April snowstorms are common in the northern U.S. while other areas face severe thunderstorms and flooding in early spring. A year ago this week, a winter storm blanketed parts of upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Upper Michigan with over 20 inches of snow. The heavy, wet snow and strong winds caused trees to fall, blocking roads and leaving nearly 700,000 customers without power in New England. Two years ago this week, a major blizzard hit the northern Rockies and Northern Plains, resulting in Utah’s highest snowpack in 71 years and Casper, Wyoming’s record snowfall of 37.4 inches from April 3-5. Interstate 94 in eastern North Dakota was buried under snow for almost 48 hours, with record snowpack in Fargo and Grand Forks. Similar conditions occurred this week in parts of northern Minnesota, with over a foot of heavy snowfall. An ice storm also hit northern Michigan, northern Wisconsin, Ontario, and northern New England at the end of March. Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist at weather.com, has been reporting on extreme and unusual weather events since 1996. Connect with him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook for more updates.
