DC weather history for February 19: Presidents' Day snowstorm of 1979

On this date in 1979, a calendar-day record 14 inches of snow fell. Heavy snow had begun to fall the previous day, resulting in a storm total of 18.7 inches, the biggest snowfall since the Knickerbocker Snowstorm of 1922. Up to 26 inches buried the city’s eastern suburbs. With 6 inches of snow on the ground before the storm, the snow cover in the DC area ranged from 24 to 32 inches.

The Washington Post described the storm as "a magnificent white menace that virtually imprisoned the city," noting snow drifts reached 3 to 4 feet in DC and 6 to 7 feet in the suburbs.

The storm’s impact was magnified by how quickly it intensified, and how little warning people had. Forecasts leading into the event failed to capture its severity, catching residents and officials off guard. Snow fell heavily and persistently, at times exceeding an inch per hour, quickly overwhelming roads and transit systems.

Satellite image of the President’s Day Storm of 1979. (NOAA)

The region was paralyzed. Major highways became impassable, and countless motorists were stranded as conditions deteriorated. Schools, businesses and government offices shut down, and emergency crews struggled to keep up with the scale of the storm.

Adding a memorable twist, U.S. farmers had converged on Washington at the time to protest for higher wages. When the storm hit, many of them put their tractors to use, helping clear roads and rescue stranded drivers.

The combination of fresh snowfall atop an existing snowpack made conditions even more difficult. Side streets disappeared under drifts, and neighborhoods became isolated for days. The weight of the snow also caused scattered roof collapses and widespread disruptions.