Tracking The Four Nor'easters Of March From The Very Beginning
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Talk about coming in like a lion, March of 2018 has been relentless.
Four nor'easters swept through our region, but each storm had a different personality and it's own unique fingerprint.
It all started on March 2 with another "bomb cyclone." March's first nor'easter and a hurricane force system where the central pressure decreased more than 24 milibars--a unit of pressure-- in 24 hours causing whipping winds region-wide. Wind gusts over
Winds at 70 mph were reported in some areas. This nor'easter brought extensive damage, beach erosion and coastal flooding.
Downed trees and wires left tens of thousands without power for days -- many in Havertown, Delaware County. Even our own Katie Fehlinger dealt with the aftermath of the damage from this system.
The Four Nor'easters of March. pic.twitter.com/r73MvpWvyK
— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) March 22, 2018
Nor'easter #2 came in with a punch as well on March 7. Storm total snowfall of 6.1" was reported in Philadelphia and rapid strengthening along the Atlantic Coast resulted in impressive convective snowfall rates anywhere from 1-3" per hour along with several reports of thundersnow.
Nor'easter #3 wasn't as memorable because it wasn't as strong and moved further off-shore.
It was breezy and gusty at times with a trace of snowfall at Philadelphia International but brushed by with minor impacts.
The worst of the storm was saved for New England.
And then there was the "four'easter" of March 20-21, coming in two parts.
It's a #snowday in the nation's capital captured here by #GOESEast. @NWS_BaltWash reporting conditions will rapidly deteriorate this morning, with snowfall rates up to 2" per hour over the next few hours in some areas, for our first full day of #Spring! pic.twitter.com/geBgnyulnV
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) March 21, 2018
This system brought portions of the Delaware Valley a mixed bag of precipitation to start. The initial weaker area of low pressure along with marginal temperatures and a nose of warm air above of the surface brought accumulating ice and sleet to areas.
As the second and stronger coastal low formed, the Delaware Valley was then blanketed with snow on Wednesday.
Lansdale, Pennsylvania was the big winner with snowfall with 16.5" of snow.
And Philadelphia International Airport recorded 7.6" of snow, making the "four'easter" the heaviest spring snowstorm in 60 years.