From December 21 to 26, 2022, an extratropical cyclone, referred to unofficially as Winter Storm Elliott by the Weather Channel and numerous media outlets, and sometimes dubbed The Blizzard of the Century and the 2022 Buffalo blizzard in New York State, created crippling winter storm conditions, including blizzards, high winds, snowfall, and record cold temperatures across the majority of the United States and parts of Canada. Impacted areas included parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, with Buffalo, New York and the Fort Erie and the Kingston area of Ontario experiencing two full days of hazardous conditions and zero visibility. The cold wave affected all U.S. states from Colorado to the Eastern Seaboard, with effects felt as far south as Miami, Florida. On December 24, 110 million people across 36 states were subject to wind chill alerts.
The storm, and its related cold wave, killed at least 100 people, with six additional deaths occurring due to a simultaneous, smaller storm in the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Oregon, Washington). Forty-one of the deaths from the main storm occurred in the Buffalo area where lake-effect snowfall exceeded 56 in (140 cm) over a five-day period, while other deaths from that storm and the cold wave occurred across 17 states and the province of Ontario. The storm caused extensive vehicle pileups and road closures, particularly in the areas affected by blizzards or adjacent to those areas, with a complete driving ban imposed in Buffalo for five-and-a-half days. Due to the storm, more than 18,200 flights were canceled in the U.S. between December 22 and 28, while hundreds more were canceled in Canada. Buffalo Niagara International Airport was the most severely affected, as it was completely shut down for five days. Numerous inter-city passenger rail trips were delayed or canceled in the U.S., while in Ontario, Via Rail service between Toronto and Montreal or Ottawa was completely suspended for over 2 days due to a derailment. About 6.3 million households in the U.S. and 1.1 million in Canada were without power for some part of the storm.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo, New York, described it as a "once-in-a-generation storm" for Buffalo, and NOAA's Weather Prediction Center stated it was a "historic arctic outbreak".
Meteorological history
The storm began to form on December 21, 2022, strengthening over the Northern Plains. It intensified over the next day, with The Weather Channel predicting that it would turn into a bomb cyclone. Blizzard conditions (visibility less than 0.25 miles [400 m] due to snow and wind gusts greater than 40 miles per hour [64 km/h]) were met in the rural areas of southern Minnesota, northern Iowa and southwestern Wisconsin. Duluth and Grand Marais Harbor, Minnesota, experienced wind gusts of 74 mph (119 km/h) and 82 mph (132 km/h), respectively, on December 23, causing damage to some buildings. Snowfalls on the northern Plains included up to 12 in (30 cm) in Minnesota, up to 5.9 in (15 cm) in Iowa, up to 4.0 in (10 cm) in Missouri and up to 15.6 in (40 cm) in Wisconsin. This blizzard, combined with the blizzard from the previous week, contributed to the wettest December on record in North Dakota. As the storm swept from Indiana into Ontario between the afternoons of December 23 and 24, the storm's pressure plummeted 35 millibars (35 hPa)—well over the threshold of 25 millibars (25 hPa) for a bomb cyclone—creating a massive wind field with bitterly frigid air.
Detroit experienced three brief periods of whiteout on December 23, with visibility reduced to 1.5 miles (2.4 km) or less from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Grand Rapids, Michigan, had blizzard conditions/zero visibility from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on December 23, reduced visibility of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) or less until 5 p.m. on December 24, and received 24.8 in (63 cm) of snow between December 22 and 26. Baraga, in northwestern Michigan, received the most snowfall from the blizzard in the state, with 42.8 in (109 cm) of lake-effect snow. Blizzard conditions occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 23, despite no blizzard warning being issued for that area. Cleveland received a total of 3.6 inches (9 cm) of snow that day, while other parts of Ohio received up to 6.7 in (17 cm) and Kentucky received up to 5.2 in (13 cm).
The blizzard's intense wind gusts blowing over the warm waters of Lake Erie triggered record lake-effect snow to Buffalo, New York, which at first fell as 1.98 mm (0.078 in) of rain but later converted to snow and accumulated to 56.5 in (144 cm) over five days in Snyder adjacent to Buffalo, ending on December 27. At Buffalo Niagara International Airport, snowfall reached a total of 51.9 in (132 cm). To the north, Niagara Falls received 18.9 inches (48 cm) of snowfall over the period. Buffalo experienced zero visibility/complete whiteout conditions from 9 a.m. on December 23 until 1 a.m. on December 25 and again from 5 a.m. until 7 a.m. on December 26. Buffalo's 37.5 consecutive hours of blizzard conditions was the longest blizzard in the city's history. Buffalo's first blizzard since January 6, 2014 (as defined by the National Weather Service) forced snow into massive drifts, shuttering the city and leaving hundreds stranded. Winds in Buffalo gusted over 45 mph (72 km/h) and at times exceeded 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). The highest reported winds in Buffalo were 79 mph (127 km/h). The blizzard also deposited high lake-effect snowfall amounts on northern New York; Henderson Harbor, near Watertown, recorded 40.8 in (104 cm) with the Watertown area experiencing blizzard conditions for parts of December 23, 24 and 25. Other parts of New York generally received between zero and 5 in (13 cm) of snowfall with New York City and other coastal areas of the northeast receiving only a dusting. The storm's winds created a seiche on Lake Erie, resulting in record-low water levels in the lake's western basin.
In the northeastern U.S., snowfall totals were as much as 8.1 in (21 cm) in Pennsylvania, 5.1 in (13 cm) in Maryland, 8.5 in (22 cm) in Massachusetts, 10.6 in (27 cm) in Vermont and 7.1 in (18 cm) in New Hampshire. As the storm began to exit the United States, it brought the fourth-highest high tide on record to Portland, Maine. Shortly after, a severe thunderstorm warning was put in place for New York City and for Long Island. The cold air left in the wake of the storm brought ocean-effect snow to Cape Cod.
In Ontario, among airport weather stations reporting wind speeds and visibility (Sarnia, London, Kitchener, Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Wiarton, Peterborough, Kingston, Ottawa), Kingston had blizzard conditions (visibility reduced to 400 meters [0.25 mi] or less due to blowing snow) from 2 p.m. on December 23 until 7 p.m. on December 24 along with a peak wind gust of 98 kilometers per hour (61 mph). Nearby Prince Edward County had some snow drifts as high as traffic signs and some even as high as telephone poles and also experienced blizzard and zero visibility conditions for much of December 23 and 24. Wiarton had blizzard conditions from noon until 9 p.m. on December 23, and Chatham had visibility of 200 meters (0.12 mi) from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. on December 23, with peak wind gusts of 89 kilometers per hour (55 mph). In addition, St. Catharines had seven hours of visibility of 400 meters (0.25 mi) or less on December 23, with peak wind gusts of 96 km/h on both that day and December 24, and Hamilton had six hours of 400 meters (0.25 mi) or less visibility, including one hour of zero-meter visibility, on December 23. The southern half of the Niagara Region, including Fort Erie, had blizzard conditions for most of December 23 and 24, leading the Niagara Region to declare a state of emergency. An average of 76 centimeters (30 in) of snow fell in Fort Erie with drifts as high as 3 meters (9.8 ft) while peak wind gusts of 125 km/h were recorded in nearby Port Colborne.
In Quebec, Montreal experienced four hours of 600 meters (0.37 mi) visibility and winds exceeding 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) overnight from December 23 to 24, while Quebec City experienced the same for four hours early the morning of December 24. A gust of 121 kilometers per hour (75 mph) was recorded in Quebec City, while Baie-Comeau experienced a gust measured at 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph); both are new all-time December records. Baie-Comeau experienced three hours of blizzard conditions on December 25.
Preparations
On December 21, Georgia governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency and warned the public.
On December 22, 2022, President Joe Biden asked Americans to "please take this storm extremely seriously". Additionally, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem declared a winter storm emergency for the state and activated the National Guard. States of emergency were also declared in Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Ahead of the winter storm, many people decided to cancel Christmas celebrations.
Environment Canada issued a blizzard warning for a large swath of southwestern and midwestern Ontario (notably not including the Greater Toronto Area), as well as southern Niagara Region, areas east of Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario, including Kingston and Prince Edward County, while winter storm warnings were issued for the remainder of Southern Ontario.
On December 24, the City of Buffalo issued a post on social media, which some viewed as "the scariest tweet I've ever seen" as they announced that the city currently had "no emergency services available" for Buffalo and a number of other towns.
Impact
Deaths
Storm-related deaths reached above 100 and occurred from diverse causes, including cold exposure outside or inside homes without heat or inside marooned cars, traffic accidents, falling trees or branches, electrocutions, carbon monoxide poisonings and a house fire caused by unsafe heating methods.
In Oklahoma, dangerous road conditions caused by the storm caused multiple accidents, killing three persons. In Kansas, three persons died due to car crashes in icy conditions. In Kentucky, three people died; two died as a result of car accidents, while the other person was homeless, which caused them to die to exposure. Missouri had three deaths from vehicular collisions while Nebraska had one. In Wisconsin, one person died from a traffic collision while another died from falling through ice on a river.
In northern Frederick County, Maryland, a man died after a tree fell on his car while he was driving west on MD 77. In Pennsylvania, a person died when trees and hydro poles fell onto their car. Vermont also had a person die when a tree fell on them.
In Ohio, an accident involving more than 50 vehicles on the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike in Sandusky County closed the highway for multiple hours and caused four fatalities. Four people died in other vehicular collisions, a utility worker was electrocuted while trying to restore power and a 72-year-old woman died from exposure. A family of six also died in a house fire where they were using unsafe heating methods.
In Colorado, six people, four in Colorado Springs, and two in Denver, reportedly died from exposure to the cold. Georgia had two deaths from exposure, while Tennessee, Mississippi, and South Dakota, each had one. In South Carolina, one person died when his oxygen machine would not function due to lost power, while another died from exposure while fixing a pipe to his house. In mid-Michigan, four people died from exposure, three from cardiac arrest while shoveling or blowing snow, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning while in their car.
The intense blizzard, winds and cold in the Buffalo, New York, region caused 41 deaths (34 in Buffalo and seven in Cheektowaga, both within Erie County), 17 of them pedestrians who had become disoriented and were found dead in snowbanks, as well as four drivers stranded in their cars for over two days, 11 residents who died in their homes without heat, four who died from cardiac arrest while shoveling snow, three residents who died when emergency crews could not respond in time of medical crisis and two who died from blizzard-related injuries. On December 28, the National Guard went door to door in parts of Buffalo to check on people who had been without electricity due to the blizzard. The 2022 storm was even deadlier than the Blizzard of 1977 for the region. Two other people died within New York, including one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Lockport in eastern Niagara County.
In southwestern Ontario, two people died from exposure. In Ontario's hard-hit Niagara Region, the Emergency Medical Services acting Chief stated December 27, "at this time EMS is not able to confirm any deaths or injuries directly or solely attributable to the storm" and "emergency medical responses are complex, with many factors often contributing to a medical event, and it would be impossible to accurately quantify the effect of the storm on patient outcomes." He added that his paramedics "focused our limited resources on the highest priority calls, ensuring those who were in the greatest need were attended to as quickly as possible" and acknowledged that paramedics responded to calls regarding chest pain and cardiac events brought on by snow removal, as well as incidents with people using gas-fueled devices indoors. The Port Colborne Fire and Emergency Services Chief said his team responded to multiple incidents regarding carbon monoxide, including one with "very serious" injuries but would not detail exact outcomes.
Infrastructure
Flight delays and cancellations
The storm forced the cancellation of at least 1,000 flights by December 21, according to flight tracking company FlightAware, with Denver International Airport canceling 500 flights. By December 22, Flight-aware reported that more than 10,000 flights had been delayed or canceled. By December 28, FlightAware.com reported that greater than 18,200 flights for between December 22 and 28 had to be canceled.