Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, right? But for how long, though? One foot of accumulated snow will suffice for a lot of fun games outside, but this is not a realistic expectation nowadays, at least not on a regular basis. A new snowstorm will blanket the U.S. from California to Maine–a 2,500 mile stretch.
Total snowfall has decreased in many parts of North America, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One reason why is changes in precipitation — more is coming in the form of rain due to climate change. One exception is the Great Lakes region, which now gets more snow than in the past. This is because for every degree rise in Fahrenheit the atmosphere can hold 4% more water. The longer the lakes don’t freeze, the more evaporation there is, leading to possibly more lake-effect snow.
The amount of snow in urban areas may be diminishing, but overall snowfall may not be trending down so significantly — it just comes in longer stretches, over a period of several days. This was not always the case.
Records date back to 1872, when Kings County, or Brooklyn, got 27 inches, or more than 2 feet of snow, in just one day.
This may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. Imagine getting 6 feet and 4 inches in 24 hours, which occurred in Boulder County, Colorado in 1921. This is the largest single-day snowfall on record. It’s enough to bury you.
Maybe you don’t have to worry. Until about half a century ago, it was normal during a typical winter for more than 50 inches of snow to fall on at least one day – two exceptions are in Oregon in 2009 and Montana in 2006. Over the last decade, record single-day snowfall has exceeded 50 inches only once.
The popular and longest continuously-running periodical in North America, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, predicts that the 2018-2019 winter season will be warmer than usual, except in the Southwest. It’ll be cold, but not frigid.
To determine the county with the most snowfall in recorded history in every state, 24/7 Wall St. looked at data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Alabama: Etowah County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 8 inches
> Date: March 13, 1993
Alaska: Valdez-Cordova Census Area
> 1-day record: 5 feet and 2 inches
> Date: December 29, 1955
Arizona: Coconino County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 6 inches
> Date: January 21, 2010
Arkansas: Clay County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 1 inch
> Date: January 22, 1918
California: Yuba County
> 1-day record: 6 feet and 3 inches
> Date: January 14, 1952
Colorado: Boulder County
> 1-day record: 6 feet and 4 inches
> Date: April 15, 1921
Connecticut: New Haven County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: February 9, 2013
Delaware: Kent County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 1 inch
> Date: February 19, 1979
Florida: Santa Rosa County
> 1-day record: 4 inches
> Date: March 6, 1954
Georgia: Murray County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 8 inches
> Date: March 14, 1993
Hawaii: Maui County
> 1-day record: 6.5 inches
> Date: February 2, 1936
Idaho: Benewah County
> 1-day record: 5 feet
> Date: January 22, 1982
The Gem State tied its own record the following year — in the spring.
Idaho: Owyhee County
> 1-day record: 5 feet
> Date: May 2, 1983
Illinois: Adams County
> 1-day record: 2 feet
> Date: February 28, 1900
Indiana: St. Joseph County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 2 inches
> Date: January 8, 2011
Iowa: Taylor County
> 1-day record: 2 feet
> Date: April 20, 1918
Kansas: Pratt County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: March 28, 2009
Kentucky: Pike County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 2 inches
> Date: March 3, 1942
Louisiana: Terrebonne Parish
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 4 inches
> Date: February 15, 1895
Maine: Franklin County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 6 inches
> Date: December 22, 2008
Maryland: Garrett County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: February 6, 2010
Massachusetts: Worcester County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 8 inches
> Date: January 27, 2015
Michigan: Ontonagon County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 9 inches
> Date: March 13, 2006
Minnesota: Lake County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: January 7, 1994
Mississippi: Marshall County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 6 inches
> Date: December 23, 1963
Missouri: Bates County
> 1-day record: 2 feet
> Date: February 2, 2011
Montana: Lewis and Clark County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 4 inches
> Date: March 9, 2006
Nebraska: Banner County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: December 14, 1925
Nevada: Douglas County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 9 inches
> Date: April 4, 1958
New Hampshire: Coos County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 1 inch
> Date: February 25, 1969
New Jersey: Somerset County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: January 23, 2016
New Mexico: Socorro County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 5 inches
> Date: February 3, 1964
New York: Oneida County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 2 inches
> Date: February 1, 1966
North Carolina: Yancey County
> 1-day record: 3 feet
> Date: March 13, 1993
North Dakota: Ward County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 3 inches
> Date: April 27, 1984
Ohio: Trumbull County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: April 20, 1901
Oklahoma: Woodward County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: February 23, 1971
Oregon: Malheur County
> 1-day record: 5 feet
> Date: April 8, 2009
Pennsylvania: Wayne County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 5 inches
> Date: February 16, 1958
Rhode Island: Providence County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: February 7, 1978
South Carolina: Sumter County
> 1-day record: 1 foot and 9 inches
> Date: February 9, 1973
South Dakota: Lawrence County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 4 inches
> Date: March 14, 1973
Tennessee: Sevier County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 6 inches
> Date: March 14, 1993
Texas: Lipscomb County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 1 inch
> Date: March 28, 2009
Utah: Salt Lake County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 2 inches
> Date: December 2, 1982
Vermont: Orleans County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 6 inches
> Date: February 5, 1995
Virginia: Loudoun County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 1 inch
> Date: January 24, 2016
Washington: Pierce County
> 1-day record: 5 feet and 10 inches
> Date: November 26, 1955
West Virginia: Preston County
> 1-day record: 3 feet and 1 inch
> Date: February 21, 2003
Wisconsin: Iron County
> 1-day record: 2 feet and 2 inches
> Date: March 13, 2006
Wyoming: Johnson County
> 1-day record: 4 feet and 1 inch
> Date: March 21, 1924