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It could always be worse: A look back at Boston’s biggest snowstorms

Melissa August 4th
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 29: People walk toward the George Washington statue in the Boston Public Garden during white-out conditions as Winter Storm Kenan bears down on January 29, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. A powerful nor'easter brought blinding blizzard conditions with high winds causing widespread power outages to much of the Mid-Atlantic and New England coast. The storm is predicted to drop over 2 feet of snow in some areas. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Today starts the first of several days where the heat will be oppressive. Although it’s not just the heat, it’s more so the humidity that will ruin many people’s weekend. It makes you think: Which would you rather suffer though? 100 degrees and extreme humidity OR shoveling several feet of snow during a blizzard? It depends on the person. Ramiro and Leroy of The Getup Crew LOVE the heat. They prefer this type of humidity over cold. Melissa on the other hand, loves the cold. She’d much rather sit through a blizzard than having to endure humidity.

This made us think. Instead of being miserable, knowing that we’re about to get slammed with heat this weekend, let’s revisit some of the biggest snow days in the history of the city. This would make us appreciate what we have rather than wishing the summer away. The National Weather Service has been tracking weather since 1891 so we have a lot of data to sift through. But thanks to our friends at WCVB, they’ve tracked down the biggest snowfalls in the city. You can scroll down to view the entire list or you can CLICK HERE.

  • Jan. 20-21, 1978: 21.4 inches

    Not quite the blizzard of ’78, but this one was also bad

    44 years ago: Historic Blizzard of '78 hits Boston

    The Blizzard of 1978, a historic storm against which all others in Boston and Massachusetts are measured, happened 44 years ago.The iconic blizzard first hit the Northeast on Feb. 6, 1978, and stretched into the next day.

  • Feb. 9, 2015: 22.2 inches

    Remember February 2015? We were walloped with snow weekend after weekend. On this day, more record snowfall came and streets were crippled.

    Snowstorm wallops Boston with 20 more inches; records fall

    The third major storm in two weeks blasted a wide swath of beleaguered New England with more than 2 feet of snow Monday, again smashing records and paralyzing travel in hard-hit Boston. After setting a seven-day snow record last week, Boston had 22 inches of fresh snow, and the storm was forecast to last into Tuesday in some areas.

  • Jan. 22-23, 2005: 22.5 inches

    At this  point in time, this was the fifth worst blizzard to have hit Boston.

    Record Blizzard Buries U.S. Northeast

    This page contains archived content and is no longer being updated. At the time of publication, it represented the best available science. After two days of blustery weather, the skies cleared over Massachusetts on January 24, 2005. Along with other northeastern U.S.

  • Feb. 16-17, 2003: 23.6 inches

    This was 2003 , the President’s Day blizzard which brought over 23 inches to the city

    Pcbs6albany.com: President's Day Major Snow Storm, Feb 17, 2003

    It was the "Presidents Day Blizzard" for New York City and Boston and a record breaking, crippling snow storm for Washington D.C., Baltimore, MD, and Philadelphia, PA. When compared to the amount of snow and overall impact the storm had in the big east coast cities to what happened in the Capital Region, you could accurately say that a glancing blow was delivered to this region.

  • Jan. 28-29, 2022: 23.8 inches

    This was just a few months ago. Who can forget the blizzard of ’22?

    Blizzard Of 2022 Snow Totals - Who Got The Most?

    CBS Boston BOSTON (CBS) - Massachusetts had its first blizzard in four years Saturday. Here are the latest snowfall totals from the National Weather Service, Rob Macedo, the SKYWARN Coordinator for the National Weather Service in Taunton, and WBZ-TV Weather Watchers.

  • Jan. 26-27, 2015: 24.6 inches

    Another record breaking storm, this one in 2015

    'Blizzard Of 2015' Was Boston's 6th-Biggest Snowstorm

    Tuesday's massive snowstorm is officially among Boston's biggest ever recorded after dumping 24.6 inches of snow on the city, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is now Boston's sixth-largest snowstorm ever. It falls just behind the February 2013 blizzard, which brought 24.9 inches of snow. Tuesday's storm took over the No.

  • Feb. 8-9, 2013: 24.9 inches

    Boston snow accumulation lands 'Winter Storm Nemo' blizzard of 2013 in top 10 winter storms - Boston Business Journal

    Winter Storm Nemo snow accumulation reached 24.9 inches in Boston - an impressive total that still left a significant margin for the record-holder, a January 2003 snowstorm that dropped 27.6 inches of snow on Boston. The famous blizzard of 78, with its 27.1 inches of snow, still ranks No.

  • March 31-April 1, 1997: 25.4 inches

    This storm made it Boston’s snowiest April ever.

    Recalling the April Fool's Day Blizzard of 1997

    This Friday, April 1, will mark the 25th anniversary of the great April Fool's Day blizzard of 1997. As often is the case when a major storm strikes, the forecasters had not predicted the extreme severity of the storm.

  • Feb. 6-7, 1978: 27.1 inches

    Considered the storm of the century, it was quickly knows as the Blizzard of ’78

    http://www.celebrateboston.com/disasters/blizzard-of-1978.htm#:~:text=A%20Buried%20Street%20in%20East,coast%2C%20the%20tides%20were%20devastating.

  • Feb. 17-18, 2003: 27.6 inches

    As of today, this is still considered Boston’s biggest storm ever!

    14 years later: Boston's biggest blizzard

    The Blizzard of 2003, also known as the Presidents' Day Storm, was a historical and record-breaking snowstorm all along the East Coast.

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