--- description: Recalling the historic blizzard of 1947 with photos that ran in LIFE, and many other pictures that were never published in the magazine title: The Great Blizzard of 1947: Photos of New York, Buried in White image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2dd51076352aea4e/6987695c55a8597bd3a8429a/141118-1947-new-york-city-blizzard-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [weather](/tag/weather/) ## weather Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Great Blizzard of 1947: Photos of New York, Buried in White ## Video: Know Right Now: Northeast Hit By Massive Storm [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Northeast Hit By Massive Storm](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/reQs7Khe.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2015-01-26. A potentially historic snowstorm is heading for the Northeast. Find out more by watching today's Know Right Now_ by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 19, 2014 2:09 AM CUT  Caption from LIFE: A snowbound automobile stands right in the middle of New York City's West 22nd Street between a long line of other cars buried at the curb. Caption from LIFE: A snowbound automobile stands right in the middle of New York City's West 22nd Street between a long line of other cars buried at the curb.Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 19, 2014 2:09 AM CUT Something about snowstorms brings out the kid in most of us. Memories of those blessed, almost always unexpected reprieves from the drudgery of school — “Snow day!” — undoubtedly plays a part in the collective excitement, and whether it’s in a vast metropolis or a remote, small town, the prospect of a blizzard elicits something nearly primal in those in the storm’s path. There’s concern, for sure — about our families, our neighbors, our power and heat, our ability to get out and about once the snow stops falling. But for a good number of us, there’s something more: something like pure, primal _excitement_. In December 1947, a huge, historic storm dumped record levels of snow on the northeastern United States. In New York City, where the snow fell quietly, and steadily, for hours and hours, several LIFE photographers stepped out of the magazine’s offices, cameras in hand, and recorded the scene. Here, we remember the Great Blizzard of 1947 with some photos that ran in LIFE, and many others that were never published in the magazine. As LIFE put it to its readers in its Jan. 5, 1948, issue: --- > “” --- _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at_ [_@LizabethRonk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  Caption from LIFE: A snowbound automobile stands right in the middle of New York City's West 22nd Street between a long line of other cars buried at the curb. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE: On the floor of Grand Central Station a father and his two young sons wait through the night for the train home. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Blizzard, New York City, December 1947. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jan. 5, 1948, issue of LIFE magazine. 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