A large and robust storm system, unofficially named ''Winter Storm Finn'' by

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel ...

, brought widespread impacts to much of the contiguous United States early in January 2024. In the northern United States, heavy snow, hail, and gusty winds affected areas from the Great Plains to New England. In the southern United States, a widespread

tornado outbreak A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same Synoptic scale meteorology, synoptic scale weather system. The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten, with at least ...

along the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

caused two fatalities and numerous injuries.

Meteorological synopsis

On January 2, 2024,

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

s from the

Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency that is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceani ...

began tracking a large upper-level trough forecast to move across the United States, with multiple embedded shortwave perturbations. By January 4, evidence of strong surface

cyclogenesis Cyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of Cyclonic rotation, cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere (a low-pressure area). Cyclogenesis is an umbrella term for at least three different processes, all of which result in the development of ...

pointed towards an intensifying and negatively tilted trough in the south, with a strong surface-low response to the north. These elements were conducive to strong thunderstorms across the country, with intensifying winter storm potential across the north and discrete

supercell A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone, a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (su ...

formation in the southeast. By January 5 as forecast, a powerful winter storm formed in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

from the trough, which dove southwards through

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and the Western United States. The now

mid-latitude cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

then moved eastwards, bringing blizzard conditions to the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

and

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

on January 7. Six states recorded whiteout conditions during this time. The storm continued to intensify and further severe weather in the east was forecast—more specifically, strong shortwaves from the initial trough were predicted to become robust and affect the south-southeast portions of the United States, as well as create wind-threats for the east coast. During the early morning hours of January 8, a powerful mid-level shortwave trough was observed moving east across the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...

. This feature initiated blizzard conditions and heavy snow across Southeast Colorado, the Raton Mesa of northeast New Mexico and far western Kansas. As the storm moved east on January 8 and 9th, the cyclone remained negatively tilted, and formed a

in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...

, whilst portions of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

recorded record low pressure. Strong mid-level to low-level flow contributed to extreme weather, allowing storms to mature at the mesoscale, with strong moisture return near the coast, and

CAPE A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

values in excess of 500-1000 j/kg. The strongest tornado from the outbreak formed near the coast of

Panama City, FL Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Route 98 in Florida, U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pe ...

, moving on shore and producing

EF3 The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated EF-Scale) is a scale that rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage a tornado causes. It is used in the United States and France, among other countries. The EF scale is also unofficially ...

damage. As the storm moved 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, ...

on January 9, heavy rain and flooding occurred, with snow falling in Northern New England. Freezing conditions were reported, as well as extreme wind and snow. The system moved northward into Canada on January 10.Winter Storm Finn Spread Snow, Strong Winds Through The Plains, Midwest (RECAP)

Weather Underground The Weather Underground was a far-left Marxist militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, or simply Weatherman, the group was organized as a f ...

, January 10, 2024

Impact

Across the United States, over 600,000 customers lost power and 7,000 flights were cancelled.

Western United States

Due to the winter storm in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, chains were required for driving on

I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

and

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

. I-80 was also briefly closed. In

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, around 27,000 customers briefly lost power. Heavy snow also fell in

Coconino County, Arizona Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...

, with Forest Lakes receiving of snow. Portions of I-40 and SR 89A shut down due to the snow. On January 7, in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 appr ...

was closed from

Watkins, Colorado Watkins (also called Box Elder) is an unincorporated town and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Arapahoe and Adams counties, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan ...

to the

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

state line due to the storm. High winds were also reported in the region, with winds in Colorado gusted up to , while winds in the state of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

reached . Snowfall totals in the state of Colorado reached up to in

Wolf Creek Pass Wolf Creek Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. It is the route through which U.S. Highway 160 passes from the San Luis Valley into southwest Colorado on its way to New Mexico and Ariz ...

Midwest

As the storm continued on January 8, many highways were closed in

, including significant portions of

, K-4, K-149, K-15 and US 56. Visibility in Kansas due to the blizzard dropped as low as . Portions of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

also closed due to the snowfall. Blizzard conditions also occurred in the Texas Panhandle, where of snow fell in Dalhart and winds gusted up to . Further south, the storm resulted in a leak at

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium (previously known as Reliant Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to h ...

before the

2024 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship (officially known as the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game that was played on January 8, 2024, ...

. Record snowfall fell in

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

on January 9, with of snow, with the event total being . Portions of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

recorded of snow. Snow was lighter in the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

, with a peak of around ; the snowfall resulted in a ground stop at

Chicago O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business district. The airport is operated by the ...

. Slushy roads led to two fatalities in the Midwest – one in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and one in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

.East Coast residents struggle with flooding, power outages after storms ripped across U.S.
NY1, January 10, 2024

Northeast

The storm resulted in flooding across the Northeastern US. The

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

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 ...

exceeded its all time crest record. The severe storms also produced over of rain in spots. The storm resulted in 110,000 customers losing power in New York, 70,000 customers losing power in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, 56,000 customers losing power in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and 28,000 customers losing power in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. Dozens of

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

trains were cancelled due to the storm. An evacuation order was briefly issued along the Yantic River in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

due to a partial dam failure from the heavy rain. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

shut down parts of

Fire Island National Seashore Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a section of Fire Island, New York, Fire Island, an approximately long and wide barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay. The isla ...

due to flooding. Flooding also resulted in Lodi Public Schools canceling school on January 10. At the Blue Hill Observatory, of rain fell, of which occurred in a single hour. High winds also affected the Northeast, with a peak gust of at Isle au Haut, Maine. Parts of

Acadia National Park Acadia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor, Maine, Bar Harbor. The park includes about half of Mount Desert ...

closed due to the storm, and the park suffered heavy damage. Reid State Park in Maine was also shut down due to the storm.

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

was hit hard by high winds, with winds gusting to in

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

and in Watertown; the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

's Buffalo office warned in an Area Forecast Discussion that gusts from the southeast descending from

Tug Hill 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 ...

could reach "potentially generational" levels.

Tornado outbreak

Severe weather tore through the southeastern United States on January 8 into January 9th, resulting in 4 fatalities, with 2 of them being tornadic: one each in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Additional non-tornadic fatalities occurred in the states of Alabama and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The first January EF3 or stronger tornado in Florida history occurred. The tornado outbreak led to a ground stops at

Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is the primary international airport located southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2024, it had 57,211,628 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and ninth busiest airport in the United St ...

Confirmed tornadoes

January 8 event

January 9 event

January 10 event

Graceville, Florida/Cottonwood–Gordon, Alabama

This large, long-tracked tornado developed over remote swampland north of

Chipley, Florida Chipley is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Florida, United States, located between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola. Its population was 3,660 in the 2020 census, up from 3,605 at the 2010 ce ...

in Jackson County and moved north-northeastward along Hickshill Road at EF1 intensity, snapping or uprooting trees and damaging an outbuilding. The tornado then turned northeastward, continuing to damage trees along with the roof of a

double-wide A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or on a trailer). ...

mobile home along Piano Road. Continuing northeastward, the tornado continued to snap and uprooted trees and damaged another outbuilding. South of Graceville along SR 77, the tornado damaged homes, blew out the windows of a mobile home, heavily damaged or destroyed outbuildings, and snapped or uprooted countless trees. It also destroyed a pair of concrete

silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

s along Cliff Road. Southeast of town, more trees were snapped or uprooted and a home along CR 169 suffered considerable roof damage in this area. Another home along Shiloh Church Loop also suffered significant roof damage to the east of Graceville. The tornado then crossed SR 2, snapping or uprooting more trees and causing minor roof damage to another home before moving over open terrain, where little if any damage occurred. Right before crossing the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

–

state line, the tornado inflicted minor roof damage to a small business along with minor damage to an outbuilding as it crossed

US 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north–south U.S highway that is a parallel route of US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, at US 41 to south of US 98 in downtown Panama City, Florida. One of its most notable landmark ...

. Continuing northeastward, the tornado then crossed the state line into

Houston County, Alabama Houston County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 107,202. Its county seat is Dothan, which is located on the border and partially in adjacent Henry County. ...

while still at EF1 intensity. South of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, the tornado struck a large

McLane Company McLane Company, Inc. is an American wholesaling, wholesale supply chain services company that distributes products to Convenience store, convenience stores, discount retailers, Warehouse club, wholesale clubs, drug stores, Military base, military ...

warehouse, which had multiple exterior walls blown out. Many trees were snapped or uprooted, and a power pole was damaged. Beyond this point, several houses, mobile homes, and outbuildings had roofing material torn off, a few power poles were snapped, and countless trees were snapped or uprooted along this segment of the path as well. The tornado briefly reached EF2 intensity as it approached Cottonwood, completely destroying a well-anchored mobile home. The tornado then moved directly through Cottonwood, where several homes and businesses had major roof damage, and one business in the downtown area sustained a total collapse of its front masonry wall. A couple of churches also had roof and window damage and a metal building was left with a large dent in it and had wall panels removed. Much of the peak damage in Cottonwood was rated EF1, but a small area of EF2 damage occurred along SR 53, where a two-story house had its roof torn off. Another area of EF2 damage occurred as the tornado left the town when it leveled a cinderblock Moose Lodge building and a third area of EF2 damage occurred from large trees being snapped. The tornado continued northeastward, continuing to snap trees with a mobile home suffering minor damage. The tornado then briefly reached its peak intensity of high-end EF2 along September Road where a double-wide mobile home was leveled, resulting in a fatality. After moving over another area of open terrain, the tornado caused EF1 tree damage along Creek Church Road. A small outbuilding was also knocked over and at least one power pole was snapped. After crossing

US 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–westUS 84 was signed north-south in parts of Colorado and New Mexico. United States Numbered Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it ha ...

at EF0 strength, the tornado caused some additional tree damage. One final area of EF1 damage occurred along Ed Tolar Road, where a home suffered minor roof damage before the tornado dissipated as it reached CR 95 northwest of

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

. The tornado traveled and reached a width of . One person was killed, and five others were injured.

Notes

References

External links

New video shows deadly tornado ripping through CottonwoodCaught On Camera: EF2 Tornado Touches Down In South CarolinaVideo of an EF-2 Tornado moving through Bamberg, SC on 1/9/2024
{{Alabama tornado events 2024 natural disasters in the United States 2024 in Alabama 2024 in Florida 2024 in Georgia (U.S. state) 2024 in North Carolina 2024 in South Carolina North American storm complex Tornadoes of 2024 Tornadoes in Alabama Tornadoes in Florida Tornadoes in Georgia (U.S. state) Tornadoes in North Carolina Tornadoes in South Carolina