--- ---  # 7 Chilling Stories of Snow Storms Throughout American History  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jan 26, 2015 7:00 PM UTC  The Jan. 31, 1977, cover of TIME The Jan. 31, 1977, cover of TIMECover Credit: ART SHAY  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jan 26, 2015 7:00 PM UTC It was Jan. 31, 1977, when this poor freezing man appeared on the cover of TIME. [The story inside](http://time.com/vault/issue/1977-01-31/page/30/), which detailed the effects on the United States of what the publisher’s letter called “the bitterest cold spell in memory.” The first-ever reported snow fall in West Palm Beat, Fla., had shocked residents. Buffalo had been buried under more than 120 in. of the white stuff that season. And, ironically, areas that needed snow — the ski resorts of Idaho, for example — had to rely on snow-making machines despite the cold temperatures. Record lows were reported in cities nationwide. The natural-gas industry went into crisis mode. Maryland declared a state of emergency as the state’s seafood industry was shut down by a frozen bay. But, of course, 1977 wasn’t the only year that the U.S. suffered under snow — and, right now, [the Northeast is bracing](http://time.com/3682240/weather-forecast-nyc-boston-snow-blizzard/) for what promises to be a major blizzard. Here are the stories of seven other noteworthy storms from American history, as told by TIME: **From the Nov. 25, 1946, issue: Blizzard on the Prairie** When a major storm hit Colorado, ranchers found that feeding and protecting their herds was more difficult than ever: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,852914,00.html) **From the Jan. 5, 1948, issue: The Big Snow** Though New Yorkers “disregard nature until it makes more noise than the subway,” a storm at the turn of 1948 got their attention: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,794029,00.html) **From the Feb. 17, 1961, issue: The Cause of the Snow** Blizzards in 1961 were, TIME reported, due to a vicious cycle of weather, in which storms kept the ground from warming, which allowed cold air to get up under warmer winds, causing further storms. The result was a string of bad weather nationwide: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,826876,00.html) **From the Feb. 3, 1967, issue: The 24-Million-Ton Snow Job** When Chicago was hit with a record 23 inches of show in 1967, it shut down the city almost entirely: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,901972,00.html) **From the Feb. 6, 1978, issue: Now It’s The Midwest’s Turn** A blizzard in early 1978 struck the East first, before turning bringing the Midwest to a stand-still and costing the auto industry an estimated $130 million: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,945942,00.html) **From the Feb. 20, 1978, issue: Blizzard of the Century** The bad weather of 1978 continued as Providence received 26 inches of snow, coastal landmarks in Massachusetts were destroyed and temperatures even in the South plunged down to well below freezing: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,947998,00.html) **From the Jan. 22, 1996, issue: The Blizzard of ’96** A more recent blizzard drew complaints from some New Yorkers that there were “no trains, no cabs, no nothin’ — just snow”: --- > “” --- _Read the rest of the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,983981,00.html) ### Where the World's Worst Weather Is Born: Photos From Mount Washington  Brutal weather atop New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A guide on foot leads the way down New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. A technician clambers around Summertime Hotel which, in dead of winter, stands castle-like and forbidding, its doors and windows sealed with foot of ice. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Eerie formations in rime ice, Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Hooded weather-study team member, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Hooded weather-study team member, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Near edge of precipice for snowcat whose driver in tipping vehicle can see only 25 feet ahead through wind-whipped snow. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Snug civilians doing technical work have occasional poker game, are warm and comfortable behind the double plate-glass window. Civilians are subject to same rules as military personnel: no liquor allowed. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Jet test, carried on in an open-front steel hangar, is run day and night to measure and photograph ice which forms at the intake on the inside of mounted engine. Depression in snowbank is created by the engine's fiery blast. . . . When engine is turned off, water quickly refreezes rock-hard. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Military test, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. PETER STACKPOLE  Military test, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Air rescue team successfully outsmarts weather in improvised para-tepee made of old parachute. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Military survival test, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Military test, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Wet test by Army men at bottom of mountain proves efficiency of Quartermaster Corps' new 'cold bar' suite, which though not waterproof utilizes two layers of rubber and insulating barrier between to conserve body heat. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Military test, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Hooded weather-study team member, New Hampshire's Mount Washington, 1953. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Snow Storm 2015: 7 Chilling Stories of Past Blizzards ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3682488/blizzard-stories-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3682488/blizzard-stories-history/"},"headline":"7 Chilling Stories of Snow Storms Throughout American History","datePublished":"2015-01-26T19:00:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:02.397Z","description":"If you get snowed in, here's some reading material","url":"https://time.com/3682488/blizzard-stories-history/","keywords":["weather","Media","snow","Blizzard"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b9390ca598fef86/69877bdc5f570f76e9b14e8f/1101770131_400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b9390ca598fef86/69877bdc5f570f76e9b14e8f/1101770131_400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jan. 31, 1977, cover","caption":"Jan. 31, 1977, cover","creditText":"Cover Credit: ART SHAY","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/weather/","name":"weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3682488/blizzard-stories-history/","name":"7 Chilling Stories of Snow Storms Throughout American History"}}]}] ```