Top 5 snowiest days on record for Albany

blizzard 1888 Pearl Street Albany

A scene from Pearl Street, near Maiden Lane after the all-time record day.

For no reason whatsoever... OK, there's a reason. You might be able to guess.

The question of the snowiest day ever came up Monday after the snowstorm broke the snowfall record for February 2, with 11.8 inches of snow and counting. The old record for the date had been 5.5 inches, set in 1892.

So, without further ado, here are the top 5 snowiest days on record for Albany...

5. December 25, 2002 - 19.2 inches
You might remember this -- it was the year there were two big snowstorms right before Christmas and about a week later. Each dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the Albany area.

4. November 25, 1971 - 21.8 inches
The Thanksgiving snow storm, it started on Wednesday and continued through Thanksgiving Day. Albany got more than 22 inches total, and some areas reported 30 inches from the storm.

3. March 13, 1993 - 22 inches
The "Great Blizzard of 1993", AKA, "The Storm of the Century." A huge coastal storm dropped snow over an enormous section of the eastern United States. Albany got 26.6 inches from the storm, the second-highest snowstorm total on record.

2. February 14, 1914 - 23.5 inches
The sixth biggest snowstorm on record for Albany, with 23.5 inches total -- all in one day, according to the record book.

1. March 12, 1888 - 30.4 inches
The famous Great Blizzard of 1888. This Nor'easter dumped enormous amounts of snow in the Northeast. Albany got 46.7 inches of snow over the course of the three-day storm, by far the highest storm total on record (it's not even close). The storm also contributed to the second-snowiest winter on record for Albany, with 110 inches (yep, almost half from just one storm).

Numbers via NWS Albany.

photo: "27 N. Pearl, Blizzard of '88," from the Morris Gerber Collection via the Albany Institute of History and Art.

Comments

I remember the winter of 2002-03 very well...my daughter was born in January 2003. Not only did it snow a lot, but it was very, very cold. The day we brought her home from the hospital, the wind chill was something like -20F.

I remember the Blizzard of '93! Probably the most fun I had in the snow during my childhood.

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