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

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Anchorage Daily News

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

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Deborah Lee Soltesz / Flickr

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

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National Weather Service

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

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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

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Justin Sullivan / Staff

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

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Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York / Flickr

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

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aimintang / iStock

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

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Santa Rosa County / Twitter

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

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michchap / Flickr

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

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ehabaref / iStock

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

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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

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benkrut / iStock

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

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Doug Plencner / Flickr

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

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Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr

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

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upnort420 / YouTube

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

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6381380 / iStock

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

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Maude Reid / Wikimedia Commons

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

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Back2reality07 / Wikimedia Commons

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

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Maryland National Guard / Flickr

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

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Aria1561 / Wikimedia Commons

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

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Joe Passe / Flickr

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

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HaizhanZheng / iStock

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

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BOB WESTON / iStock

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

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Baylor98 / Wikimedia Commons

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

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Eva Vincent / Flickr

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

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Banner County

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

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johnrandallalves / istock

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

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AlexiusHoratius / Wikimedia Common

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

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Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD / Wikimedia Commons

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

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Patrick Nouhailler / Flickr

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

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windy208 / YouTube

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

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National Weather Service

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

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The West End / Flickr

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

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Alliance Historical Society / Public Domain

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

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tom spinker / Flickr

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

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Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington / Flickr

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

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George Pankewytch / Flickr

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

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danlogan / iStock

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

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National Weather Service

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

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Steversiewert / iStock

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

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G Finch / YouTube

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

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Albert Mock / Flickr

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

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phdpsx / iStock

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

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John Jewell / Flickr

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

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Mrs. Gemstone / Flickr

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

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Sung Jun Oem / iStock

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

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Jrmichae / Wikimedia Commons

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

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Bobak Ha'Eri / Wikimedia Common

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

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Jasperdo / Flickr

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

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