The 10 Biggest Snowstorms of All Time

Although it’s been strangely warm lately, we all know it can’t last, and sooner or later, we’ll see winter weather. The worst storm I remember was in February of 1998, when my town got 14 inches of wet snow that brought down power lines and left us without power for two weeks. I burned anything I could find in the fireplace until the roads cleared enough for us to go stay elsewhere. But that doesn’t hold a candle to the ten biggest snowstorms ever. The Blizzard of 1888 was devastating.

The storm struck in early March and started out as a serious rain storm. From Sunday night to Monday morning, the temperature plummeted and the rain turned to snow. In the end, New York City received 22 inches (56 centimeters) of snow, shutting the city down and causing floods when the snow melted. Other places received much more: 58 inches (1.5 meters) of snow in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and 45 inches (1.14 m) in New Haven, Conn. Snow drifts as high as 50 or 60 feet (15.2 to 18.3 m) were reported on Long Island, and wind gusts were reported as fast as 80 mph (128.7 kph).

What’s worse, more than 400 people died due to that storm. And it only ranks as number ten on the list! However, storms vary in area covered, amount of snow, amount of damage, number of people affected, and other conditions, so it’s difficult to rank the “worst.” Still, these ten will make you feel lucky to have avoided them.