Looking out my window at the frozen landscape gives me a hint of what it must be like living in Alaska. The piles of built-up snow have rounded the edges of fences and cars. It looks like an alien world outside my door.
Let me state unequivocally that I hate the snow, and winter isn't my favorite time of the year. With that said let's move on to some interesting cold stories. In honor of Mother Nature's icy and relentless wrath, I present to you the biggest blizzards and worst snowstorms in United States history.
The Great Blizzard of '88
In 1888 the Northwest was faced with one of the worst blizzards in American history. They called it the Great White Hurricane because it left 55 inches of snowfall in some areas and caused disaster wherever it went. Brutal winds hit Washington, D.C. to Maine causing catastrophic damage. Over 400 people were killed. It was so bad that the people of Boston decided to create the first underground subway system in the country.
The Knickerbocker Storm -1922
On Jan. 28, 1922, more than 2 feet of snow fell on Washington, D.C. The weight of the snow collapsed the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre, killing 98 people. This led to stricter building codes to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
The Great Appalachian Storm - 1950
I was born on November 7, 1950. A few weeks later on Thanksgiving weekend, as much as 62 inches of snow blasted the central Appalachians. As if that wasn't enough, the area was also beset by frigid cold and intense windstorms. At least 160 people died.
The Blizzard of '78
On Feb. 5 a nor'easter broke snowfall records in Boston (27.1 inches) and Atlantic City (20.1 inches). Throw in hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding for three straight days. An estimated 100 people lost their lives.
The Storm of the Century - 1993
I still remember when the great cyclonic storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico in March. As the storm progressed up the East Coast, it began to snow in regions as far south as Alabama and Georgia. The snowstorm stretched from those Southern regions into Maine and even Canada. Affected areas were battered with unseasonable frigid temperatures, power wind gusts and up to 60 inches of snow. At one point every major airport on the East Coast was closed. About 318 people lost their lives despite the storm being predicted several days in advance. It's known as the deadliest American storm of the 20th century.
The Great Blizzard of 2003
On Valentine's Day to Feb.19, the Great Blizzard of 2003 swept across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Every major city from Washington, D.C. to Boston was covered in an enormous blanket of snow, with many areas getting up to two feet. Airports across the Northwest suspended flights and shut down operations completely, while New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia transformed into icy ghost towns as residents hunkered down against the bitter cold. There were 27 deaths.
Snowmageddon - 2010
In February of 2010, two blizzards - one on Feb.4-7 and one on Feb. 9-11 - hit within days of each other. I'll never know how they came up with the name Snowmageddon, but it wreaked havoc across the country, icing down roads in New Mexico and shutting down the federal government in the nation's capital. The massive storm led to transportation shutdowns and power outages and killed 41 people in the U.S. and Mexico.
Snowzilla - 2016
It seems like as the years ago pass, we have sillier names for snow events. I mean...Snowzilla. Really? It paralyzed the entire East Coast. Snow fell in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Georgia. The death count was no joke, however. 55 people lost their lives.
December 2022 North American Winter Storm
The most recent storm raged on from Dec.21 to Dec.26. Here we go again, another dumb name for a snowstorm was the North American Winter Storm Bomb Cyclone that weatherman excitedly reported on. It was so widespread that 60% of Americans felt it's deadly effects. As a result, 106 people across the United States and Canada lost their lives.
As it Stands, it's time to have a mug of hot chocolate and be thankful you're inside because Baby It's Cold Outside!
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