsed, damaging many valuable engines, railroad cars and train souvenirs.[1].
Many Washington, DC area television stations had wall-to-wall coverage from Saturday morning through Monday afternoon, only stopping briefly overnight.
[edit] Schools affected
The majority of all schools districts that were affected by the blizzard, closed schools for at least 1 week even well after it stopped snowing. There were so much snow fallen on the roads that plows had to plow the snow into the school parking lots which caused schools to be closed for at least a week. Before the storm even started, some school districts had already used up some of their school closing days, which was mainly a limit of 3-5 per school year. Some school districts used up over 10 snow days for the entire season.
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