5 Extreme Winter Storms of the Decade So Far (And What We’ve Learned)

In January 2024, a strong Arctic front pushed across western Washington and Oregon, dropping temperatures below freezing and setting the stage for destructive icing along the coast, through the Willamette Valley, and into southwest Washington. Springfield and the Portland metro area were hammered by freezing rain and strong winds, which brought down trees, snapped power lines, and damaged many homes, businesses, and vehicles. NOAA/NCEI lists the storm as a billion-dollar disaster, estimating $1.7 billion in damages and 20 deaths.¹

Takeaways:

Ice can be more disruptive than snow: Communities may manage snowfall well, but freezing rain can cripple power systems, block roads with fallen trees and make basic movement hazardous. Agencies should remind the public, and local governments should keep emergency equipment on standby, treating ice as a distinct threat with its own challenges.

The effects of storms can be far-reaching: In heavily wooded regions, winter wind and ice turn vegetation into a major vulnerability that reaches well beyond the storm's center. For both emergency managers and companies, keeping an eye on tree and power-line risk — and on destructive storms miles away — gives everyone time to prepare.

Beginning in late December 2022 and stretching into March 2023, a series of atmospheric rivers struck California in continuous succession, making it a storm complex that lasted for months. The relentless rain and record snowfall caused severe flooding, damaging homes, businesses, levees, farms, and other infrastructure, with central California hit hardest. Over those weeks, the storms breached levees, closed roads, and forced evacuations across the state. NOAA/NCEI estimates the event caused $4.7 billion in damages and 22 deaths.²

Takeaways:

Winter happens on the West Coast, too: Snow and ice aren't the only damaging types of winter weather. Rainstorms in balmier regions often cause dangerous, cascading events that officials, residents and businesses must prepare for, such as floods and mudslides.

Prepare for long-duration storm sequences: A single storm is manageable; a months-long train of storms is another matter. Local governments and businesses must be ready for cumulative impacts — such as saturated ground, repeated road closures, exhausted staff, and slower recovery between events — and respond in kind.

Four days before Christmas in 2022, a powerful Arctic front and historic winter storm swept across much of the country, dragging heavy rain, snow, ice, and high winds behind it as temperatures plummeted. More than 200 million people fell under a winter weather advisory or warning, and more than a million customers from Texas to Maine lost power.³ The biggest story was Buffalo, paralyzed by near-hurricane-force winds and relentless snow squalls that contributed to dozens of deaths in the region.⁴ NOAA/NCEI estimates the storm caused $9 billion in damages.⁵

Takeaways:

Encourage the public to stay off the roads: Whiteout conditions, drifting snow and high winds can immobilize even communities used to winter weather. Officials should close roads early, position response resources ahead of time, and warn drivers clearly when travel becomes life-threatening.

Make a better plan for the aftermath: Winter damage doesn't stop when the snow ends. Frozen and burst pipes can turn a weather emergency into a property-loss crisis days later. Agencies and employers should remind people how to protect plumbing, maintain heat safely, and report building issues quickly.

In February 2021, a historic cold wave and winter storm struck many northwest, central and eastern states. Temperatures fell more than 40 degrees below normal from Nebraska southward to Texas, and the prolonged Arctic air triggered widespread power outages. At the peak of the crisis, nearly 10 million people were without power⁶ and frozen pipes burst as temperatures rose, flooding homes and businesses across the region. At an estimated $27.2 billion in damages, it stands as the costliest U.S. winter storm on record.⁷

Takeaways:

Plan for infrastructure failure, not just bad roads: Winter response often centers on travel and shelter, but this storm showed how fast a power and water crisis can eclipse everything else. Companies and government agencies should prepare for prolonged outages, water loss and building closures happening all at once.

Keep an emergency kit at home and in the car: Companies and government agencies should remind employees and residents to keep a stash of warm clothing, a flashlight, jumper cables, a battery-powered radio, bottled water, and snacks on hand. These supplies help people ride out a storm until help arrives.

In New England, snow blanketed Halloween dioramas and decorations on October 30, 2020. A Boston meteorologist noted that snowfall of more than 3.5 inches shattered the previous October record of 1.1 inches, a total higher than any accumulation recorded for the entire month of October.⁸

New England's trees had yet to shed their foliage, causing the heavy, wet snow to break branches that downed power lines and smashed cars and houses. In Western Massachusetts, more than 700,000 households lost power.⁹ 

Takeaways:

Better prepare for power outages: Pre-season winter weather brings wet, heavy snow that downs power lines. The aging population means more people rely on medical equipment requiring electricity, and hospitals need power for life-saving procedures.

Weather is getting weirder: And by weirder, we mean less predictable and more unseasonable. Local governments can prepare by reviewing the amount of emergency funds available in the case of an unpredictable event. And both government agencies and companies can develop adaptable plans that account for the rising likelihood of unseasonable weather events.

It’s clear that winter weather is more diverse than blizzards, ice storms and sleet. And it’s becoming more unpredictable, frequent and severe.

How can your agency or company not only prepare for challenges and impacts of by winter weather, but react quickly and confidently when threats to people, infrastructure and assets arise? CodeRED by Crisis24 can help you communicate quickly and confidently with residents, businesses and stakeholders to keep people safe and informed.

References

¹National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters — Northwest Climate Region State Summary." 

² StoryMaps (ArcGIS). "2022-2023 California Floods." 

³ Associated Press, via MarketBeat. "Temperatures Fall Far and Fast as Winter Storm Threatens US." December 22, 2022. 

⁴ Agence France-Presse, via Inquirer.net. "US Winter Storm Death Toll Rises to 61." December 30, 2022. 

⁵ NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, 1980–2024." 

⁶ National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). "The Great Texas Freeze: February 11–20, 2021." 

⁷ National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)/ArcGIS StoryMaps. "The Great Texas Freeze."

⁸ NBC10 Boston. "Season's 1st Snowfall Sets Record in Boston, Makes Roads a Mess." October 30, 2020. 

⁹ New England Storm Center. "Looking Back at the Halloween Snowstorm that Crippled New England." October 31, 2024.