Heavy Snow, Washington
- When
- February 8, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.604, -77.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Maryland, February 8, 1997
A winter storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow across all of central and northern Maryland on the 8th. Highest totals were observed in the northern and western suburbs of Washington and Baltimore, as well as in Allegany Co above 2000 feet.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 14
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.
A winter storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow across all of central and northern Maryland on the 8th. Highest totals were observed in the northern and western suburbs of Washington and Baltimore, as well as in Allegany Co above 2000 feet. Antecedent warm weather, combined with air temperatures at or just above freezing during the event, allowed roads to remain generally wet. However, icy spots developed late that afternoon and evening as temperatures fell well below freezing. The snow, which clung to everything, was aesthetically pleasing. However, the weight of the snow snapped numerous tree limbs and knocked others onto utility lines. At the peak of the storm, over 2000 Maryland and District PEPCO customers in the Washington metropolitan region were without electricity. Otherwise, public impact was minimal since the storm occurred on a Saturday.The storm resulted from the interaction of the subtropical jet stream, which provided a strong energy impulse to aid in lifting relatively warm humid air, with the polar jet stream, which provided enough low-level cold air to maintain wet snow rather than rain.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Frederick
- When
- February 8, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Frederick forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Carroll
- When
- February 8, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.563, -77.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Montgomery
- When
- February 8, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
Heavy Snow, Howard
- When
- February 8, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Howard forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Allegany
- When
- February 8, 3:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Allegany forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Northern Baltimore
- When
- February 8, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Baltimore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Harford
- When
- February 8, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Harford forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Southern Baltimore
- When
- February 8, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Baltimore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.367, -76.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Prince Georges
- When
- February 8, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Prince Georges forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.830, -76.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Charles
- When
- February 8, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Charles forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.474, -77.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Anne Arundel
- When
- February 8, 6:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Anne Arundel forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, St. Mary'S
- When
- February 8, 6:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- St. Mary'S forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.216, -76.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Calvert
- When
- February 8, 6:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Calvert forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.535, -76.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 8 to 9, 1997
- Winter Storm in Virginia, February 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Maryland, February 8, 1997
- Winter Storm in Maryland, February 8 to 9, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Delaware, February 8, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, February 8 to 10, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, February 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 8, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 8, 1997
More
Every storm in Maryland in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, February 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5590814, 5590815, 5590816, 5591006, 5591007, 5591008, 5591009, 5591010, 5591011, 5591012, 5591013, 5591014, 5591015, 5591016.