US States Historic Snow Depths

[Dan]

Don't know if anyone caught this.  This was on the weather,com as a slide show, thought it was pretty interesting.   I put all the states in one list instead of moving through the slideshow.   (I don't know where TWC got this specifically.)

 

This is the all time snow depth records for every state.

 

Here is the list from 1 to 50:

 

 

1.   California:  451"  -- Tamarack --  March 11, 1911

2.   Washington: 367"  -- Paradise Ranger Station -- March 9-10, 1956

3.   Nevada:   271"  -- West of Carson City -- March 12-13, 1911

4.   Oregon:  252"  -- Crater Lake National Park -- April 3, 1983

5.   Colorado:  251"  -- Wolf Creek Pass -- March 31, 1979

6.   Alaska:  192"  -- Valdez -- March 7 & April 11, 2008

7.   Idaho:  182"  -- Mullan Pass -- February 20 & 22, 1954

8.   Utah:  179"  -- Alta -- April 5 & 7, 1958

9.   New Hampshire:  164"  -- Pinkham Notch -- Feb 27, 1969

10. Vermont:  149"  -- Mount Mansfield -- April 2, 1969

11. Montana:  147"  -- Glacier National Park -- February 18, 1975

12. Wyoming:  128"  -- Grassy Lake Dam -- February 4, 1943

13. New York:  119"  -- Whiteface Mountain -- April 20, 1943

14. Michigan:  117"  -- Eagle Harbor -- January 27-31, 1948

15. New Mexico:  96"  -- Valle Grande -- March 15, 1941

16. Arizona:  91" -- Hawley Lake -- December 21, 1967

17. Minnesota:  88"  -- Meadowlands -- February 15-21, 1969

18. Maine:  84"  -- Farmington -- February 28, 1969

19. Wisconsin:  83"  -- Flambeau Reservoir -- April 6, 1933

20. South Dakota:  73"  -- Lead -- March 1, 1988

21. North Dakota:  65"  -- Berlin -- March 12, 1897

22. Tennessee:  63" -- Mount Le Conte -- March 14-15, 1993

23. Massachusetts:  62"  -- Great Barrington -- January 13, 1996

23. West Virginia:  62"  -- Snowshoe -- March 8, 1978

25. Pennsylvania: 60" -- Gouldsboro -- March 22-23, 1958

26. Connecticut:  55" -- Norfolk -- February 5, 1961

27. Maryland: 54" -- Frostburg -- March 15, 1993

28. Iowa:  52"  -- Lake Park -- February 28 & March 1, 1969

28. New Jersey:  52"  -- Canistear Reservoir -- February 5, 1961

30. North Carolina:  50"  -- Mount Mitchell --- March 14, 1993

31. Virginia:  47"  -- Big Meadows -- January 7, 1996

31. Ohio:  47"  -- Chardon -- November 14, 1996

31. Indiana: 47"  -- Hammond -- January 28, 1918

34. Nebraska:  44"  -- Fremont -- February 16, 1936

35. Rhode Island:  42"  -- North Foster -- February 7, 1978

36. Illinois:  41"  -- Gebhard Woods State Park -- Jan 31, 1979 -- Astoria -- February 28, 1900

37. Kansas:  40"  -- Syracuse -- December 31, 1918

38. Oklahoma:  36"  -- Buffalo -- February 22, 1971

38. Missouri:  36"  -- Union -- March 19-20, 1960

40. Texas:  33"  -- Vega -- February 7, 1956

41. Kentucky:  31"  -- La Grange -- January 20, 1978

42. South Carolina:  29"  -- Caesars Head -- February 18, 1969

43. Arkansas:  26"  -- Calico Rock -- January 22, 1918

44. Delaware: 25"  -- New Castle County Airport -- February 18, 2003

45. Louisana:  24"  -- Rayne --  February 15, 1895

46. Alabama:  22"  -- Reform -- January 24, 1940

47. Georgia:  18"  -- Chatsworth -- March 13, 1993

47. Mississippi: 18" -- Mount Pleasant -- December 23, 1963

49. Hawaii:  5"  -- Haleakala -- April 6, 1938

50. Florida:  4"  -- Milton -- March 6, 1954

 

 

[SlantStick]

Fun little read. 1969 seems like a great year.

[Cold Miser]

I am assuming these are from single storms?

 

 

[OceanStWx]

I am assuming these are from single storms?

 

These are the greatest snow depths. February 1969 Farmington, ME started the month with 32 on the ground, finished with 84" on the ground thanks to 2 days with 10" of snowfall and another 40" storm to end the month.

[dryslot]

These are the greatest snow depths. February 1969 Farmington, ME started the month with 32 on the ground, finished with 84" on the ground thanks to 2 days with 10" of snowfall and another 40" storm to end the month.

 

Feb 1969 was a great month for snow, I did not have much school that month............

[codfishsnowman]

northern delaware seems low to me...with some of the mega blizzards in the mid atlantic no one ever had a depth over 26 inches??

[radarman]

What's most surprising about the MA record is that it's in mid-Jan.  I'd think it would be like end of Feb up near 2K.

[Cold Miser]

I like how all states are represented.

 

Pretty awesome stuff.

[Cold Miser]

These are the greatest snow depths. February 1969 Farmington, ME started the month with 32 on the ground, finished with 84" on the ground thanks to 2 days with 10" of snowfall and another 40" storm to end the month.

Yeah, I had seasonal averages in my mind for some reason.  My bad.

 

Also, I could have sworn there was a lake effect period in NYS a few years back where there was over 10 feet on the ground at one point from a series of storms during a few week period.

[IrishRob17]

Yeah, I had seasonal averages in my mind for some reason.  My bad.

 

Also, I could have sworn there was a lake effect period in NYS a few years back where there was over 10 feet on the ground at one point from a series of storms during a few week period.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=2869281&page=1

 

Feb 2007 they had that much snowfall but it dind't translate into actual snow depth.

[Midlo Snow Maker]

Thanks for posting this interesting stuff

[CapturedNature]

I'm actually surprised by the Hawaii record - that one seems low to me.  I thought they got more snow than that on the highest summits.  That Maine number seems low too - out of whack with NY, VT & NH.

[wackymann]

As a former upstate NY resident, I love that both Syracuse (Kansas) and Buffalo (Oklahoma) made the list...

[dan11295]

Can pick out a few storms that were (largely or completely) responsible for some of these records. Feb '69 in Northern New England and March '93 are obvious examples.

[tamarack]

These are the greatest snow depths. February 1969 Farmington, ME started the month with 32 on the ground, finished with 84" on the ground thanks to 2 days with 10" of snowfall and another 40" storm to end the month.

Farmington entered that 43" storm with 41" OG (reached 84" on 2/28) and depth increased exactly with recorded snowfall, which usually warrants suspicion.  However, the recorded depth decreased at a rate very logical with the ongoing wx, not dropping under 70" until 3/13, or below 50" until 3/24.  It's still an amazing number, and I'm surprised that Long Falls Dam, which got 56" from the late Feb dump, didn't amass a higher snowpack.  Their records are incomplete, but show 56" on 3/3, at which time Farmington still had 77".  Maine's 2nd highest official snow depth appears to be in Jackman, 75" at the end of the 3/93 superstorm.  However, on 3/15/1984, I measured 80" in the woods on Big 20 Twp, a couple miles south of Estcourt Station at the state's northern tip.  This was about 12 hr after the end of a 25-30" snowstorm, so had probably settled a few inches.  (Had 65" at 9 the previous evening at my home in Fort Kent.  I'd guess that both places had deeper snowpack in March, 2008, though FK's official site recorded a few inches less in '08 than '84.)

Pinkham Notch's monster snowpack came from a huge winter-long dumping plus getting 77" from the late Feb event.

 

I'm actually surprised by the Hawaii record - that one seems low to me. I thought they got more snow than that on the highest summits. That Maine number seems low too - out of whack with NY, VT & NH.

 

 

NY,VT,NH records are at higher elevations, especaially the first two, at over 3,500'.  Pinkham is just above 2,000', but can get wonderful orographic enhancement sitting between Wildcat and MWN.  Maine has no long-term records for any place higher than about 1,700', and the Farmington observation was at 420'. 

 

[loafnut]

NY,VT,NH records are at higher elevations, especaially the first two, at over 3,500'.  Pinkham is just above 2,000', but can get wonderful orographic enhancement sitting between Wildcat and MWN.  Maine has no long-term records for any place higher than about 1,700', and the Farmington observation was at 420'. 

 

 

Indeed.  The NY and VT records are essentially on mountains, and Pinkham might as well be with that location.  There is no comparable station in Maine.  Farmington is pretty much just a town in the foothills, not even known as a particularly snowy location for the region.  Maine seems to have a lower density of observation locations, probably due to the lower population density.  

 

If there were a station say... at Chimney pond near Katahdin, I would say the record would be much deeper.

[MN Transplant]

Feb 1969 was a great month for snow, I did not have much school that month............

 

NWS service assessment for the Northern Plains in 1969.  I feel pg. 28 is begging for a photoshop contest.

 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/Snow%201969.pdf

[tamarack]

Indeed.  The NY and VT records are essentially on mountains, and Pinkham might as well be with that location.  There is no comparable station in Maine.  Farmington is pretty much just a town in the foothills, not even known as a particularly snowy location for the region.  Maine seems to have a lower density of observation locations, probably due to the lower population density.  

 

If there were a station say... at Chimney pond near Katahdin, I would say the record would be much deeper.

 

I'd start with somewhere well up on Sugarloaf, where there's already infrastructure (though a dream of obs from, say, Thoreau Spring up near 5,000' is interesting.)  Several decades ago, Yankee magazine had an article comparing MWN's climate with conjecture of that for Katahdin.  Their guess was that MWN would be windier and probably colder, but Katahdin wetter - meaning, snowier.  Who knows?

[weatherMA]

Deleware must be low...09-10 probably broke that record. And the North Foster one in RI was probably almost beaten 10-11". Probably 5" or so short?

[loafnut]

I'd start with somewhere well up on Sugarloaf, where there's already infrastructure (though a dream of obs from, say, Thoreau Spring up near 5,000' is interesting.)  Several decades ago, Yankee magazine had an article comparing MWN's climate with conjecture of that for Katahdin.  Their guess was that MWN would be windier and probably colder, but Katahdin wetter - meaning, snowier.  Who knows?

 

Yea, high up on Sugarloaf would be a good one, and a dream obs from Thoreau Spring would be epic.  There is a year round ranger at Chimney Pond though.  Wouldn't be too tough to add a snow stake there.  Another interesting spot would be near where 27 crosses the Canadian border.  Chain of ponds area.  There always seems to be a ton of snow up there, and up on some of the surrounding mountains (Snow mountain sounds like a likely spot!) I suspect the snowpack gets pretty deep.

[ice1972]

Lol.....I see my home state represents with the number one spot at 451" at Tamarak, CA.....Jesus....37.58 feet....WTF? This area scores well in CA....south of Tahoe and north of Mammoth.....epic amounts of snow...my 27" i got in the blizzard three weeks ago is pedestrian for out there.....completely different world

[bch2014]

I know for a fact that ski areas like Alta and Snowbird have had bases of over 200" and Taos Ski Valley has had a base over 100", is that not counted?

[masomenos]

I know for a fact that ski areas like Alta and Snowbird have had bases of over 200" and Taos Ski Valley has had a base over 100", is that not counted?

I'm pretty sure they only go by naturally settled snowfall. That Whiteface amount makes me a little hesitant to be 100%, though. Cool stats overall, but can't really say that they have a whole lot of substance to them...especially the older ones. There are way too many variables that impede a nice clean snow depth measurement.

[Chris L]

northern delaware seems low to me...with some of the mega blizzards in the mid atlantic no one ever had a depth over 26 inches??

 

 

It is too low.

 

I recall in Feb '10 parts of DE had over 30+ in depth. Probably old; note they haven't update it often.

[NECT]

Yea, high up on Sugarloaf would be a good one, and a dream obs from Thoreau Spring would be epic.  There is a year round ranger at Chimney Pond though.  Wouldn't be too tough to add a snow stake there.  Another interesting spot would be near where 27 crosses the Canadian border.  Chain of ponds area.  There always seems to be a ton of snow up there, and up on some of the surrounding mountains (Snow mountain sounds like a likely spot!) I suspect the snowpack gets pretty deep.

I'm guessing they only use official reporting stations. If Farmington had 84" otg, chances are up in the mountains there was more.