February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm
The February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm, also called Winter Storm Uri,[3] was a major winter and ice storm that impacted the United States, Northern Mexico, and parts of Canada from February 13 to 17, 2021. The storm started out in the Pacific Northwest and quickly moved into the Southern United States, before moving on to the Midwestern and Northeastern United States a couple of days later.
Category 3 "Major" (RSI/NOAA: 8.048) | |
 Satellite imagery of the winter storm over the Eastern United States on February 16 | |
| Type | Extratropical cyclone Winter storm Blizzard Ice storm Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 13, 2021 |
| Dissipated | February 24, 2021 |
| (Exited to sea on February 17, 2021) | |
| Highest winds |
|
| Lowest pressure | 960 mb (28.35 inHg) |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 5 total |
| Max. rating1 | EF3 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 7 hours, 55 minutes |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | Snow – 26 in (66 cm) at Detroit, Oregon Ice – 0.85 in (2.2 cm) at Pocono Mountains Munici, Pennsylvania |
| Casualties | At least 136 killed[2] |
| Damage | ≥ $195 billion (2021 USD) (Costliest winter storm on record) |
| Power outages | > 9,924,000[1] |
| Areas affected | Pacific Northwest, Western United States, Southern United States, Eastern United States, Northern Mexico, Eastern Canada, British Isles, Iceland, Southern Greenland |
Part of the 2020–21 North American winter and tornado outbreaks of 2021 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The storm caused over 170 million Americans being placed under winter alerts across the country and caused blackouts for over 9.9 million people in the U.S. and Mexico, most notably in Texas.[1][4] The blackouts were the largest in the U.S. since the Northeast blackout of 2003.
The storm also brought dangerous severe weather to Southeastern United States, including several tornadoes. On February 16, there were at least 20 direct deaths and 13 indirect deaths caused by the storm;[5][6][3] by February 19, the death toll had risen to at least 70, including 58 people in the United States and 12 people in Mexico.[2]
