Dozens of winter storms have hit the U.S. since 1900, and many of them are noteworthy in different ways. With winter storm season right around the corner, we’re taking a look back at five of the most infamous winter storms to hit the U.S. since the start of the 20th century.
Winter storms and blizzards bringing snow and ice can cause a multitude of impacts, from power outages to road closures and car crashes and even lead to fatalities.
Each region of the country handles winter storms differently. Areas in southern Texas and the Southeast can have a much lower threshold for severe impacts due to the lack of frequent winter weather that hits the region.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 21: People walk through the Gentilly neighborhood during Winter Storm Enzo on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans recieved as much as 10 inches of snow through out the metro area.
(Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
Whereas places like New England and the Upper Midwest might be used to receiving a lot of snow and having harsh winters, therefore, infrastructure is better built to handle such conditions.
As the National Weather Service issues its Winter Weather Outlook for this upcoming winter, let’s take a look back at some of the worst winter storms to hit the country in the last 125 years.
From storing enough food and water to weather-proofing your house to maintaining your car, here are some recommendations on how to prepare for winter storms.
The Knickerbocker Storm (1922)
To this day, the Knickerbocker Storm that struck the eastern half of the country from Jan. 27-30, 1922 brought the most snowfall Washington, D.C. has ever recorded.
The storm got its name because of a tragedy that occurred during the storm on Jan. 28.
Snow totaling 25 inches had fallen in the first 24 hours of the storm, collecting on the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater in D.C., where 300 people were inside, according to the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
REMEMBER ALL THAT SNOW? HERE ARE THE MOST MEMORABLE NOR’EASTERS OVER THE YEARS
Fifteenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue after all other means of transportation in Washington, D.C. had failed during the Knickerbocker storm in 1922.
(National Weather Service Digital Collection Archives / NOAA)
The roof collapsed onto the moviegoers, killing at least 98 people and injuring 133 more, according to information from the City of Alexandria.
Overall snow totals in Washington, D.C. ranged from 24 to 28 inches. But widespread snow fell from South Carolina to Southern Massachusetts, according to NCEI data.
A wintry scene in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square during the Knickerbocker storm in Jan. 1922.
(National Weather Service Digital Collection Archives / NOAA)
The Great Ice Storm of 1951
The Great Ice Storm of 1951 took place from Jan. 29–Feb. 1, with impacts stretching from Louisiana to West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service.
Deemed the costliest ice storm on record, 25 people died in the storm and roughly 500 others were injured from storm-related incidents.
NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 15: A person walks in Centennial Park as freezing rain falls on February 15, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Brett Carlsen / Getty Images)
Layers of snow and sleet coated the ground during the storm, and when temperatures started falling, everything froze into a thick 4-inch sheet of ice, the NWS said.
It was dubbed the worst ice storm in Nashville‘s history, where 8 inches of ice covered the ground, according to the National Weather Service.
The Great Blizzard of 1978
Another late-January blizzard blasted the Upper Midwest and Ohio Valley with one of the worst snowstorms to hit the region.
The Great Blizzard of 1978 brought vast amounts of snow and gusty, 55 mph winds that produced 10 to 20-foot drifts across the region, causing many cities to completely shut down.
States of emergency were declared in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan and the storm brought travel to a halt.
WHAT MAKES A BLIZZARD DIFFERENT FROM AN ORDINARY SNOWSTORM?
Cars were stranded in large snowdrifts all across the Ohio Valley during the Great Blizzard of 1978.
(Courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University / NOAA)
Snow totals in South Bend, indiana reached 3 feet with parts of southern Michigan getting smacked with two feet of snow, according to the NCEI. Heavy snow accompanied by snow from the storm continued to blanket the area for two months.
The NWS reported that more than 70 people died across several states during the Great Blizzard of 1978.
Storm of the Century (1993)
The Storm of the Century, or the Superstorm of 1993, was one of the most devastating winter storms of the 20th century.
It left the eastern third of the U.S. rattled with heavy snow, and even produced tornadoes and storm surge in the Southeast.
LOOKING BACK ON THE 1993 ‘STORM OF THE CENTURY’: ‘WE THOUGHT IT WAS END OF TIMES’
SACO, ME – MARCH 14: Dan Littlefield of Campe Ellis attempts to clear snow from his car Sunday morning, March 14, 1993. “There was a car around here somewhere,” he joked. The Portland Jetport received 17 inches of new snow during the previous day’s blizzard. (Photo by David A. Rogers/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
(David A. Rogers/Portland Portland Press Herald / Getty Images)
The storm started developing over Texas on March 12, 1993 and swept east across the Gulf Coast states, intensifying as it went.
It brought feet of snow to the Northeast, with average totals reaching 6-15 inches along much of the eastern seaboard, according to NCEI.
“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 Southeast and mid-Atlantic, and for the unseasonably cold air that followed behind the storm,” meteorologist Tim Armstrong wrote in a recap of the storm for the National Weather Service.
More than 200 people died in the storm, with 60 killed by the severe storms and storm surge in Florida.
Groundhog Day Blizzard (2011)
The Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011 dropped snow from as far south as Texas through New England.
It struck on Feb. 1 and brought heavy snow totaling over a foot in parts of Illinois into the Northeast.
CHICAGO – FEBRUARY 02: Cars sit in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive after accidents and drifting snow stranded the drivers during last night’s blizzard February 2, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
Areas in New England received over a foot of snow, including Boston where 13 inches fell, according to NCEI.
This powerful storm caused over $1 billion in damage and brought travel to a standstill throughout the Midwest and New England.
Eleven people died in Illinois, while reports indicate at least 9 other deaths occurred in other states affected by the storm.
