Winter Storm Miles, a cross-country storm, produced soaking rain, snowfall, and strong winds across many states in mid-February. The storm came in from the Northwest with snowfall and rain on Valentine’s Day. The following day (February 15), Miles caused a few inches of snow in California’s Sierra Nevada.
Thundersnow was also reported late on February 15 at Lake Arrowhead, which is located in Southern California’s mountains. Miles also produced storms and showers in the lower elevations of Southern California – some hail struck the region, too.
On February 16, high winds in the Southwest contributed to blowing dust. A massive dust storm was spotted in California’s Death Valley. The storm also caused snowfall in the High Plains and Rockies.
Denver International Airport reported about 5 inches of snowfall from February 16 till early the following day. On February 17, Miles spread ice and snow from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes. Nearly 11 inches of snowfall was reported in the Kansas City metro area, and it was accompanied by lightning and thunder. The snow fell at a rate of about 1 to 2 inches per hour, causing morning commute to slow down considerably. Another bout of heavy snowfall was reported during lunch hour.
Miles caused almost a foot of snowfall in Central Illinois near Manito. Other locations in the state saw more than 6 inches of snow. Whiteout conditions were reported in several areas. Strong gusts of wind and snowfall contributed to many vehicle crashes on highways in Central Illinois. Meanwhile, Oklahoma reported a quarter-inch of ice accumulation, while the Chicago metro area got about 2 to 5 inches of snowfall.
Miles also brought flooding to parts of western New York and Missouri. As a result, a few roads were shut in New York.
