Memorable Winter Storms of the 1900s

It is natural to wonder about the worst winter storms of the 19th century. While it is nearly impossible to rank North American winter storms, some naturally rise to the top as unforgettable events for those who lived through them.

The Great Blizzard of 1967

The Great Blizzard of 1967 dumped 28 inches of snow in Chicago. On January 26, people in Chicago and throughout the region enjoyed temperatures in the upper 60s. Then, the storm started without warning the following day, causing many people to become trapped at work or school. Winds up to 50 miles per hour pushed snow into drifts up to 15 feet tall.

The first snowflakes at Chicago's official weather station fell at 9:03 a.m., with snow falling continuously until 10 a.m. the next day. When the event fueled by pressures over Lake Superior was over, Chicago officially had 23 inches of snow. The snowfall set a record as the heaviest snowfall in the city. The record stood until the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011 occurred.

The heaviest snows fell in suburbs west of the city, with some cities taking up to three weeks to clear the streets as temperatures never rose above freezing. Twenty-six people died during the storm, which completely paralyzed the area.

Great Lakes Blizzard of 1971

Police officials in Nebraska asked officials in Kansas to close all roads leading into the Cornhusker State during the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1971, which started on January 5, 1971. While Minnesota and Wisconsin saw some impact from this storm, Iowa and Nebraska took its brute force, with snowdrifts over 12 feet tall occurring in some areas. The snow was driven by winds of up to 50 miles per hour, with winds over 30 miles per hour commonly reported.

While forecasters thought it might snow a little, no one predicted the power this storm brought to the area. Some areas were in white-out conditions within 30 minutes of the storm starting to blow. Hundreds of people sought shelter in schools, restaurants, truck stops and community centers.

Many students spent the night at their schools after being unable to get home. In other communities, country students stayed with friends or relatives who lived in town. In many cases, snowmobilers helped students get to their location.

Simultaneously, major airports along the East Coast had to be closed because of fog.

The Great Blizzard of 1978

The Great Blizzard of 1978 paralyzed the Northwest United States. This prolonged storm started on February 5, predominantly affecting Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Many areas got as much as 2 feet of snow, with as much as 4 inches of snow falling in an hour.

Logan Airport recorded winds over 79 miles per hour, and the Chatham, Massachusetts, weather station recorded wind gusts over 96 miles per hour. Over 3,000 cars stalled along an eight-mile stretch of Massachusetts Route 128, with 14 people dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The storm followed other momentous winter storms, including one that collapsed the Hartford, Connecticut, civic center in January. When it was over, 100 people died, and 4,500 people were injured.

Over 2,000 homes were destroyed along the coast by floods between Marblehead and Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, as spring high tides occurred during the storm.

Winter Storm of 1993

The Winter Storm of 1993 started on Friday, March 12, and lasted the weekend. People in the Appalachian Mountains saw snowdrifts as tall as their single-story houses. Over 300 people died during the storm, which cost about $8.5 billion in damages as it spread from Florida to Canada.

Unlike many other storms on this list, forecasters accurately predicted this storm ahead of time. Places along the Gulf Coast, like Mobile, Alabama, that generally do not get drifting snow saw substantial snowdrifts. While the snow was widespread, Mount Mitchell, North Carolina, was one of the most brutally hit. Over 50 inches of snow fell in that area. This storm was not content to stay along the coast as it spread far inland. For example, Mount Leconte, Tennessee, got over 56 inches of snow.

This storm was not content to do snow damage. It also spun 12 tornadoes across Florida, significantly damaging the Florida Panhandle.

The Ice Storm of 1998

Only five years after the storm of 1993, the Ice Storm of 1998 affected much of New England and prompted the largest deployment of Canadian military personnel since the Korean War. When the storm that started on January 4 was over, nearly 36 people were dead, and millions did not have electricity.

A strong El Nino system caused a jet stream to stall over the Great Lakes, pulling moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico. When the five-day storm was over, Burlington, Vermont, had around 2.1 inches of ice, and some areas of the state got over 6 inches. Over 300,000 farm animals are estimated to have died in the storm, and thousands of maple and apple trees were knocked flat. The rainfall across Northern and Western New York was the largest amount to fall in history to that date in a January storm.

Rainfall accelerated the melting ice, leading to historic flooding, especially across New York and Vermont.

Stay tuned when severe weather threatens your area because the weather can rapidly change. Therefore, if you must be out on the highway when a winter storm is predicted, ensure you have plenty of gas, food and water.

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