The Greatest Snow Depth Ever Recorded Was Taller Than a 3-Story Building!

Most people are familiar with world records for sports and other feats. However, various government agencies also track records for weather! By looking at the trends in weather, we can determine things about our environment. Part of that is keeping track of extreme weather conditions like record temperatures and snowfall. Most countries track their weather independently rather than on a world scale. The climate changes greatly between countries and even areas of a single country can have vastly different climates. So, what are the extreme weather records for the United States? The National Climate Extremes Committee keeps track of all the major weather records for the United States. They've even published their findings! Let's look at those records and see the most extreme weather the United States has ever experienced.

To populate this list, we looked at information from the National Climate Extremes Committee. Then, we cross-referenced their information with news and other sources to ensure we had the most recent records as some websites are not updated as frequently as they should be. The information from the National Climate Extremes Committee included the location where the record was reached. Thus, it was relatively simple to cross-check the information with local news. We looked at the previous records as well to see what the trends in the changing weather are and looked at peer-reviewed studies on climate extremes to see if these records have any implications for the future that readers should be aware of.

Death Valley is a complex national park zone in Eastern California. Located in the Mojave Desert, it's known for being the hottest, driest place in the United States, particularly during American summers. More than a century ago on July 10, 1913, the world record for the hottest temperature ever recorded was set in Death Valley, specifically in Greenland Ranch, California, and it was 134° Fahrenheit, or 56.7° Celsius. While the record has been matched twice, in 2020 and 2021, no day has ever breached the record of 134° F.

Some dispute the Death Valley record, claiming that the reading at the time was off and the real temperature was 130° Fahrenheit, not 134. However, the National Climate Extremes Committee has retained the record for Death Valley at 134° Fahrenheit.

The record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in the United States was -80° Fahrenheit or around -62.2° Celsius. It was recorded in Prospect Creek, Alaska on January 23, 1971. The official temperature recorded was -79.8° Fahrenheit. However, it was rounded down to the nearest degree of -80. It's been 50 years since that cold day in Alaska. However, no other area in the United States has managed to beat the record since then. Even other areas of Alaska haven't managed to get there. Most American states are too far south to reach temperatures that low, even if they have more severe winters like those in the Continental Northeast.

The temperature for that day and the next few days in the area was extremely low. The high temperature for the day was -64° Fahrenheit; that was the predicted high temperature. A nearby river reached a low temperature of -25° Fahrenheit for more than a month straight. During these days, ice fog was a huge problem. Ice fog occurs when hot air from a source like a car exhaust hits a surface so cold that it can't dissolve it and instead crystallizes it.

The greatest-ever change in temperature over 24 hours occurred in 1972 in Loma, Montana. From January 14-15 of that year, the temperature in one area changed by over 100 degrees (103 degrees to be exact) — from -54° Fahrenheit to 49° Fahrenheit — in just 24 hours. The previous record was also recorded in Montana. From January 23–24, 1916, the temperature in Browning, Montana changed by 100 degrees, just 3 degrees shy of the new record.

Loma, Montana's record for the greatest recorded change in temperature was not validated and accepted until 2002. This discrepancy is largely not due to an inability to verify the records. Rather, the chapter of the National Weather Service that recorded the new record was unaware that a new record had occurred. Thus, they didn't think to report it for validation. In 2002, the record was discovered, validated, and accepted by the National Climate Extremes Committee (NCEC) and added to their list of records.

It might surprise you that the highest recorded snowfall over 24 hours did not occur in the northern parts of America. It actually happened in Silver Lake, Colorado from April 14–15, 1921. Additionally, it didn't stop snowing after 24 hours! The weather kept up for at least three more hours post-record period, totaling 87 inches of snow in 27 1/2 hours. Such a high amount of snow would be meteorologically impossible for some areas, leading to some dispute over whether the record was valid and accurately measured. A peer review of the record showed that it was, at a minimum, meteorologically possible for that much snow to fall in that area. Further investigation into the measurements validated them, and the record was accepted.

A new record of 77 inches over 24 hours in Montague, New York was submitted later. However, peer review to validate the record showed that proper climatological guidelines were not followed in the recording of the reading. Thus, it was decided that the new record could not be verified and the Silver Lake, Colorado record remains intact for now.

It might also surprise you to know that the deepest snow depth ever recorded in the United States was also not in the northern areas. That record belongs to Tamarack, California, which recorded a total snow depth of 451 inches, or 37.5 feet. The record was achieved on March 11, 1911. Snowfall records have been sparse in recent years. The sources from Tamarack say that the area achieved record snowfall in January that year, which contributed to the exceptional snow depth at the time. Weather Underground reports that no snowfall records have been established since 2017.

PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 19: Elizabeth Marian Swaney of Hungary competes during the Freestyle Skiing Ladies' Ski Halfpipe Qualification on day 10 of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park on February 19, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The record for the greatest seasonal snowfall—that means the snowfall over an entire year, recorded from July until June—is held by the Mt. Baker Ski Area in Washington State. From July 1998 until June 1999, the Mt. Baker Ski Area received 1,140 inches or 28, 956 millimeters of snow. This factoid won't be surprising to people who are familiar with the area. This ski resort enjoys the highest annual snowfall of any ski resort in America. Every year, they get around 641 inches of snow, making the area an excellent destination for winter sports. They even track their seasonal snowfall and publish the statistics!

Mt. Baker Ski Area's record-breaking snowfall was verified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They even have pictures of the NOAA employees inspecting their snowfall stake and verifying the record on their website!

We measure rainfall similar to snowfall, though using different methods due to the different states of matter. Like snowfall, we measure the amount of rain areas get and look at the different totals for seasons and 24-hour periods. The greatest rainfall in 24 hours ever achieved in the United States happened from April 14-15, 2018 in Waipā Garden, Kauai, Hawai'i. During that day, 49.69 inches of rain fell in the area. The previous record was set in Alvin, Texas, with a rainfall of 43 inches in January 1979.

The world record for the greatest 24-hour rainfall took place in the South Indian Ocean when Foc-Foc, La Réunion Island was hit by Tropical Storm Denise which dumped 71.8 inches of rain on the location from January 7, 1966, to January 8, 1966. Almost all 24-hour rain records that exceed 50 inches were during tropical storms, except for a notably dubious report from China which stated that the Inner Mongolia Province received 55 inches of rain on August 1, 1977.

Another record set in Hawai'i is the one for greatest annual rainfall. In Kukui, Hawai'i, 704.83 inches of rain fell in 1982, the most ever recorded in the United States. Hawai'i holds many rain-related records. In 1902, the area of Kukaiau, Hamakua, Hawai'i set the records for the highest 4-day and 8-day rainfalls, with 62 inches between February 27, 1902, and March 2, 1902, and 82 inches of rain between February 27, 1902, and March 6, 1902. This record is also the second largest in the world not related to a tropical cyclone.

You can spot chuckwalla, desert bighorn sheep, ravens, ground squirrels, and lizards at Death Valley National Park

Remember how we said that Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in the United States during the summer? We meant it. In Death Valley in 1929, the area received exactly 0 inches of rain. This record isn't unique to Death Valley. There have been other areas in the world that received no rain for an entire year. However, Death Valley is the most recent area in the United States to achieve the record. However, a dry climate is normal for deserts like the Mojave Desert which houses Death Valley. Desert land is different from temperate climate zones.

Desert ground is not as permeable as the ground in temperate zones. So, water just runs off the top of the ground instead of being absorbed. So, while 0.0 inches of rain the entire year is certainly notable, too much rain could be devastatingly dangerous to the area, too. As much as 1 inch of rain can flood a desert, compared to temperate zones which start flooding at 3 or 4 inches of rain.

How long do you think you could go without rain? What would be affected? Would your plants be okay? Could your area's infrastructure cope? The citizens of Bagdad, California went over 700 days without rain. The exact record is 767 days. That's a little over two years. From October 3, 1912, until November 8, 1914, the city of Bagdad received no rain at all. This record has been intact since then.

The town of Bagdad, California is now a ghost town, with no residents to its name. The town was founded as a mining town in the late 1800s. It was a thriving town until it was bypassed by the Interstate 40 highway. The highway took valuable travelers and business from the town, and residents soon started moving out to settlements that could support a family. The town was eventually razed in 1991. All the remaining buildings were destroyed. Thus, there is little evidence of the town's existence remaining.

A TV show set in Bagdad, California aired for one season before being canceled. It featured a fictional café known as Bagdad Café.

On April 12, 1934, in Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, home of some of the world's most severe weather, a gust of wind measuring 231 miles per hour was clocked. The event was notable and the town of Mt. Washington continues to celebrate the gust every year. Each year on April 12th, the city celebrates "Big Wind Day" a celebration of that historic gust of wind.

The town of Mt. Washington sits 6,300 feet above sea level, much lower than many other mountain areas, even in the United States. However, the town experiences upward slope winds that can't compare to the other areas. These winds cause increased wind speeds, creating a wind tunnel effect. Winds blowing more than 50–100 miles per hour faster than lower elevation areas like Mt. Washington are normal at the observatory located in the town. Due to the high winds, Mt. Washington also holds the record for the lowest recorded wind chill with a low record of -108° Fahrenheit.

Over ten years ago now, on July 23, 2010, portions of central South Dakota were being plagued by thunderstorms. As many people know, thunderstorms are often a precursor for hail activity in an area. One area hit particularly hard by the thunderstorms was the town of Vivian, South Dakota, which was in the supercell that had enveloped the area. The town experienced thunderstorms, extreme wind, destructive hail, and even a brief tornado.

After the event, weather specialists uncovered a record-setting hailstone in Vivian. This chunk was eight inches in diameter, 18.625 inches in circumference, and weighed just shy of two pounds. Officials from weather.gov note that the hailstone had already undergone melting and sublimation when it was found, and that many hailstones with diameters of at least 6.0 inches were found during the storm survey in Vivian. The 8-inch hailstone broke the previous record for the largest hailstone discovered in America, which was previously held by a stone found in Aurora, Nebraska, and had a 7.0-inch diameter.

The heaviest hailstone ever found was also the aforementioned one from Vivian, South Dakota. Hail is formed when raindrops are carried upward through a storm cloud via updrafts. The water droplets are carried into very cold parts of the atmosphere where they freeze. They grow in size when more water droplets are carried up and land on the surface of the hailstone, freezing to the surface. The hail will fall from the cloud when the cloud's updraft can no longer support the weight of the ball of ice. This can happen when the updraft weakens or when the hailstone becomes too heavy.

A two-pound ball of ice falling from the sky is pretty interesting! The updraft that was holding it in the cloud must have been quite strong. Most hail falls well before it reaches one pound. So, imagining how strong the winds in that cloud must have been is some cool food for thought.

The largest hailstone ever recorded in terms of circumference (the distance around the perimeter of a circle or an ellipse) was recorded in Aurora, Nebraska. On June 22, 2003, a storm system developed over Nebraska, resulting in two tornadoes, the first tornado-related death in Nebraska since 1988, and hail that residents reported as being "the size of volleyballs." The statement is a little hyperbolic, but not by much. The hail in the area was indeed, almost the circumference of a volleyball. There were craters left in lawns as large as 12 inches in circumference and 3 inches deep.

The man who retrieved what would later become known as the largest hailstone in the world (holding two records until the one in South Dakota fell) was reported to have "risked his life" to get it. The statement is probably pretty accurate considering it seems 12-inch balls of solid ice were falling from the sky!

Barometric pressure is a measure of the weight of the air in the atmosphere being exerted on a location. The readings for barometric pressure will change constantly and vary simultaneously from location to location. Low barometric pressure can influence the human body. When the barometric pressure is low, the air puts less pressure on the tissues in the body, allowing them to expand. The expanded tissues can put more pressure on the joints and cause joint pain and inflammation in people who have issues like rheumatoid arthritis. Low barometric pressure is associated with rain and stormy weather.

The lowest barometric pressure ever recorded was in the Matecumbe Keys. On the manmade Craig Key, a boat captain hunkered down during the Labor Day Hurricane in 1935 recorded a barometric pressure of just 26.35 inches of mercury (892.3 mb), the lowest pressure ever recorded on land at sea level in the United States.

The highest barometric pressure ever recorded on land at sea level occurred in Northway, Alaska. On January 31, 1989, a high-pressure system blew into Alaska from Siberia. The high-pressure system brought with it record cold temperatures for the area and a staggering barometric pressure reading of 31.85 inches of mercury. Temperatures in the area dropped as low as -76° Fahrenheit in some areas. The high-pressure system continued southward where it dropped more local-record-breaking barometric readings and temperatures in Chicago, Illinois.

You might be surprised to know that the record in Northway isn't the world record for the highest barometric pressure reading ever, not anymore at least. The highest in the world is just a little north of Northway's reading, at 32.25 inches of mercury. The reading was taken on December 29, 2004 in Tosontsengel in northwest Mongolia.