On this day in 1987, a calendar-day and monthly record 11.5 inches of snow fell during the infamous Veterans Day storm. The snow, accompanied by thunder and lightning, caught the region completely off guard. Just a coating to an inch was predicted before an expected change to rain. Instead, the snow piled up rapidly, at rates of up to 3 inches per hour, snarling traffic and stranding some travelers on area roads for hours.
“A surprise, record-breaking snowstorm struck the Washington region and much of the Eastern Seaboard yesterday, shutting National Airport and causing treacherous road conditions and traffic havoc that officials said would have been far worse had federal workers not stayed home for the Veterans Day holiday,” The Washington Post reported on its front page.
The storm’s intensity was driven by a powerful coastal system interacting with unusually cold air locked in place over the region. Instead of warming enough for rain, the atmosphere supported heavy, wet snow that accumulated quickly and efficiently. Bands of intense snowfall developed, and the presence of thunder and lightning, a phenomenon known as thundersnow, underscored the storm’s strength.
The timing helped prevent an even worse disaster. With federal offices closed for the holiday, traffic volumes were lighter than usual. Even so, major roads became treacherous, and many drivers found themselves stuck for hours as conditions deteriorated faster than crews could respond.
Air travel was also heavily impacted. National Airport shut down as the storm peaked, and flights across the region were delayed or canceled. Trees, still carrying leaves so early in the season, were weighed down by the heavy snow, leading to scattered damage and power outages.
- A Veterans Day snowstorm totally fooled forecasters 30 years ago (The Washington Post, from 2017)
- Record snowfall dumbfounds drivers, forecasters (The Washington Post)
- Students stranded by storm, confusion (The Washington Post)
Here are other notables from this date:
- Average high: 60
- Average low: 43
- Record high: 78 (1949)
- Record low: 26 (2017)
- Record rainfall: 2.02 inches (2020)
- Record snowfall: 11.5 inches (1987)
