HISTORY: Ranks as DC's third largest snowstorm on record.

(41) years ago -- one of DC's most notorious blizzards struck on Presidents' Day weekend
It ranks as DC's third largest snowstorm on record.

A poorly forecast blizzard hit the D.C. Metro Area on February 18-19, 1979. Snow began falling at night on February 18 and ended in the morning of February 19. National Airport recorded 18.7” inches and it still remains DC’s third largest snowstorm on record. Only the Knickerbocker Storm in January of 1922 and the Valentine’s Day blizzard in 1899 were larger.

The February 1979 storm produced a snow depth of up to 23” downtown and 18” fell in a mere 18 hours! Snowfall reports of 2” to 3” inches per hour occurred with temperatures in the single digits and teens. Early forecasts was for only 4” to 6”.

FEBRUARY 1979: This was the second snowiest February on record in Washington, D.C. for 31 years – until 2010. A total of 30.6” of snow fell at National Airport that month, with the bulk coming on February 18-19. That’s when 18.7” of snow was measured in a paralyzing winter storm which remains the third largest snow total in DC history. This storm is also significant because it ranks as the largest snowfall on record since National Airport opened in 1941. The two largest snowstorms in DC history occurred in January of 1922 and February of 1899, respectively, when weather measurements were made downtown.

Photo: Snow Totals from February 18 - 19, 1979. App Users CLICK HERE.

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