On January 23, a low-pressure area developed off the Pacific Northwest, before quickly moving over the Canadian Prairies by January 24.
The storm system quickly moved southeastward into the Upper Midwest during the evening of January 24, taking a path typical of an Alberta clipper.
As it progressed southward, the storm intensified, with frontogenesis occurring the next day.
By noon on January 25, the upper-level low was centered near the border between Iowa and Missouri in correlation with a weak shortwave trough.
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico wrapped around the system from the south, resulting in widespread rainfall and snow over the Midwest.
Throughout the day, the system traversed eastward along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Snowfall remained concentrated along a cold front north of the Ohio River.

At 09:00 UTC on January 26, the Weather Prediction Center began issuing storm summaries on the developing disturbance while the low-pressure system was centered near Bluefield, West Virginia.
At the time, mixed precipitation was occurring over northern Appalachia.
As this system tracked eastward, it gradually weakened; however, at the same time, a new low pressure formed off the coast of North Carolina and began to track north-northeastward, eventually becoming the dominant low of the storm.
Early on January 30, the nor'easter left the East Coast, even as another winter storm began to impact the region.
On January 23, a low-pressure area developed off the Pacific Northwest, before quickly moving over the Canadian Prairies by January 24. The storm system quickly moved southeastward into the Upper Midwest during the evening of January 24, taking a path typical of an Alberta clipper. As it progressed southward, the storm intensified, with frontogenesis occurring the next day. By noon on January 25, the upper-level low was centered near the border between Iowa and Missouri in correlation with a weak shortwave trough. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico wrapped around the system from the south, resulting in widespread rainfall and snow over the Midwest. Throughout the day, the system traversed eastward along the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Snowfall remained concentrated along a cold front north of the Ohio River.
At 09:00 UTC on January 26, the Weather Prediction Center began issuing storm summaries on the developing disturbance while the low-pressure system was centered near Bluefield, West Virginia. At the time, mixed precipitation was occurring over northern Appalachia. As this system tracked eastward, it gradually weakened; however, at the same time, a new low pressure formed off the coast of North Carolina and began to track north-northeastward, eventually becoming the dominant low of the storm. Early on January 30, the nor'easter left the East Coast, even as another winter storm began to impact the region.
2014–15 North American winter