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{{Infobox winter season
| image = File:2011-02-01 North American blizzard 2131Z.jpg
| caption = A [[January 31 – February 2, 2011 North American blizzard|historic blizzard]] affecting the United States on February 1, 2011
| astro = December 21 – March 20
| meteo = December 1 – February 28
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}}
The '''2010–11 North American winter''' was influenced by an ongoing [[2010–12 La Niña event|La Niña]], seeing winter storms and very cold temperatures affect a large portion of the
While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], there are two definitions of winter which may be used. Based on the astronomical definition, winter begins at the [[winter solstice]], which in 2010 occurred late on December 21 (early on December 22 in [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]), and ends at the [[March equinox]], which in 2011 occurred on March 20.<ref name="USNO Seasons">{{cite web|title=Earth's Seasons: Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion |url=http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php |publisher=[[United States Naval Observatory]] |date=September 21, 2015 |access-date=June 14, 2016 |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |format=PHP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831000837/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php |archive-date=August 31, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28.<ref name="NOAA/NWS-Seasons">{{cite web|title=Meteorological vs. Astronomical Seasons|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-summer%E2%80%94what%E2%80%99s-difference|publisher=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information|date=June 21, 2013|access-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref> Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months, with some variability.
== Seasonal forecasts ==
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=== Late October bomb cyclone ===
{{main|October 2010 North American storm complex}}
In late October, a massive cyclone brought a serial [[derecho]] to a large portion of the United States, as well an early season blizzard to parts of the [[Midwest]] and [[Canadian Prairies]] from October 25 through October 28. Forming over the Upper Midwest, it intensified rapidly prompting the storm to be classified as a [[Explosive cyclogenesis|bomb cyclone]] which are more common over the ocean rather than over land.<ref>{{cite web|title=Strong Extratropical Cyclone over the US Midwest|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=46662|website=Earth Observatory| date=29 October 2010 |publisher=NASA|access-date=30 April 2017}}</ref> The massive storm across the entire country and up into [[Canada]] bringing a wide variety of weather. It was responsible for 69 tornadoes across the country with an EF2 being the highest category. It had its highest recorded winds in Nebraska at {{convert|70
=== Late December blizzard ===
[[File:Atmospheric River GOES WV 20101220.1200.goes11.vapor.x.pacus.x.jpg|thumb]]
{{main|December 2010 North American blizzard}}
This was a long-lived storm that primarily effected the Pacific Northwest and eastern regions of the US and Canada. The storm developed along the so-called Pineapple Express [[Atmospheric river]] as a disturbance in the [[Gulf of Alaska]] on December 5 and intensified as it began to move toward land. By the 8th it reached the coast of northwest North America but significantly weakened and a new storm formed in the Gulf of Alaska. By December 15 the storm had
=== New Year's Eve tornado outbreak ===
[[File:2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak map.png|thumb|A map of the tornadoes that struck.]]
{{main|2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak}}
A tornado outbreak struck the southern United States in late December. The [[Storm Prediction Center]] has been calling for a significant severe weather event since December 25. However the predictability of the event was uncertain but, forecasts gained confidence as the event drew closer. On December 30 only marginally conductive conditions were present for a severe weather to form. Later on an approaching cold front induced supercells to form in the evening hours. The storm had spawned up to 5 EF3 tornadoes. The highest recorded non tornadic winds were {{convert|80
=== Early January blizzard ===
{{main|January 8–13, 2011 North American blizzard}}
{{Unsourced section|date=July 2023}}
In the middle of January, a storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico and interacted with cold air mass in Canada. This storm would eventually merge with an [[Alberta clipper]] over [[Cape Hatteras]]. It would track up the east coast as a nor'easter before moving out to sea. It would bring winter weathering the form of snow and freezing rain from Texas to Atlantic Canada. It brought snowfall to areas that got hit hard by the previous blizzard. In New England there were reports of 2 feet of snow.
=== Late January blizzard ===
{{main|January 25–27, 2011 North American blizzard}}
In late January, another major snowstorm hit the Northeast. It brought a winter storm to the
=== Groundhog Day blizzard ===
[[File:Late January 2011 winter storm blanketing the US, on January 31, 2011.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of the storm developing on January 31st]]
{{main|2011 Groundhog Day blizzard}}
On January 31, a low-pressure system formed in [[Montana]], and merged with a storm that pushed in from Northern California and a third storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the Midwest, on February 1, and rapidly intensified. The resulting storm brought a historic blizzard to the Midwest. It was the first storm to rank as a [[List of Regional Snowfall Index Category 5 winter storms|Category 5 on the RSI]] since 2009. It brought a tornado outbreak to the southeast states
=== Mid-April storm complex ===
{{main|Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011}}
On April 14, a storm developed across the Midwest, bringing a [[tornado outbreak]] to much of the United States, and became the largest April tornado outbreak until the [[2011 Super Outbreak]], later in the month. In the southern part of the country, this tornado outbreak spawned 178 tornadoes, with the strongest category being an EF3. It was reported that the storm also produced large hail and straight-line winds. The system brought a late season snowstorm to the Midwest and Northern Plains, and blizzard conditions to parts of South Dakota and northern Nebraska. With surface temperatures near freezing the snow was unusually wet for the region. This lead for bad driving conditions on
==See also==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-11 North American winter}}
[[Category:2010 in Canada|Winter]]
[[Category:2011 in Canada|Winter]]
[[Category:2010 in the United States|Winter]]
[[Category:2011 in the United States|Winter]]
[[Category:
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