On this day in 1936, the District received 14.4 inches during a blizzard, which is tied for its 10th biggest snowstorm on record. The storm began when a low-pressure system formed east of Florida and moved north off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Heavy snow started after midnight on Feb. 7 in Washington, and by late morning, more than a foot had fallen. Light snow continued throughout the afternoon, ending in the evening. Temperatures fell to 16 degrees during the height of the snowfall.
Washington was on the northwest edge of the heavy snow, with up to 18 inches falling in Southern Maryland. Only 3 to 6 inches of snow fell in the region’s far northern and western suburbs. Norfolk recorded 9 inches of snow, the city’s heaviest snowfall in more than 40 years.
Blowing snow grounded all air traffic at Washington-Hoover Airport on Feb. 7. The airport remained closed Feb. 8 while snow was cleared from the runways. The snowmelt in the wake of the storm contributed to a spring flood in March 1936 on the Potomac River.
Here are other notables for the day:
- Average high: 47
- Average low: 31
- Record high: 73 (2017)
- Record low: 3 (1907)
- Record precipitation: 1.29 inches (1951)
- Record snowfall: 14.4 inches (1936)
