On this date in 1888, a calendar-day record 6 inches of snow fell in D.C. While it was a significant snowfall, the storm impact was minor in the Washington region compared with farther north. The storm explosively intensified as it charged up the East Coast and walloped New York City with an infamous blizzard.
In New York City, “the temperature plummeted as low as 6 degrees, and up to 3 feet of snow fell amid roaring winds and near-zero visibility in the outer boroughs,” according to a summary published in The Washington Post. “In Upstate New York and portions of Connecticut, temperatures were even colder, and 45 to 60 inches of snow accumulated.”
“The March 1888 blizzard paralyzed the economy and infrastructure of New York City and killed an estimated 200 residents, mostly those caught without shelter as the temperature dropped.”
Here are other notables for the day:
- Average high: 55
- Average low: 37
- Record high: 86 (2026)
- Record low: 15 (1960)
- Record precipitation: 1.65 inches (1888)
- Record snowfall: 6.0 inches (1888)
