A Halloween snowstorm to remember as 'Snowtober' buried the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic 15 years ago
Slippery roads contributed to several fatal traffic accidents across the region, while a falling tree also killed a person after crashing onto a home in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Rain and storms to haunt Halloween trick-or-treaters across more than 20 states
Trick-or-treaters in more than 20 states across the U.S. are expected to have rain showers haunt their Halloween festivities this weekend, including a rare soaker for All Hallows Eve in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California and the storm-weary Southwest. Multiple regions are expecting to see rain as multiple storm systems push into the West, Midwest and Southeast, leaving only the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and parts of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest with a clear and dry trick-or-treating forecast.
THE TAKEAWAY
- A rare October nor’easter dumped feet of snow across parts of the Mid-Atlantic 15 years ago.
- Heavy, wet snow and strong winds downed trees and power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
- The deadly storm disrupted roads, schools and Halloween plans.
Fifteen years ago, a rare and historic October nor’easter unleashed heavy snow, soaking rain and strong winds across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, burying streets under snow just in time for Halloween and ushering in an early winter look in an event famously dubbed "Snowtober."
RAIN AND STORMS TO HAUNT HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-TREATERS ACROSS MORE THAN 20 STATES
The deadly "Snowtober" nor’easter buried a massive swath of the East in heavy snow, paralyzing roads, knocking out power and disrupting Halloween celebrations across the region.
A snow-covered Halloween decoration is seen in the town of Westminster, MD, October 29, 2011.
( MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the NOAA, an area of low pressure strengthened off the Carolina coast and tracked northeastward along the East Coast on Oct. 29, 2011, covering much of the region under a layer of snow days before Halloween.
The storm's precipitation began as rain before daybreak across New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
AN OVERNIGHT STORM BEFORE HALLOWEEN MAY HAVE CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
By the early afternoon, temperatures fell into the middle and lower 30s, allowing much of eastern Pennsylvania and northern and central New Jersey to change over to snow or a rain-snow mix.
2011 Snowtober Map.(FOX Weather)
The October snowstorm delivered a major early-season jolt across eastern Pennsylvania and northern and central New Jersey, snarling transportation and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
At its peak, NOAA had winter weather alerts in effect for 24 counties and areas across four states, including Winter Storm Warnings for 13 counties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
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Image 1 of 11A fallen branch sits on the snow covered front yard in front of Madeleine Hall of Rivier College on October 30, in Nashua, New Hampshire. (Photo by Kayana Szymczak/Getty Images)
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Image 2 of 11Damaged trees stand on the edge of Central Park in front of the Plaza Hotel in New York on October 31 2011. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 3 of 11Seven-year-old Alex Ordentlich shovels the walk in front of his family's Lexington home in hopes that trick-or-treaters will come despite the city-wide "postponement" of Halloween. (Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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Image 4 of 11Jack Colpitts snow blows his Woodcock Ave. driveway in Saco, Maine, as his wife Anita shovels a path in front of their garage Sunday, Oct. 29, 2011. ( Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
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Image 5 of 11Two men push a car on a slick road as snow falls October 29, 2011 in Putney, Vermont. ( DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 6 of 11Two men walk down a road as snow falls October 29, 2011 in Putney, Vermont. (DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 7 of 11A tree rests upon power lines after a winter storm October 30, 2011 in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
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Image 8 of 11A street stands nearly deserted as snow falls in New York on October 29, 2011. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP)
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Image 9 of 11Scott McClure becomes the Pied Pumpkin Piper, followed by his daughters Rachel, 12, Sarah, 9 and Lauren, 7. They were determined to get some last-minute pumpkins and gourds for Halloween decorations and carving at Butler's Orchard in Germantown, despite the snow. ( )
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Image 10 of 11Customers clean the snow in order to choose Halloween pumpkins at a farmers market in the town of Westminster, MD, October 29, 2011. An unusually cold weather hit the North East part of the United States a few days before Halloween. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 11 of 11Robert Davy cleared fallen branches in front of his Lexington home while his two young sons were at a movie ("Puss in Boots," with their mother) because they were getting "cabin fever" after three days in the house with no power." Halloween was postponed due to hazardous conditions created by the weekend Nor'easter, which toppled trees and power lines around town. (Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Heavy, wet snow clung to trees and power lines as gusty winds battered the region, causing branches and utility lines to bend and snap under the weight.
The damage forced numerous local and secondary road closures across the Poconos, Lehigh Valley and northern New Jersey.
HALLOWEEN HAZARD: WILDLIFE OFFICIALS WARN SPOOKY SEASON DECORATIONS POSE A HIDDEN DANGER
Snowtober buried a huge swath of the Northeast with more than 2 feet reported in select areas in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including a storm-topping 31.4 inches in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, while 21.6 inches fell in New York and 18.6 inches blanketed Connecticut.
2011 Snowtober Top Snow Totals.(FOX Weather)
Slippery roads contributed to several fatal traffic accidents across the region, while a falling tree also killed a person after crashing onto a home in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
The October snowstorm brought an unprecedented jolt of winter to schools, roads and Halloween celebrations across impacted areas, but its legacy would soon be overshadowed.
The field crew clears snow off of the field at Beaver Stadium 3 hours before kick off on Saturday, October 29, 2011 in State College, Pennsylvania. The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini, 10-7.
(Abby Drey/Centre Daily Times/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Just one year later, Superstorm Sandy delivered an even more devastating blow to the region during the spooky season.