This mammoth storm spread a 10-inch-plus snow swath from the Ohio Valley to the entire Northeast urban corridor, affectingover 56 million in the Northeast alone. In addition to impaired travel conditions, "life-saving actions may be needed" throughout the storm. A quick hit of snow whipped eastward from the Dakotas to the Twin Cities and western Great Lakes late in the day as forecasts increased toward a Top 5 snowstorm in the Twin Cities. At least 30,000 power poles were downed or snapped in Arkansas. The heaviest accumulations were between Memphis, Tenn, Nashville, Tenn. and Lexington, Ky. Nashville was buried under?eight inches of ice and snow by the time everything was finished on Feb. 1. A powerful and menacing winter storm moved into Southern California on Friday, dumping heaps of rain and snow and prompting severe weather . Area schools were out for up to a week. Wind gusts over 70 mph and hail measuring 1 inch in diameter were reported in Oklahoma City . Roads from the teams' hotel to the Georgia Dome were too hazardous. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A more-than-100-mile-wide swath from Louisiana to West Virginia was affected by a severe ice storm from Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, 1951. Outside of the crippling ice, this storm system also brought flooding to portions of the South, Lower Mississippi Valley and upstate New York. "So the Winter Storm Severity Index for this week has the Twin Cities in the Extreme Impacts category. The weather service said Mountain High, one of the closest ski resorts to Los Angeles, received an eye-popping 7-and-three-quarter feet of snow during the last storm, with more possible this week. (Rick Solomon/Getty Images), Daily weather map from Dec. 31, 1978 of the N. Texas ice storm. Less than two weeks later, the weather grinch delivered a lump of coal to stockings from New Mexico to Oklahoma and Arkansas in the form of another ice storm. ", So the Winter Storm Severity Index for this week has the Twin Cities in the Extreme Impacts category. In Arkansas, Mel Coleman, CEO of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative described the scene,"In all of my years I have never seen anything that compares to the damage this storm has caused. Bedford, Michigan reported 0.70 inches of ice and Franksville, Wisconsin, (south of Milwaukee) picked up 0.75 inches. Sleet, freezing rain and ice were reported along the southern edge of the snow, or from eastern Iowa to western New York. The Storm of the Century caused $5.5 billion in damages with massive snowfalls from Maine all the way down to Florida (parts of which received six inches). Winter Storm Olive was a cross-country storm that deposited heavy snow from the Northwest and Rockies to the Great Lakes and New England, and dropped thick ice across the southern Great Lakes. On the milder side of the storm, heavy rain contributed to river flooding. You don't often see snow from the Gulf of Mexico to New England, so by sheer aerial coverage, Superstorm 1993 pops to the top. Much of the greater Buffalo metro area picked up more than a half-inch of ice during the night from Feb. 22-23. December 18-22, 1887. That is the first time I've seen this. A half-million were still without power three days after the storm. All of this ice and snow led to more than 900,000 power outages for customers across the Midwest. Of course, since the data only goes back to 1900, there is one glaring omission. Atlanta has not hosted another Super Bowl since 2000. Surface weather map from Nov. 26, 1950 during the Great Appalachian Storm. The Big Island 7. The second winter storm disrupted practice the Saturday before the Super Bowl. Many Americans who missed out on a white Christmas got their fill of snow when a blizzard carved a path of disruption down the East Coast, leaving thousands of travelers across the country stranded as airlines grounded more than 7,000 flights. In Upstate New York and portions of Connecticut, temperatures were even colder, and 45 to 60 inches of snow accumulated. A winter storm is spreading snow and strong winds across New England as we head into the weekend. Natural disasters can be more powerful and destructive than all other forces on the planet. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Although rare, winter storms can sometimes cause billions in damage. All dollar amounts are adjusted for inflation. When the skies finally cleared, fires and flooding inflicted millions of dollars of damage. A severe storm with "extreme impacts" is expected to hit the Twin Cities starting Tuesday. This week, a major snowstorm stretching from Tennessee to Maineis slamming the Northeast, with 12 to 20 inches of snow predicted in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. CNN's Amanda Musa . The snow put stress on the roofs of structuresand slowed transportation, according to NOAA. The Blizzard of '96 was the snowstorm of record in both Philadelphia and Newark and set the state snowfall record in Virginia (48 inches at Big Meadows), snarling travel and shutting down schools. December 1890. . Winter storm naming in the United States has been used sporadically since the mid-1700s in various ways to describe historical winter storms. The Superstorm of 1993 (also called the Storm of the Century) was one of the most intense mid-latitude cyclones ever observed over the Eastern United States.The storm will be remembered for its tremendous snowfall totals from Alabama through Maine, high winds all along the East coast, extreme coastal flooding along the Florida west coast, incredibly low barometric pressures across the . March 12-13, 1993: The Storm of the Century, Jan. 25-27, 1978: The Cleveland Superbomb, Nov. 25-27, 1950: The Great Appalachian Storm, Jan. 12, 1888: The Schoolhouse Blizzard (or Childrens Blizzard). After a stretch of rainy but unseasonably mild weather, temperatures plunged and vicious winds kicked up, blanketing the East Coast in snow and creating drifts up to 50 feet high. One of the deadliest in Washingtons history, the disaster claimed 98 lives and gave the storm its name. As you can see, there are two storms that show up in all the extreme winter storm lists above. The Feb. 8-13, 1994 ice storm caused extensive damage in the South totaling $5.2 billion. Ten winter storms since 1980 have caused $2 billion or more in damage in the United States. The snow fell for a week straight, with areas from western Pennsylvania southward deep into West Virginia blanketed . For truly bizarre storms, the November 1950 storm is my personal favorite, topping any other storms in these particular states, according to the RSI. The week before Super Bowl XXXIV, an ice storm left half a million customers without power, some for more than a week. New York City was hit particularly hard; the temperature plummeted as low as 6 degrees, and up to 3 feet of snow fell amid roaring winds and near-zero visibility in the outer boroughs. Downed trees and limbs caused widespread damage to homes, businesses and vehicles. We've collected a list of 10 of the worst ice storms in U.S. history, starting with one in northern Idaho. More than 200 people died and eight ships sunk as a result of the storm. Barbara Buckner looks over her home that was destroyed by a tornado in Norman, Oklahoma, Feb. 27, 2023. Nashville recorded a low temperature of 13 degrees below zeroon Feb. 2. An estimated 100 people perished in this crushing noreaster. FEMA Director James Lee Witt's western Ark. Virtually all of the Buckeye State picked up 10 inches of snow. Snowmageddon was sandwiched between two other blizzards at the beginning and end of February, prolonging the cleanup process. Some flat roofs collapsed or buckled after additional snow fell in the days following the storm. 25 people were killed and about 500 were injured. The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, reported 37 inches, and Garrett County, Maryland, was buried in 40 inches. We've collected a list of the top 10 worst ice storms in U.S. history, starting with one in northern Idaho. Nine Ways To Tell The Difference. Included in the millions of damaged trees were many maple and apple trees, which affected the maple sugaring and apple industries for years. But by the evening of January 28, the storm was winding down, and several hundred people ventured out to catch a showing of the silent film Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford at the Knickerbocker Theatre, the capitals largest and most modern movie house. Copyright TWC Product and Technology LLC 2014, 2023. National Weather Service's Top 10 Winter Storms in Kentucky. A daily weather map from Dec. 31, 1978, of the North Texas ice storm. There have been many ice storms in Texas history. In-land winter storms have been named by The Weather Channel since the winter of 2012/13. Just days later, another winter storm hit Atlanta on Super Bowl weekend. The Weather Channel reported that the winter storm could make travel "extremely difficult, if not impossible" in Wyoming, South Dakota, southern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin as winds create blizzard conditions and frigid air becomes "life-threatening" for stranded motorists. You can certainly vouch for grumpy moods around Christmas 2000 in parts of the South. The blizzard of Jan. 6-8, 1996 paralyzed cities from Washington, D.C. to Boston. Despite that, its RSI index placed it as a Category 4 winter storm in the upper Midwest, though it was the only Category 4 April snowstorm of record in NCEI's upper Midwest region dating to 1900. Tofino 5. Credit: Tennessee State Library and Archives/Ralph Morrissey Collection, Residents of Montreal, Canada walk with their belongings to their cars while seeking shelter after losing Jan. 8, 1998. Credit: MARCOS TOWNSEND/AFP/Getty Images, (NOAA Central Library/U.S. Sixteen inches of snow came to Portland on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 1937, paralyzing traffic for . A pair of infamous Chicago snowstorms of1967and 2011 made the list, as well. The storm also induced severe coastal flooding and erosion. Paul, Minnesota (28.4 inches), topping the previous record from the fourth extreme storm on the list above (21.1 inches). Just days later, another winter storm hit Atlanta on Super Bowl weekend. The 10 worst winter storms in Western New York's history 1. Winter storms can unleash an array of hazardous weather, causing destruction that sometimes amounts to billions of dollars in damage. "We will see very heavy snow falling at rates of 1 to, in some places, maybe even 2 inches per hour," DePodwin told Newsweek, adding that wind gusts could reach up to 40 miles per hour. Nearly 27 inches (68.5 centimeters) of snow fell on the city which at the time was an inch more than the previous record for snowfall. More than 120 winters have come and gone since the so-called Great White Hurricane, but this whopper of a storm still lives in infamy. Heavy snow caused issues across much of Utah, including Salt Lake City. One of the strongest nontropical storm systems in U.S. history explosively intensified over eastern Michigan in 1978. On February 9, a second storm produced high winds and heavy snowfalls from Washington, D.C., to Boston. There have been many ice storms in Texas history. The storm was so damaging that the National Weather Service in both Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky, rated it as the worst weather event of the decade for their respective areas. As the storm moves across the states, sleet and freezing rain are expected to develop. Superstorm 1993 laid down a massive swath of 10-inch-plus snowfall from parts ofAlabama to Maine. The last one was the February 2011 Groundhog snowstorm in the Midwest. To see the entire NCEI list of historical snowstorms dating to 1900, visitthe NCEI Regional Snowfall Index page. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Affecting what would have been 49 million people according to current population, the Great Appalachian Storm was so intense and wound up it turned basic meteorology in the northern hemisphere on its head. A half million were still without power three days after the storm. In the days after Thanksgiving 1921, a four-day ice storm with accumulations over three inches in spots, crippled parts of New England, including the city of Worcester. Heavy snow buried Boston, adding to the hefty snowpack already in place from earlier storms. Here is a look at the Category 5 winter storms by region. New Year's Eve 1978 was the worst ice storm in North Texas in three decades, producing ice accumulations up to 2 inches thick in a 100-mile-wide swath from just west of Waco to Paris, Texas. Others lost power for up to 10 days. Florida Keys Hurricane / Credit 10. RSI Cat. The Category 5 storm also created tornadoes and widespread flooding, affecting 120 million people. Over the past 150 years, the country has been pummeled with record-breaking blizzards. The snow really ramped up as an arctic cold front swept southward through the Rockies, Great Basin and Sierra on Feb. 21. "The rest of central & Southern MN in the Major Impacts category. Remember, the calculations take into account only snowfall and population, not necessarily severity of impact and, of course, not wind. Snowdrifts covering parked cars on 110th Street after more than 20 inches of snow fell in two days in New York City in 1996. Title Description Type Air Time; AIRING NOW! During the intermission, the theaters flat roof gave way under the weight of the wet snow, and concrete, bricks and metal rained down onto the audience. Sophisticated computer models allowed the National Weather Service to issue a severe storm warning two days in advance. The most severe flooding was in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee where more than 700 homes were damaged or destroyed. The "extreme impacts" classification had one meteorologist concerned. 6. Policeman, rescue workers, and onlookers stand amid the wreckage of the Knickerbocker Theatre, Washington DC, January 29, 1922, during the Knickerbocker Storm. Ice accumulations have brought down tree branches and power lines in parts of southern Michigan and northern Illinois. Breaks in between bursts of snow across portions of the Midwest, including the Twin Cities, limited this storm from becoming a Top 10 snowstorm for the region as was originally forecast. We've collected a list of 10 of the worst ice storms in U.S. history, starting with one in northern Idaho. A warm-up and moderate to heavy rainfollowed after the storm, triggering snowmelt which caused widespread and deadly flooding. It was Kentucky's largest power outage in history at the time, with 609,000 homes and businesses in the dark. Milwaukee reported 28.5 inches of snow in 48 hours. Freezing rain accreted heavily across deep southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin and far northern Illinois outside of Chicago. One of the most prominent ice storm alleys in the U.S. is the interior Northeast, from northern Pennsylvania into central and upstate New York and New England. (NOAA Central Library/U.S. In his book, Extreme Weather, Weather Underground's Christopher Burt cites a paper in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society stating "ice on the side of any dense, unbroken evergreen tree 50 feet high and on average 20 feet wide would have weighed five tons" due to the weight of accumulated ice. Sign Up for the Morning Brief - a weekday newsletter infused with your forecast, fun facts, articles and bite-sized nuggets to energize your day. Heres what to do if you get stuck in a winter storm plus some winter essentials to keep in your car. AP In March 1888, the Great Blizzard of 1888 hit the Atlantic coast. Over 500,000 in northern New England lost power. (Used with permission from the Worcester Historical Museum), Ice and snow cover Nashville after the 1951 storm. On Tuesday, the cold air advancing south from the Arctic chilled the ground so much that one monitoring satellite mistook the ground for tops of clouds, which are usually much colder than surface. Compounding the mess were high winds that turned streets into ice rinks, a challenge to anyone on foot. Californians are still reeling from the winter storm , with officials declaring a state of emergency for 13 counties. The storm claimed 24 lives in Kentucky and another 18 in Arkansas from a combination of traffic accidents, hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning. Finally, the Boha Cyclone is number ten on the top ten worst storms of all time. More than 350 people may have died, and the storm was the single costliest weather event in U.S. history at the time. The powerful storm dragged a massive shield of snow, accompanied by howling wind and followed by extreme cold, from the Florida panhandle to Maine. This was the snowstorm of record in Minneapolis/St. More than 80,000 utility poles were pulled down by the weight of the ice. The most recent of these big four extreme storms laid out a swath of snow fromthe Plains of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas to Mississippi to the Carolinas in the first week of 1988. Widespread and destructive coastal flooding occurred fromthe Jersey Shore to southeastern New England. The Twin Cities picked up 12-17 inches of snow, with Minneapolis airport officially picking up 13.1 inches, which falls outside of the Top 20 for most significant snow storms. At the time, one Arkansas official called it the most destructive ice storm he'd seen to the state's electrical utility infrastructure. In total, the entire Atmospheric River event caused between $200-$300 . Twenty-five people were killed and about 500 were injured. Power outages and tree damage were widespread in this area. Snowdrifts covering parked cars on 110th Street after more than 20 inches of snow fell in two days in New York City in 1996. Great Appalachian Storm (Nov. 21-29, 1950): 34.693, Groundhog Blizzard 2011 (Jan. 31 - Feb. 3): 21.99, Chicago Blizzard of 1967 (Jan. 24-28): 18.128, Halloween Storm (Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 1991): 30.175. The forecast at The Weather Channel calls for a new weekly program, Top Ten, that takes stock of the world's biggest weather-related occurrences, TVLine has learned exclusively.. Premiering . Record snow and incredible cold: Jan. 17-19, 1994. The National Weather Service in Twin Cities, Minnesota warned that the "historic" three-day storm will bring blowing and drifting snow mainly from Wednesday to Thursday. The Blizzard of '96 was the snowstorm of record in both Philadelphia and Newark and set the state snowfall record in Virginia (48 inches at Big Meadows), snarling travel and shutting down schools and businesses for days. Blizzard conditions pounded the adjacent plains of the Dakotas. These ratings are based on the aerial coverage and amount of snow in each region. March 1-3, 2018 Winter Storm Riley: $2.2 billion, 8. At its height, a total of 1.3 million residents were left without power in multiple states. 5 Storms (Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Dakotas). NWS' scale classifies extreme impacts as causing "substantial disruptions" to everyday life. The storm was also accompanied by frigid temperatures. Downed trees and limbs caused widespread damage to homes, businesses and vehicles. Jan. 5-9, 1998 Northeast Ice Storm: $2.2 billion, 9. More than 2 million lost power. Extreme cold air spilled toward the cyclone, with temperatures reported below zero as far south as Georgia and Arkansas. The storm was so damaging that the National Weather Service in both Paducah, Ky. and Louisville, Ky. rated it as the worst weather event of the decade for their respective areas. All Rights Reserved. 5 Storms, Southeast Region (Virginia to Alabama) RSI Cat. Property damage almost $100 million in North Carolina. Over 200,000 customers lost power in Louisville and it took as long as 10 days to get all customers back online. At least 12 people have died in multiple states due to severe weather across the country as a powerful storm system that brought golf ball-sized hail and tornadoes to the South continues to march . The Great Blizzard of 1888 remains one of the most devastating storms in US history, with a death toll of over 400. It makes no difference in the NESIS and RSI scales whether a snowstorm occurred on a Sunday in January or during peak Christmas travel. Sixteen lives were lost in the U.S. and an additional 28 deaths related to the ice storm were reported in Canada. This storm stands as the 3rd greatest snowstorm for December and is one of the greatest ever for Albany.The winter of 1887-88 is the 2nd snowiest on record for Albany with 110.0 inches.. Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Traverse City, Michigan, also could see heavy snow. Parts of theDelaware, Susquehanna, upper Ohio, Potomac and James River basins experienced significant flooding, according to NOAA. A whopping 25.9 inches of snow fell between December 16 and 18 that year. Bringing moist air from the south, the storm was blocked by a northern system and stalled over D.C. before heading out to sea. A crippling, devastating ice storm hit portions of upstate New York, northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, much of Maine and southeastern Canada. On a pedestalby itself, the Blizzard of 1993 caused $9.8 billion in damage as it roared through the East CoastMarch 11-14. Rounding out the top 10 on NOAA's list are five additional winter storms that caused at least $2 billion in damage when adjusted for inflation. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued myriad winter storm watches, warnings and advisories for areas in the Rocky Mountains to the upper Midwest. Winter Storm Riley from March 2018 is the most recent entry on the list. With some lake-effect enhancement, parts of Upper Michigan picked up more than a foot of snow, including 22 inches in Mount Arvon, or northwest of Marquette, Michigan. A group pushes an ambulance out of the snow in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn on December 29, 2010, in the wake of a massive snowstorm. Days of freezing rain led to heavy ice accumulations of 1 to locally more than 2 inches in northern Arkansas and portions of Kentucky in late January 2009. Not far behind was an incredible Halloween Storm 13 years later. In mid-December, an ice storm left more than 500,000 customers without power in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. This is the worst storm Bangladesh has ever faced and the worst the world has seen. The snow fall, according to the Weather Channel, is the second largest snowfall . Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. A low-pressure area intensified while sliding north along a stalled Mid-Atlantic front, and sustained winds above 50 mph pulled frigid air into the cities of the Northeast. The storm affected at least 26 U.S. states and much of eastern Canada, reaching as far south as Jacksonville, Florida. These were the two most widespread, damaging ice storms of record in Arkansas at the time, dating to 1819, according to the National Weather Service. In March 1888, the Great Blizzard of 1888 hit the Atlantic coast. The rest of central & Southern MN in the Major Impacts category.