NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

MARCH 2004

1st-6th...Heavy snow blown by wind up to 45 mph closed hundreds of miles of
highways Monday in South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska, shutting down
schools and at least one city government. More than a foot of snow had fallen
in parts of Wyoming, with 30 inches in the Colorado mountains, and snow drifted
onto roads in South Dakota on Monday as fast as plows could clear them. The
storm was headed toward the northeast, and the National Weather Service issued
a winter storm warning for northeastern North Dakota and northwestern
Minnesota. The South Dakota Highway Patrol closed 110 miles of Interstate 90
from Wall to the Wyoming state line because of snow, drifting and visibility
that was down to zero in places. Western Nebraska had 8 to 10 inches of snow,
and a 100-mile stretch of I-80 was closed from Big Springs to the Wyoming line,
along with other highways in the Panhandle and southwestern Nebraska. Mail
service was suspended at Chadron, Neb., which got about 11 inches of snow, and
the Dawes County Courthouse was closed. Rapid City, SD, Mayor Jim Shaw closed
most city offices and police said cars were stuck in the middle of streets.
Stretches of I-80 and I-25 also were closed overnight in eastern Wyoming, but
they were reopened by noon Monday. About 15 inches of snow fell in central
Wyoming, while nearly 30 inches fell at Coal Bank Pass in the San Juan
Mountains of southern Colorado. Major roads also were closed in northeastern
Colorado, stranding hundreds of motorists at motels and truck stops. Two
churches, in Limon and Hugo, and a school in Agate opened to shelter travelers.
Colorado and Kansas police closed about 200 miles of I-70 from the Denver
metropolitan area to Colby, KS, as motels along the route filled up with
snowbound travelers. Westbound I-70 was reopened by midday Monday from the
Kansas line to Denver.
A line of thunderstorms moved through the central United States by midday
Thursday, bringing rain, hail and high winds, while the rest of the nation saw
mainly light rains or dry conditions. A system extending from Missouri
southwest to Oklahoma and Texas packed wind gusts of up to 60 mph. Tornado
warnings were issued for several North Texas counties, where store awnings were
ripped off, power lines knocked down and trees uprooted. Tornado watches and
flood watches were issued for dozens of counties from west Texas to Dallas
through the day, according to the National Weather Service.
Rain, snow and gusty winds were reported Friday throughout much of the central
portion of the nation, while rain showers were scattered throughout the
Northeast. Storms plagued many of the central states Friday morning, producing
widespread rain, snow and wind. Most of the snow fell across the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan, and portions of Wisconsin and Minnesota. A 62 mph wind
gust was recorded at Fairmont, MN; a 69 mph gust was reported at Gary, IN.

Thousands of homes and businesses had no electricity Monday in the Carolinas
following a storm with wind gusts up to 70 mph that was blamed for three
deaths.
The storm that struck on Sunday followed a rainstorm earlier in the weekend in
Kentucky that caused flooding in which three people died. The wind blew down
trees and power lines and damaged transformers Sunday. Fallen power lines were
blamed for dozens of home and brush fires. Up to 3 inches of rain fell across
Kentucky from Friday into Saturday, the National Weather Service reported. In
central Kentucky, the body of a woman missing since a flash flood swept her car
into a creek was found Monday, seven miles from the spot where her car was
caught by the rushing water, authorities said. The body of a 4-year-old girl
was found Sunday in eastern Kentucky, and the body of a man was found Saturday.

14th-20th...A winter storm dumped over a foot of snow over some sections of the
Plains on Monday, while a mix of rain, sleet and snow hit areas to the south
and east. Cool and dry conditions prevailed over most of the West. Moderate to
heavy snow was reported over parts of Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska and
Wisconsin. Snowfall amounts ranged from four to eight inches, with some areas
in South Dakota getting hit with over 12 inches. A mix of rain, sleet and snow
was reported over parts of Missouri and Illinois; scattered rain and
thunderstorms prevailed in southern portions of Missouri, eastern Kansas and
northeastern Oklahoma. Moderate to heavy rain was reported in southern Texas.
A potent low pressure system pushed snow across much of the East on Tuesday,
while much of the Plains and the West stayed dry. Snow blanketed a significant
swath from the Ohio Valley to New England, with accumulations of up to 5 inches
in Indiana and southern Michigan, and up to 7 inches in Ohio. The storm system
spread rain from West Virginia and Virginia south to Florida. Parts of Florida
recorded more than an inch of rain.
Residents of the Northeast shoveled, scraped and swept up after a snowstorm
that swept out of the Midwest and dumped more than a foot of snow in some spots
three days before the start of spring. At least 14 traffic deaths were blamed
on slippery roads. Snow accumulations of up to 15 inches were reported in parts
of southern and western New York, including a record 14.3 at Buffalo, and 10
inches piled up in northeastern Ohio. Boston had 7 inches by early Wednesday
and parts of Connecticut measured more than 9. Flights at New Jersey's Newark
Liberty International Airport were delayed by up to 90 minutes Tuesday, and
more than 100 flights were canceled. Travelers were urged to call their
carriers as a precaution Wednesday. Wet roads were blamed for numerous highway
crashes Tuesday, including accidents that killed at least 10 people in
Pennsylvania, three in New York and one in Ohio. Police in Ohio also were
investigating whether snow contributed to a crash that killed two other people
near Akron.

21st-27th...Fronts moved into the eastern and central United States on
Saturday, bringing heavy rain and at least one tornado, and a low pressure
system generated light rain as it moved out of the West. A trough continued to
push across a region extending from the Great Plains southward to Texas as
parts of Kansas and Oklahoma experienced heavy downpours, lightning, gusty
winds and large hail. At least one tornado was reported near Rozel, KS.

28th-31st...A broad line of showers and thunderstorms stretched from Michigan
to the Gulf on Monday, while rain or snow was reported over the Plains. Most of
the rain activity was located over Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky,
Tennessee, and Mississippi. A few isolated showers and thunderstorms were found
across the very tip of Florida, as well as in southern Texas. In the Plains
states of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, there were reports of scattered showers
and thunderstorms. In the northern Plains, a few light snow showers peppered
North Dakota and northern Minnesota, accompanied by wind gusts of up to 25 mph.