Major Snowstorms Since 1900

669 snowstorms ranked, 1900 to 2026

Every snowstorm NOAA has ranked on its Regional Snowfall Index, from the storm of February 26, 1900 to the most recent winter, with its category in each region and what the Weather Service filed during it.

The worst on record

By the highest index any region gave the storm.

The Great Blizzard of 1978 (The Cleveland Superbomb)Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Upper Midwest
The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Ohio Valley
The snowstorm of April 10 to 15, 1927Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
The snowstorm of February 22 to 28, 1969Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northeast
The snowstorm of February 18 to 22, 1921Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the South
The snowstorm of October 31 to November 4, 1991Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Upper Midwest
The snowstorm of February 7 to 15, 1985Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Upper Midwest
The snowstorm of March 14 to 17, 2026Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Upper Midwest
The Blizzard of 1996Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Southeast · 25 deaths filed
The snowstorm of April 25 to 28, 1984Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
Superstorm of 1993 (Storm of the Century)Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Ohio Valley
The snowstorm of February 27 to March 3, 1927Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Southeast
The snowstorm of January 5 to 9, 1988Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the South
The snowstorm of November 28 to December 2, 1985Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Upper Midwest
The snowstorm of November 21 to 29, 1993Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
The Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Ohio Valley · 64 deaths filed
The snowstorm of January 19 to 26, 1943Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
The snowstorm of December 19 to 24, 1929Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the South
The snowstorm of April 15 to 19, 1920Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
The snowstorm of February 28 to March 6, 1966Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
The snowstorm of December 22 to 29, 2009Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains · 31 deaths filed
The snowstorm of February 19 to 24, 1971Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the South
The Knickerbocker StormCategory 5, Extreme · strongest in the Southeast
Blizzard of 1978Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Northeast
The snowstorm of January 21 to 24, 1940Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Southeast
The Chicago Blizzard of 1967Category 5, Extreme · strongest in the Ohio Valley
The snowstorm of February 21 to March 1, 2010Category 4, Crippling · strongest in the Northeast · 6 deaths filed
The snowstorm of January 22 to 24, 2016Category 4, Crippling · strongest in the Northeast · 39 deaths filed
The snowstorm of March 2 to 8, 1915Category 4, Crippling · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains
The snowstorm of April 3 to 6, 1955Category 4, Crippling · strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains

Major storms each year

Category 3 or higher in at least one region. Winters are counted by the year each storm began.

What the index is

The Regional Snowfall Index is NOAA’s ranking of snowstorms east of the Rockies by how much snow fell, over how wide an area and on how many people, region by region: the area and the population above four snowfall thresholds set for each region, weighted against that region’s own history. A storm is scored in each region it reached, on a scale from 1, notable, to 5, extreme.

The 2020s

The 2010s

The 2000s

The 1990s

The 1980s

The 1970s

The 1960s

The 1950s

The 1940s

The 1930s

The 1920s

The 1910s

The 1900s

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Regional Snowfall Index (file c20260615), after Squires, Lawrimore, Heim, Robinson, Gerbush and Estilow (2014). Storm descriptions for named storms are NCEI’s own. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.