Winter Storm — Montgomery, Maryland

2010-02-05 to 2010-02-06 · Montgomery, Maryland

Event narrative

Snowfall amounts between 22 and 25 inches were received across the county. Eight people in Montgomery County were taken to the hospital for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. This was due to the use of a charcoal stove and gas generator inside their homes.

Power outages were reported throughout the county due to the weight of the snow on trees and power lines.

Wider weather episode

A potent area of low pressure strengthened over the central portion of the nation on the fifth of February. The storm system slowly moved through the Mid-Atlantic during the night of the 5th before redeveloping off the Mid-Atlantic coast on 6th. The storm system finally moved away from the area on the night of the 6th.

Strong high pressure continued to pump in plenty of cold air across the region for the entire event. Due to the slow movement of the storm, there was a prolonged period of precipitation. The storm system ushered in copious amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The deep moisture combined with the forcing from the storm system to bring a period of heavy precipitation to the area on the night of the 5th through the daytime hours on the 6th. Precipitation finally ended during the evening hours of the 6th as the storm system moved away. Most of the precipitation fell in the form of snow due to the cold air that was already in place.

Major snow accumulations were reported throughout the state of Maryland.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 215269. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.