Storm Jonas

The January 2016 United States blizzard was a blizzard that produced up to 3 ft (91 cm) of snow in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States from January 22–24, 2016. Evolving from a shortwave trough that formed in the Pacific Northwest on January 19, the system consolidated into a defined low-pressure area on January 21 over Texas. Regarding it as a "potentially historic blizzard", meteorologists indicated the storm could produce more than of snow across a wide swath of the Mid-Atlantic region and could "paralyze the eastern third of the nation". Winter weather expert Paul Kocin described the blizzard as "kind of a top-10 snowstorm".

On January 20–22, the governors of eleven states and the mayor of Washington, D.C. declared a state of emergency in anticipation of significant snowfall and blizzard conditions. Approximately 103 million people were affected by the storm, with 33 million people placed under blizzard warnings. More than 13,000 flights were cancelled in relation to the storm, with effects rippling internationally. Thousands of National Guardsmen were placed on standby, and states deployed millions of gallons of brine and thousands of tons of road salt to lessen the storm's effect on roadways. A travel ban was instituted for New York City and Newark, New Jersey for January 23–24. The storm was given various unofficial names, including ''Winter Storm Jonas'', ''Blizzard of 2016'', and ''Snowzilla''.

Seven states observed snowfall in excess of , with accumulations peaking at in Glengary, West Virginia. Ice- and snow-covered roads led to hundreds of incidents across the affected region, several of which resulted in deaths and injuries. At least 55 people were killed in storm-related incidents: Twelve in Virginia; nine in Pennsylvania; six each in New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina; four in South Carolina; three each in Maryland and Washington, D.C.; and one each in Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Ohio. Total economic losses are estimated between $500 million and $3 billion. The storm ranked as a Category 5 "extreme" event for the Northeast on the Regional Snowfall Index, and a Category 4 event for the Southeast. It is the most recent winter storm to rank as a Category 5 winter storm, and the first to do so since the 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard.

Preceding storm

A relatively minor storm ahead of the blizzard, similar to an Alberta clipper, caught numerous drivers off-guard, producing a brief period of heavy snow during rush hour in the Mid-Atlantic region on January 20. Although only of snow fell in Washington, D.C., roadways were not treated; any snow that melted on roads quickly froze into black ice, rendering them impassable. Some referred to the event as "Carmageddon 2.0". Portions of Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 in Virginia and Maryland (especially on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge), as well as Interstate 270, were brought to a standstill through the early hours of January 21. Virginia State Police responded to 767 accidents and 392 reports of disabled vehicles. The Virginia Department of Transportation mobilized 115 salt trucks to clear roads. A man was killed after being struck by a snow plow in Beltsville, Maryland. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an apology for inadequate preparations in the wake of the storm on January 22. Vehicles in Maryland became stranded, with some residents abandoning their cars altogether.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency for northern counties on January 19, ensuring areas were better prepared than during a similar storm in 2014. Icy conditions prompted road closures in northern Georgia, including portions of Interstate 75; several crashes resulted from the dangerous conditions. Similar conditions affected Tennessee and Kentucky; schools closed on account of dangerous roads. One person died and another was injured in an accident in Knox County after speeding on slippery roads. Two deaths resulted from snow-related car accidents in North Carolina. Another person died, and two others were injured, when a car collided with a salt truck in Whitley County, Kentucky.

Meteorological history

The development of the winter storm was anticipated by forecasters for at least a week. It originated in a shortwave trough—a weather disturbance in the upper atmosphere—that came ashore at the Pacific Northwest on January 19. The trough strengthened as it moved southeastward through the Great Plains, and on January 21 it spawned a weak low-pressure area over central Texas. The incipient storm system began to intensify as it tracked eastward through the Gulf Coast states, triggering a line of strong to severe thunderstorms and multiple tornado warnings.

During the mid-afternoon hours of January 22, a new low-pressure area began to develop over the coast of the Carolinas, as the former storm tracked into central Georgia. Owing to uncertainty in short-range guidance but a high confidence of a sharp northern edge of precipitation, many forecasts were predicting 12" of snow or less until just hours before snowfall began, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, toward New York City and the southern coast of New England. As the storm moved further north and rapidly strengthened, it became apparent that snowfall would be much higher farther north, and forecasters quickly began upgrading their totals. Early on January 24, as the storm was leaving New England, the system began to become elongated, as a secondary low developed to the southwest of the storm's central low. On January 25, the blizzard left the East Coast of the United States; on the same day, the system was named ''Karin'' by the University of Berlin.

Accompanied by a strong jet stream in the Atlantic, the remnants of the storm crossed the British Isles on January 26. The wind and rain associated with the low was forecast to have the potential to cause disruption in the United Kingdom, and indeed there were areas that saw severe weather. During the next few days, the system accelerated towards the northeast. On January 29, the storm system was absorbed by Windstorm Leone, over Finland.

Preparations

Multiple offices of the National Weather Service issued various watches and warnings across the storm's projected path. Blizzard warnings covered coastal Connecticut; most of Delaware; most of Maryland; Massachusetts, particularly Martha's Vineyard; most of New Jersey; New York, including New York City; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island, especially Block Island; Virginia; and Washington, D.C. Winter storm warnings were issued from Arkansas to Massachusetts, including parts of Connecticut, northern Georgia, extreme southern Illinois, extreme southern Indiana, the entirety of Kentucky, extreme northeastern Louisiana, southeastern Massachusetts, northeastern Mississippi, extreme southeastern Missouri, extreme southern New York, most of North Carolina, southern Ohio, southern Rhode Island, northern South Carolina, most of Tennessee, most of Virginia, and all of West Virginia. Freezing rain advisories covered parts of North and South Carolina. Further winter weather advisories covered additional portions of the country, including eastern Kansas, southeastern Missouri, and northern Alabama. Offshore, storm warnings covered areas from Georgia to Maine.

On January 21–22, the governors of Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and the mayor of Washington, D.C. declared a state of emergency in anticipation of significant snowfall and blizzard conditions.

Airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights, with hundreds more preemptively grounded, by the afternoon of January 21 for January 22–24. Ripple effect cancellations spread across the entire East Coast. By the afternoon of January 23, more than 10,100 flights were cancelled across the country, affecting well over 100,000 travelers. Nearly 2,000 more flights were delayed. Most airports in the Mid-Atlantic region suspended service altogether, with Baltimore–Washington International, Philadelphia International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National, and Washington Dulles International closed through the evening of January 24. Flights to and from LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International, and Newark Liberty International were largely cancelled as well. American Airlines suspended all flights departing from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, causing a ripple of flights being cancelled throughout the country. Effects rippled internationally, with more than 100 flights in Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom cancelled. Altogether, 13,046 flights were cancelled between January 22 and 26. Amtrak suspended service for many lines, including the service from New York City to New Orleans