March 4-6th, 2001 - 25 Years Later

The March 4-6th, 2001 Blizzard lives in infamy as a major and crippling snowstorm for some and one of the most brutal busts of all time for others. 25 years ago this storm gripped the media and was predicted to be the worst blizzard since 1978 or possibly worse. Everyone was on alert to a storm that could be measured in feet, not inches. Schools and businesses closed down for days in preparation for the storm. However, warmer air and track farther north cut back snowfall amounts for a lot of the big cities. The end result was still a major snow and sleet blizzard that lasted for over 60 hours for Southern New England. From NYC and points southwest, it was mostly a sleet fest with much less snow than expected.

On the morning of March 4th, the system began to form and approach the region from the southwest. Snow broke out across Connecticut in the mid morning hours and light to moderate snow continued throughout the day. By dark about 1-3" of snow accumulated statewide. It was at this time it became clear warmer air was poised to surge into the region and change over all precipitation to sleet.

March 4-8th US Surface Map Animation

Periods of sleet, heavy at times, continued through the overnight hours and into the day on Monday. During the afternoon, low pressure began deepening rapidly and pulled cold air down from the north changing sleet back to all snow. By dark heavy snow enveloped the state and it was a full blown blizzard with whiteout conditions. Snow accumulated rapidly at 1-2" per hour for several hours. As the system matured, the heavy snow broke apart and more showery snowfall at varying intensity continued throughout Tuesday. At this point most of the state had already accumulated 10-12" with several more inches throughout the day. Snow finally pulled away by around midnight and into the very early hours of Wednesday morning it was completely done for all of Southern New England.

March 5th, 2001 9:00PM WeatherTap Radar Snapshot

While not quite the severe storm it was predicted to be, most of Connecticut still saw 10-18" of snow with plenty of sleet mixed in. The extremely long duration, varying precipitation types and blizzard conditions still make this storm a remarkable event. For New York City it was considered a major bust with only 3-6" of snow accumulating there.

March 4-6th, 2001 Lower Northeast Snowfall Totals

March 4-6th, 2001 Connecticut Snowfall Totals

March 4-6th Southern New England Selected Towns Snowfall Totals

If you would like to see more images for this event and a full radar loop check out our dedicated page here:

March 4-6th, 2001 Snow & Sleet Blizzard

-JDJ