Winter Storm in District of Columbia
Every winter storm event the National Weather Service has filed in District of Columbia, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
The most significant on the map
The most significant winter storm episodes in District of Columbia.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 28
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $5,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 26, 2011A potent area of low pressure was located over the Tennessee Valley on the morning of Wednesday, January 26th. The warm front associated with the low triggered a period of mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 9 to 10, 2010A potent area of low pressure tracked through the Midwest on the 9th. As the low approached the Mid-Atlantic coast, this system phased with energy in the southern branch of the jet stream to cause strong low pressure to develop just off the Delmarva peninsula.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, March 9, 1999An area of low pressure moved from the Ohio Valley to North Carolina from late on the 8th through the evening of the 9th. The storm produced an unusual band of heavy snow that fell directly over the nation's capital and the western suburbs.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 25, 2000Low pressure off Cape Hatteras rapidly intensified late on the 24th and developed into a nor'easter which tracked northward along the Eastern Seaboard on the 25th.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 30, 2000Cold air was in place east of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the 29th and 30th, keeping surface temperatures below freezing.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, December 5, 2002Low pressure moved from North Carolina to the Delmarva Peninsula between midnight and 3 pm on the 5th. This storm produced accumulating snow across the region as it moved by. A total of 5 to 7 inches of snowfall was recorded across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 6 to 7, 2003Low pressure tracked from the Gulf Coast to the Carolinas on the 6th then off the Atlantic coast on the 7th. This storm dropped light to moderate snow between the evening of the 6th and Noon on the 7th. Five inches of accumulation was reported at the National Arboretum.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 14 to 18, 2003A complex storm system produced copious amounts of wintery precipitation across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area between the evening of the 14th and midday on the 18th.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 25 to 26, 2004An area of low pressure developed off the coast of North Carolina and tracked north. This storm produced widespread snow, sleet and freezing drizzle over the region. Four to five inches of snow fell in the District.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 24, 2005Low pressure formed over the gulf coast states and moved northeast off the Carolinas. This storm produced heavy snowfall across the region. Snow totals for this event ranged from 3-6 inches in Washington DC.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 13 to 14, 2007A low pressure system moved out of the Southern Plains and strengthened off the southeast coast February 12th through 14th, bringing accumulating wintry precipitation to Washington DC beginning during the afternoon and evening hours of February 12th and continued through the…
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 25, 2007A low pressure system developed over the high plains of eastern Colorado on February 23rd and pushed east to the Ohio Valley by February 25th.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, December 18 to 19, 2009A disturbance in the northern branch of the jet stream was able to phase with low pressure in the southern branch of the jet stream over the Southeast Coast on the night of the 18th.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, March 1 to 2, 2009A potent area of low pressure developed off the Southeast Coast on Sunday, March 1st. This system slowly moved up the Mid-Atlantic coast Sunday night tapping into plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Atlantic Ocean.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 27 to 28, 2009An area of low pressure tracked through the Tennessee Valley into the Ohio Valley on the 27th spreading precipitation across the District of Columbia.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 30 to 31, 2010An upper-level low passed through the Mid-Atlantic triggering snow on the 30th. The heaviest snow fell during the late morning and afternoon hours.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 5 to 6, 2010A potent area of low pressure strengthened over the central portion of the nation on the fifth of February. The storm system slowly moved through the Mid-Atlantic during the night of the 5th before redeveloping off the Mid-Atlantic coast on 6th.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 21 to 22, 2014A shortwave trough moved into the region while low pressure developed south of the Mid Atlantic. Upper level dynamics led to moderate to heavy snow to move into the region.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, March 16 to 17, 2014Two areas of low pressure formed south of the Mid Atlantic. Dry and cold air at the surface led to precipitation to quickly change to snow. Heavy snow fell across the region with a confined area of greater than 10 inches across the Central Foothills.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, March 3, 2014A cold front crossed the region as low pressure passed across the south of the Mid Atlantic and heavy snow moved across the region. Temperatures dropped from north to south and precipitation changed from rain to sleet/freezing rain to snow.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 12 to 13, 2014Low pressure moved up the east coast and approached the Mid Atlantic. High pressure was located across New England and fed cold air into the region.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, February 16 to 17, 2015A surface low formed over Texas, then quickly moved east during the day and overnight, pushing off the Carolina coast by the morning of the 17th. A very cold airmass in place from retreating Arctic high pressure resulted in higher than average snow ratios, between 12:1 and 15:1.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, March 5, 2015A cold front brought widespread heavy snow to the area with a strong convergence zone aligning across northern Virginia into eastern Maryland resulting in mesoscale banding and higher snow totals.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 12 to 13, 2019A low pressure system developed across the south central United States during the daylight hours of January 12th as high pressure was positioned over the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.
- Winter Storm in District of Columbia, January 3, 2022Low pressure tracked along a cold front and intensified while doing so, bringing a period of snow to Washington DC. Snowfall was locally heavy, and it totaled up to around 6 to 10 inches.
More
Winter Storm everywhereEvery kind of event in District of Columbia
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 2026-09-24.