The April 2018 North American storm complex also known as Winter Storm Xanto brought a wide swath of severe and

winter weather A winter storm (also known as snow storm) is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental and subarct ...

that affected much of

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

across to the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

. This particular outbreak led to at least 73 confirmed tornadoes over a three-day period, most of which occurred across

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

during the evening hours of April 13. The most significant tornadoes were an EF1 tornado that caused a fatality in

Red Chute, Louisiana Red Chute is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,261 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

, early on April 14, a high-end EF2 tornado that impacted eastern sections of

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

on April 15, causing 17 injuries, and a significant EF3 tornado that impacted areas from Lynchburg to

Elon, Virginia Elon is an unincorporated community in Amherst County, Virginia, United States. The community is located along Virginia State Route 130 (Elon Road) northwest of Lynchburg. It is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

, causing severe damage and at least 10 injuries. The system also resulted in a record-breaking and severe

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

across the Midwest into the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

; killing three additional people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Snowfall amounts of up to , which are rarely seen in the month of April in the region were observed, shattering numerous records.

Meteorological synopsis

April 13–14

On April 8, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) first introduced a risk of severe weather in their day 6 outlook, valid on April 13. The threat area included the South Plains and the Mid-South from northeastern Texas into southern Missouri, where maturing convection was expected to lead to all modes of severe weather. Subsequent day 5 and day 4 forecasts maintained this area with little deviation. In its day 3 outlook on April 11, the SPC issued an Enhanced risk of severe weather for areas between northeastern Texas into southwestern Missouri, noting that a supercellular storm mode was likely to produce large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes. The Enhanced risk was later extended northward into southern Iowa on April 12, and by the following morning, a Moderate risk was issued across far northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana onward into central Arkansas. Several tornadoes, including some strong (EF2+) ones, were expected in the highest risk area. As a result, the outlook included a 15% hatched risk area for tornadoes. An outbreak of tornadoes unfolded across the region as an expansive upper-level trough pushed into the Central United States, along with a 100kt jet streak pushing into Oklahoma and Missouri. A surface area of low pressure tracked from North-Central Kansas toward the Missouri-Iowa state border, supporting a warm front arced across southern Iowa, and a dryline extending from Kansas into Texas. Within the warm sector of the low, surface dewpoints rose to the mid 60s. A swath of 850mb winds at or above 50kt persisted underneath an elevated mixed layer, yielding an unstable environment characterized by mean-layer Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) of 1500–2500 J/kg. Throughout the afternoon, confluent low-level flow caused several discrete thunderstorms to form across Arkansas, where the SPC had issued a

Particularly Dangerous Situation A PDS tornado watch issued on December 14, 2022. In weather forecasting in the United States, "particularly dangerous situation" (PDS) is the wording used by the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center to convey special urgency in ...

(PDS) tornado watch. The most significant supercell of the day developed over

LeFlore County, Oklahoma LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 48,129. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choc ...

and eventually progressed into

Crawford County, Arkansas Crawford County is a county located in the Ozarks region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,133. The county seat and largest city is Van Buren. Crawford County was formed on October 18, 1820, from the ...

, where it produced a half-mile-wide EF2 tornado that caused substantial damage in and near Mountainburg. Into the evening hours of April 13, the low-level jet kept intensified across Arkansas and Louisiana, with 850mb winds topping 60kt. Meanwhile, a cold front pushed eastward and soon overtook the dryline, forcing discrete thunderstorm activity into a quasi-linear convective system. With abundant moisture and mean-layer CAPE still on the order of 1,500–2,000 J/kg, the SPC mentioned potential for swaths of damaging winds with isolated embedded tornadoes. Around 05:10 UTC, an EF1 tornado was developed southwest of

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

and progressed directly into the city. It damaged billboards, trees, and hotels before entering

Bossier City Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a total ...

; there, several mobile homes were damaged and a shopping center was severely devastated. After entering Red Chute, the tornado downed a tree onto a travel trailer, causing one fatality inside. The fatality marked the only tornado-related fatality of the multi-day outbreak. Into the morning hours of April 14, EF2 tornadoes impacted areas near

Portland, Arkansas Portland is a city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 430 at the 2010 census. Portland was first settled in the 1830s, and named for its early status as a steamboat port. It was incorporated in 1893. History Geogra ...

Carencro, Louisiana Carencro (; historically ) is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 7,526 at the 2010 census, up from 6,120 in 2000; at the 2020 census, its population was 9, ...

, and in

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...

April 15

The SPC first mentioned the threat for organized severe weather across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions on April 12, noting that the main threat was expected to be damaging winds. A day 3 Slight risk was outlined for central Florida northward into extreme southern Virginia the next day, with an Enhanced risk of severe weather introduced across much of South Carolina and central North Carolina during the morning hours of April 15. This outlook included a 10% risk area for tornadoes. The potent upper-level trough that sparked severe weather farther west over subsequent days began to tilt in a northwest-to-southeast fashion, forcing rapid cooling aloft and

geopotential height Geopotential height, also known as geopotential altitude or geopotential elevation, is a vertical coordinate (with dimension of length) representing the work involved in lifting one unit of mass over one unit of length through a hypothetical spac ...

falls over a large region. The surface low progressed from Iowa into Ohio and across the Appalachian Mountains, resulting in strong low-level flow and substantial moisture return across the severe weather risk area; dewpoints in the low to mid-60s caused an unstable atmosphere that ultimately led to a quasi-linear convective system and hundreds of damaging wind reports. Embedded semi-discrete supercell structures within this line produced several tornadoes, including EF2 ones that affected areas east of

Gilbert, South Carolina Gilbert is a town in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 569 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The David Jefferson Griffith House and Music Ha ...

and the eastern sections of

. Another strong tornado moved through the Virginia towns of Timberlake and Lynchburg before reaching EF3 strength as it destroyed several homes in Elon.

Confirmed tornadoes

April 13 event

April 14 event

April 15 event

Winter storm and blizzard

The larger extratropical cyclone, named ''Xanto'' by The Weather Channel, responsible for the outbreak also resulted in a record-breaking and severe winter storm and

across the

into the

, as well as neighboring

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

United States

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

, reported , its second-heaviest snowstorm of all time and largest ever for the month of April. In

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, of snow fell, which was the largest April snowstorm on record. The storm was officially classified as a blizzard, the first to affect the Minneapolis - St. Paul metropolitan area since 2005. A baseball game where the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

hosted the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

was postponed. The storm contributed to a record-high of snow for the month of April.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, received of snow on April 14, making it the heaviest one-day April snow total on record in the city. Further east, a severe ice storm took place. of freezing rain accumulated near

Midland, Michigan Midland is a city in Midland County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 42,547 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland metropolitan statistical area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City ...

, and up to an inch of ice was reported in

Lowville, New York Lowville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 4,888 at the 2020 census,

, in the foothills of the

Tug Hill Plateau Tug Hill, sometimes referred to as the Tug Hill Plateau, is an upland region in northern New York state, notable for heavy winter snows. The Tug Hill region is east of Lake Ontario, north of Oneida Lake, and west of the Adirondack Mountains. The ...

. Further east, 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station and 145th Street Station flooded, and the flash flooding in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

also resulted in the

Henry Hudson Parkway The Henry Hudson Parkway is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkway in New York City. The southern terminus is in Manhattan at 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street, where the parkway continues south as the We ...

being closed down. In

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a Township (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

, flooding forced both sides of

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving northern New Jersey and the counties of Rockland County, New York ...

to close.

Interstate 76 Interstate 76 or I-76 may refer to: Transportation * Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska) (I-76), US * Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey) (I-76), running through Pennsylvania, US Other uses * ''Interstate '76'', a vehicular combat video game for W ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

also flooded. The

2018 Boston Marathon The 2018 Boston Marathon was the 122nd running of the Boston Athletic Association's Boston Marathon. It took place on Monday, April 16, 2018 (Patriots' Day in Massachusetts). The race was held in unusually cold weather at with rain. Yuki Kawauc ...

was held in poor conditions due to the storm.

Canada

, a mix of snow, freezing rain, ice pellets and rain battered

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and the surrounding area, causing hundreds of vehicle collisions, flight cancellations, power outages and transportation delays. The

CN Tower The CN Tower () is a communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto, built on the former Railway Lands. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway co ...

and surrounding areas in downtown Toronto were closed for several days due to falling chunks of ice after the storm. Falling ice also damaged the roof at

Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to t ...

, forcing a

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

game to be postponed. Watch parties for both the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

and

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

were cancelled. Freezing rain also caused problems in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and parts of

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Notes

References

External links