The Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS) is a scale used to categorize winter storms in the Northeast United States.[1] The scale was developed by meteorologists Paul Kocin and Louis Uccellini, and ranks snowstorms from Category 1 ("notable") to Category 5 ("extreme"). Only two historical storms—the 1993 Storm of the Century and the North American blizzard of 1996—are in the latter category. The scale differs from the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale and Fujita Scale, which are used to classify tropical cyclones and tornadoes, respectively, in that it takes into account the number of people affected by the storm.[2] The scale, as devised, is intended chiefly to assess past storms rather than assist in forecasts.[3]
Kocin and Uccellini's 2004 book, Northeast Snowstorms, includes 70 significant storms and their NESIS rating.[4] The following list documents these, as well as nine post-2004 cyclones profiled by the National Climatic Data Center's list of NESIS storms.[2][5] The most common category is "notable", encompassing 24 events. Most of the storms occurred between December and March, although a few took place in April and November. The earliest rated storm is the Great Blizzard of 1888, and the most recent is a cyclone in February 2010.
Contents |
Number | Date | NESIS rank | Category | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | March 12–14, 1993 | 12.52 | 5 | Extreme |
2 | January 6–8, 1996 | 11.54 | 5 | Extreme |
3 | February 15–18, 2003 | 8.91 | 4 | Crippling |
4 | March 11–14, 1888 | 8.34 | 4 | Crippling |
5 | February 11–14, 1899 | 8.11 | 4 | Crippling |
6 | March 2–5, 1960 | 7.63 | 4 | Crippling |
7 | January 21–24, 2005 | 6.80 | 4 | Crippling |
8 | February 10–12, 1983 | 6.28 | 4 | Crippling |
9 | February 5–7, 1978 | 6.25 | 4 | Crippling |
10 | February 2–5, 1961 | 6.34 | 4 | Crippling |
11 | February 14–17, 1958 | 5.98 | 3 | Major |
12 | January 19–21, 1978 | 5.90 | 3 | Major |
13 | January 11–14, 1964 | 5.74 | 3 | Major |
14 | February 12–15, 2007 | 5.63 | 3 | Major |
15 | February 23–28, 2010 | 5.46 | 3 | Major |
16 | December 25–27, 1969 | 5.19 | 3 | Major |
17 | January 29–31, 1966 | 5.05 | 3 | Major |
18 | January 21–23, 1987 | 4.93 | 3 | Major |
19 | January 7–8, 1988 | 4.85 | 3 | Major |
20 | February 8–12, 1994 | 4.81 | 3 | Major |
21 | December 11–13, 1960 | 4.47 | 3 | Major |
22 | January 22–23, 1966 | 4.45 | 3 | Major |
23 | February 17–19, 1979 | 4.42 | 3 | Major |
24 | December 24–25, 2002 | 4.42 | 3 | Major |
25 | February 4–7, 2010 | 4.38 | 3 | Major |
26 | February 18–20, 1972 | 4.19 | 3 | Major |
27 | February 14–15, 1960 | 4.17 | 3 | Major |
28 | February 12–13, 2006 | 4.10 | 3 | Major |
29 | January 16–18, 1978 | 4.10 | 3 | Major |
30 | February 9–11, 2010 | 4.10 | 3 | Major |
31 | February 22–28, 1969 | 4.01 | 3 | Major |
32 | December 18–21, 2009 | 3.99 | 2 | Significant |
33 | March 18–21, 1958 | 3.92 | 2 | Significant |
34 | February 5–7, 1967 | 3.82 | 2 | Significant |
35 | December 23–25, 1966 | 3.79 | 2 | Significant |
36 | April 6–7, 1982 | 3.75 | 2 | Significant |
37 | March 3–5, 1971 | 3.73 | 2 | Significant |
38 | March 12–13, 1959 | 3.64 | 2 | Significant |
39 | January 27–29, 1922 | 3.63 | 2 | Significant |
40 | March 3–5, 2001 | 3.53 | 2 | Significant |
41 | February 2–4, 1995 | 3.51 | 2 | Significant |
42 | December 26–27, 1947 | 3.50 | 2 | Significant |
43 | January 18–21, 1961 | 3.47 | 2 | Significant |
44 | March 2–4, 1994 | 3.46 | 2 | Significant |
45 | February 8–10, 1969 | 3.34 | 2 | Significant |
46 | December 19–20, 1995 | 3.32 | 2 | Significant |
47 | December 22–23, 1963 | 3.17 | 2 | Significant |
48 | January 24–26, 2000 | 3.14 | 2 | Significant |
49 | December 10–12, 1992 | 3.10 | 2 | Significant |
50 | January 13–15, 1982 | 3.08 | 2 | Significant |
51 | March 16–17, 1956 | 2.93 | 2 | Significant |
52 | January 3–5, 1994 | 2.87 | 2 | Significant |
53 | March 6–7, 1962 | 2.76 | 2 | Significant |
54 | January 3–4, 2003 | 2.65 | 2 | Significant |
55 | March 15–18, 2007 | 2.54 | 2 | Significant |
56 | December 30–31, 2000 | 2.48 | 1 | Notable |
57 | February 19–20, 1964 | 2.39 | 1 | Notable |
58 | March 31–April 1, 1997 | 2.37 | 1 | Notable |
59 | November 25–27, 1971 | 2.33 | 1 | Notable |
60 | January 1–2, 1987 | 2.26 | 1 | Notable |
61 | March 18–19, 1956 | 2.23 | 1 | Notable |
62 | March 14–15, 1999 | 2.20 | 1 | Notable |
63 | February 16–17, 1952 | 2.17 | 1 | Notable |
64 | December 31, 1970 – January 1, 1971 | 2.10 | 1 | Notable |
65 | February 2–4, 1996 | 2.03 | 1 | Notable |
66 | December 4–5, 2002 | 1.99 | 1 | Notable |
67 | January 16–17, 1965 | 1.95 | 1 | Notable |
68 | March 28–29, 1984 | 1.86 | 1 | Notable |
69 | October 28–30, 2011 | 1.75 | 1 | Notable |
70 | January 25–26, 1987 | 1.70 | 1 | Notable |
71 | February 16–17, 1996 | 1.65 | 1 | Notable |
72 | February 14–25, 1962 | 1.59 | 1 | Notable |
73 | March 1–3, 2009 | 1.59 | 1 | Notable |
74 | December 26–27, 1990 | 1.56 | 1 | Notable |
75 | February 22–23, 1987 | 1.46 | 1 | Notable |
76 | December 23–25, 1961 | 1.37 | 1 | Notable |
77 | December 3–5, 1957 | 1.32 | 1 | Notable |
78 | March 8–9, 1984 | 1.29 | 1 | Notable |
79 | March 21–22, 1967 | 1.20 | 1 | Notable |
80 | February 6–7, 2003 | 1.18 | 1 | Notable |