Special Report

Places With the Biggest Snowfall in History in Every State

Tainar / iStock

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, right? But for how long, though? One foot of accumulated snow will suffice for a lot of fun games outside, but this is not a realistic expectation nowadays, at least not on a regular basis. A new snowstorm will blanket the U.S. from California to Maine–a 2,500 mile stretch.

Total snowfall has decreased in many parts of North America, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One reason why is changes in precipitation — more is coming in the form of rain due to climate change. One exception is the Great Lakes region, which now gets more snow than in the past. This is because for every degree rise in Fahrenheit the atmosphere can hold 4% more water. The longer the lakes don’t freeze, the more evaporation there is, leading to possibly more lake-effect snow.

The amount of snow in urban areas may be diminishing, but overall snowfall may not be trending down so significantly — it just comes in longer stretches, over a period of several days. This was not always the case.

Records date back to 1872, when Kings County, or Brooklyn, got 27 inches, or more than 2 feet of snow, in just one day.

This may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. Imagine getting 6 feet and 4 inches in 24 hours, which occurred in Boulder County, Colorado in 1921. This is the largest single-day snowfall on record. It’s enough to bury you.

Maybe you don’t have to worry. Until about half a century ago, it was normal during a typical winter for more than 50 inches of snow to fall on at least one day – two exceptions are in Oregon in 2009 and Montana in 2006. Over the last decade, record single-day snowfall has exceeded 50 inches only once.

The popular and longest continuously-running periodical in North America, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, predicts that the 2018-2019 winter season will be warmer than usual, except in the Southwest. It’ll be cold, but not frigid.

To determine the county with the most snowfall in recorded history in every state, 24/7 Wall St. looked at data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Click here to see the places with the biggest snowfall in history in every state.

Tony Bearden and Mike Wilhelm via National Weather Service

Alabama: Etowah County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 8 inches
> Date: March 13, 1993

See all stories featuring: Alabama

[in-text-ad]

Anchorage Daily News

Alaska: Valdez-Cordova Census Area
> 1-day record: 5 feet and 2 inches
> Date: December 29, 1955

See all stories featuring: Alaska

Deborah Lee Soltesz / Flickr

Arizona: Coconino County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 6 inches
> Date: January 21, 2010

See all stories featuring: Arizona

National Weather Service

Arkansas: Clay County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 1 inch
> Date: January 22, 1918

See all stories featuring: Arkansas

[in-text-ad-2]

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California: Yuba County
> 1-day record: 6 feet and 3 inches
> Date: January 14, 1952

See all stories featuring: California

Justin Sullivan / Staff

Colorado: Boulder County
> 1-day record: 6 feet and 4 inches
> Date: April 15, 1921

See all stories featuring: Colorado

[in-text-ad]

Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York / Flickr

Connecticut: New Haven County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: February 9, 2013

See all stories featuring: Connecticut

aimintang / iStock

Delaware: Kent County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 1 inch
> Date: February 19, 1979

See all stories featuring: Delaware

Santa Rosa County / Twitter

Florida: Santa Rosa County
> 1-day record: 4 inches
> Date: March 6, 1954

See all stories featuring: Florida

[in-text-ad-2]

michchap / Flickr

Georgia: Murray County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 8 inches
> Date: March 14, 1993

See all stories featuring: Georgia

ehabaref / iStock

Hawaii: Maui County
> 1-day record: 6.5 inches
> Date: February 2, 1936

See all stories featuring: Hawaii

[in-text-ad]

Jeff T. Green / Getty Images

Idaho: Benewah County
> 1-day record: 5 feet
> Date: January 22, 1982

The Gem State tied its own record the following year — in the spring.

Idaho: Owyhee County
> 1-day record: 5 feet
> Date: May 2, 1983

See all stories featuring: Idaho

benkrut / iStock

Illinois: Adams County
> 1-day record: 2 feet
> Date: February 28, 1900

See all stories featuring: Illinois

Doug Plencner / Flickr

Indiana: St. Joseph County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 2 inches
> Date: January 8, 2011

See all stories featuring: Indiana

[in-text-ad-2]

Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr

Iowa: Taylor County
> 1-day record: 2 feet
> Date: April 20, 1918

See all stories featuring: Iowa

upnort420 / YouTube

Kansas: Pratt County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: March 28, 2009

See all stories featuring: Kansas

[in-text-ad]

6381380 / iStock

Kentucky: Pike County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 2 inches
> Date: March 3, 1942

See all stories featuring: Kentucky

Maude Reid / Wikimedia Commons

Louisiana: Terrebonne Parish
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 4 inches
> Date: February 15, 1895

See all stories featuring: Louisiana

Back2reality07 / Wikimedia Commons

Maine: Franklin County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 6 inches
> Date: December 22, 2008

See all stories featuring: Maine

[in-text-ad-2]

Maryland National Guard / Flickr

Maryland: Garrett County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: February 6, 2010

See all stories featuring: Maryland

Aria1561 / Wikimedia Commons

Massachusetts: Worcester County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 8 inches
> Date: January 27, 2015

See all stories featuring: Massachusetts

[in-text-ad]

Joe Passe / Flickr

Michigan: Ontonagon County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 9 inches
> Date: March 13, 2006

See all stories featuring: Michigan

HaizhanZheng / iStock

Minnesota: Lake County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: January 7, 1994

See all stories featuring: Minnesota

BOB WESTON / iStock

Mississippi: Marshall County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 6 inches
> Date: December 23, 1963

See all stories featuring: Mississippi

[in-text-ad-2]

Baylor98 / Wikimedia Commons

Missouri: Bates County
> 1-day record: 2 feet
> Date: February 2, 2011

See all stories featuring: Missouri

Eva Vincent / Flickr

Montana: Lewis and Clark County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 4 inches
> Date: March 9, 2006

See all stories featuring: Montana

[in-text-ad]

Banner County

Nebraska: Banner County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: December 14, 1925

See all stories featuring: Nebraska

johnrandallalves / istock

Nevada: Douglas County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 9 inches
> Date: April 4, 1958

See all stories featuring: Nevada

AlexiusHoratius / Wikimedia Common

New Hampshire: Coos County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 1 inch
> Date: February 25, 1969

See all stories featuring: New Hampshire

[in-text-ad-2]

Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD / Wikimedia Commons

New Jersey: Somerset County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: January 23, 2016

See all stories featuring: New Jersey

Patrick Nouhailler / Flickr

New Mexico: Socorro County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 5 inches
> Date: February 3, 1964

See all stories featuring: New Mexico

[in-text-ad]

windy208 / YouTube

New York: Oneida County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 2 inches
> Date: February 1, 1966

See all stories featuring: New York

National Weather Service

North Carolina: Yancey County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: March 13, 1993

See all stories featuring: North Carolina

The West End / Flickr

North Dakota: Ward County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 3 inches
> Date: April 27, 1984

See all stories featuring: North Dakota

[in-text-ad-2]

Alliance Historical Society / Public Domain

Ohio: Trumbull County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: April 20, 1901

See all stories featuring: Ohio

tom spinker / Flickr

Oklahoma: Woodward County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: February 23, 1971

See all stories featuring: Oklahoma

[in-text-ad]

Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington / Flickr

Oregon: Malheur County
> 1-day record: 5 feet
> Date: April 8, 2009

See all stories featuring: Oregon

George Pankewytch / Flickr

Pennsylvania: Wayne County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 5 inches
> Date: February 16, 1958

See all stories featuring: Pennsylvania

danlogan / iStock

Rhode Island: Providence County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: February 7, 1978

See all stories featuring: Rhode Island

[in-text-ad-2]

National Weather Service

South Carolina: Sumter County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 9 inches
> Date: February 9, 1973

See all stories featuring: South Carolina

Steversiewert / iStock

South Dakota: Lawrence County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 4 inches
> Date: March 14, 1973

See all stories featuring: South Dakota

[in-text-ad]

G Finch / YouTube

Tennessee: Sevier County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: March 14, 1993

See all stories featuring: Tennessee

Albert Mock / Flickr

Texas: Lipscomb County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 1 inch
> Date: March 28, 2009

See all stories featuring: Texas

phdpsx / iStock

Utah: Salt Lake County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 2 inches
> Date: December 2, 1982

See all stories featuring: Utah

[in-text-ad-2]

John Jewell / Flickr

Vermont: Orleans County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 6 inches
> Date: February 5, 1995

See all stories featuring: Vermont

Mrs. Gemstone / Flickr

Virginia: Loudoun County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 1 inch
> Date: January 24, 2016

See all stories featuring: Virginia

[in-text-ad]

Sung Jun Oem / iStock

Washington: Pierce County
> 1-day record: 5 feet and 10 inches
> Date: November 26, 1955

See all stories featuring: Washington

Jrmichae / Wikimedia Commons

West Virginia: Preston County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 1 inch
> Date: February 21, 2003

See all stories featuring: West Virginia

Bobak Ha'Eri / Wikimedia Common

Wisconsin: Iron County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 2 inches
> Date: March 13, 2006

See all stories featuring: Wisconsin

[in-text-ad-2]

Jasperdo / Flickr

Wyoming: Johnson County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 1 inch
> Date: March 21, 1924

See all stories featuring: Wyoming

Cash Back Credit Cards Have Never Been This Good

Credit card companies are at war, handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers. A good cash back card can be worth thousands of dollars a year in free money, not to mention other perks like travel, insurance, and access to fancy lounges. See our top picks for the best credit cards today. You won’t want to miss some of these offers.

 

Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.