What's the biggest snowstorm or blizzard that you've ever experienced?

@moneymind (10510)
Philippines
January 26, 2007 1:26am CST
Share your snow stories with us -- what's the biggest snowstorm or blizzard that you've ever experienced? Specially now a days that the united states is experiencing an unusual snow fall. greetings. : )
2 people like this
5 responses
@nitsy_s (1028)
• India
26 Jan 07
It was in Boston, MA early 2006. It was the worst snow storm in around 18 years i think. For me, it was kind of exciting beacause, everyone were expecting the storm, but i was gonna experience the snowfall for the first time in my life. Seeing the snowfall was great but had a tough time stepping out of the house. Most of the trains and flights were delayed..
1 person likes this
@BlaKy2 (1475)
• Romania
14 Feb 07
, also known as the Presidents' Day Storm of 2003, or Presidents' Day Storm II, was a historical and record-breaking snowstorm on the East Coast of the United States and Canada, which lasted from February 15 to February 18, 2003. It spread widespread heavy snow across the major cities of the Northeastern US, making it the defining snowstorm of the very snowy winter of 2002-2003. All cities from Washington DC to Boston were covered in 15 to 30 inches (38-76 cm) of snow, and those cities were brought to a standstill due to problems caused by temperatures and the snow. In Baltimore and Boston, this was the biggest snowstorm on record, with 28.2 and 27.5 inches (71.6 and 69.9 cm) respectively.The storm developed in the southern Rockies on February 14, and moved through southern Missouri and the Lower Tennessee Valley during the next few days. It brought heavy rain and severe weather to the Deep South, including the nation's first tornado of the year. Farther north, snow and ice affected the Midwest. Southern Iowa and eastern Illinois also got significant snow, with 11 inches (28 cm) in Des Moines. In Kentucky this was mostly an ice storm, with some locations receiving up to 3/4" (2 cm) of ice. Much of Ohio received heavy snowfall, Mansfield receiving 21 inches and Columbus receiving about a foot. At the same time, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore got light snow on February 15. A strong Arctic high pressure system funnelled frigid air to the East Coast. It significantly slowed down the storm, and kept all precipitation in the form of heavy snow and some sleet. A snowplow in boston at the beginning of the storm A snowplow in boston at the beginning of the storm However, early on February 16, torrential snow started falling in those two cities, and the snow later moved to Philadelphia. Heavy snow was continuously reported, falling at rates of up to 4 inches (10 cm) per hour. In addition to that, temperatures were frigid, around 15°F (-10°C), so the snow had no trouble accumulating. The heavy snow continued all day, and it reached New York City in the evening. At about the same time, the snow changed to sleet in Washington, D.C., and significantly lowered the accumulation. Throughout the rest of the Northeast, however, the snow continued for much of the night. The sleet changed back to snow by the next morning in Washington, D.C., and soon ended. By that time, a secondary low pressure system formed off the Virginia coast and travelled north, turning this storm into a nor'easter for New York City and Boston. Blizzard Warnings were issued, and the snow began in Boston that day. In the evening, the heavy snow ended in New York City, and it ended in Boston on the morning of February 18. After that, the storm weakened and brought a few inches of snow to other parts of New England.
@Lydia1901 (16351)
• United States
2 Feb 07
It does not get that bad around here, so I do not recall ever experiencing that before. And I do not think that I would want to either.
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
13 Feb 07
Blizzard of 1978 - Here is a picture of some parked cars in Massachusetts after the blizzard of 78.
I think for me it was "The blizzard of 78" in Massachusetts. I was 17 years old and had to walk home from my friends house a mile and a half in it. Arguably the Commonwealth's "Storm of the Century," the Blizzard of '78 dumped 27.1 inches of snow on Boston on February 6 and 7, paralyzing the city and surrounding suburbs for a week. Although snow was less of an issue along the immediate coast, the tides were devastating. At its peak, the ocean rose 15.2 feet above mean low water (measured at the Boston Tide Station). Given that major tidal flooding begins at Boston and along the east facing coast of Massachusetts at 13.6 feet, these tides, topped with crashing waves, wreaked havoc on coastal homes, roads, and infrastructure. All tolled, 99 people were killed and thousands of houses and businesses were destroyed or severely damaged, with damage estimates exceeding $2.3 billion (in 1998 dollars). Blizzard Paralyzes Massachusetts: February 7, 1978 On this day in 1978, the storm of the century paralyzed the entire state of Massachusetts. The Blizzard of '78 dropped between two and four feet of snow on the Bay State in the space of 32 hours. Ferocious winds created drifts as high as 15 feet. Along the coast, flood tides forced 10,000 people into emergency shelters. Inland, over 3,000 cars and 500 trucks were immobilized along an eight-mile stretch of Route 128. By the time it subsided, the storm had taken 29 Massachusetts lives, destroyed 11,000 homes, and caused more than one billion dollars in damage. The Blizzard of '78 is also remembered for many acts of kindness, cooperation, and courage. It really was something to experience...but once was enough for me.
@BlaKy2 (1475)
• Romania
2 Feb 07
A blizzard is a severe winter storm condition characterized by low temperatures, strong winds, and heavy blowing snow. Blizzards are formed when a high pressure system, also known as a ridge, interacts with a low pressure system; this results in the advection of air from the high pressure zone into the low pressure area. The term blizzard is sometimes misused by news media to describe a large winter storm that does not actually satisfy official blizzard criteria. Blizzard is also the name of a large internet game company. Blizzards occur throughout the world and in North America are particularly common to the Northeastern U.S and Maritime Canada. Because the factors involved with the classification of winter storms are complex, there are many different definitions of the word blizzard. A major consensus is that in order to be classified as a blizzard, as opposed to merely a winter storm, the weather must meet several conditions: the storm must decrease visibility to a quarter of a mile or 400 meters, include snow or ice as precipitation, and have wind speeds of at least 35 miles per hour or 56 kilometres per hour (which would be seven or more on the Beaufort Wind Scale) for at least three consecutive hours. Another standard, according to Environment Canada, is that the winter storm must have winds of 40 km/h (25 mph) or more, have snow or blowing snow, visibility less than 1 km (about 5/8 mile), a wind chill of less than -25 °C (-13 °F), and that all of these conditions must last for 3 hours or more before the storm can be properly called a blizzard. Other countries, such as the UK, have a lower threshold: the Met Office defines a blizzard as "moderate or heavy snow" combined with a mean wind speed of 30 miles per hour and a visibility below 200m. When all of these conditions persist after snow has stopped falling, meteorologists refer to the storm as a ground blizzard.