East Broad Street after a snowstorm in March, 1906.
In light of yesterday’s strange storm that challenged local forecasters, I thought it might be time to look at the biggest snowstorms of all time in Columbus, or at least since records began in 1878. I looked up the total snowfall over different periods of time.
Top 20 Largest Single Snowstorms of Any Duration
1. 3/7-3/8/2008: 20.5″
2. 2/14-2/17/2003: 15.5″
3. 2/16-2/19/1910: 15.3″
4. 11/23-11/29/1950: 15.2″
5. 1/6-1/7/1910: 12.7″
6. 4/3-4/5/1987: 12.6″
7. 1/7-1/9/1884, 2/11-2/12/1910: 10.6″
8. 2/15-2/16/2010, 2/4-2/5/2014: 10.4″
9. 3/19-3/20/1906, 1/13-1/14/1917: 10.0″
10. 2/7-2/8/1971, 1/16-1/17/1978, 2/5-2/6/2010: 9.9″
11. 1/6-1/7/1996: 9.8″
12. 1/13-1/15/1968, 2/27-2/28/1984: 9.5″
13. 2/13-2/14/1914: 9.3″
14. 3/5-3/6/1962: 9.2″
15. 12/19-12/20/1960: 8.8″
16. 1/14-1/15/1918: 8.5″
17. 2/25-2/26/1934: 8.4″
18. 1/31-2/1/1881, 2/25-2/26/2014: 8.3″
19. 3/11-3/12/1906: 8.2″
20. 12/3-12/4/1957: 8.1″
Top 12 Largest 1-Day Snowfalls
1. 3/8/2008: 15.5″
2. 4/4/1987: 12.3″
3. 1/6/1910: 11.9″
4. 2/15/2010: 9.7″
5. 3/19/1906: 9.6″
6. 2/5/2010: 9.0″
7. 2/8/1971, 2/16/2003: 8.9″
8. 1/7/1996: 8.8″
9. 3/5/1962: 8.6″
10. 1/8/1884: 8.5″
11. 2/16/1910: 8.2″
12. 12/3/1957: 7.9″
Top 12 Largest 2-Day Snowfalls
1. 3/7-3/8/2008: 20.5″
2. 3/8-3/9/2008: 15.5″
3. 2/16-2/17/1910: 15.0″
4. 1/6-1/7/1910: 12.7″
5. 4/4-4/5/1987: 12.5″
6. 4/3-4/4/1987: 12.4″
7. 2/15-2/16/2003: 12.0″
8. 1/5-1/6/1910: 11.9″
9. 2/16-2/17/2003: 10.8″
10. 2/11-2/12/1910, 2/4-2/5/2014: 10.6″
11. 2/15-2/16/2010: 10.4″
12. 1/8-1/9/1884: 10.2″
Top 12 Largest 3-Day Snowfalls
1. 3/6-3/8/2008, 3/7-3/9/2008: 20.5″
2. 3/8-3/10/2008: 15.5″
3. 2/16-2/18/1910: 15.3″
4. 2/15-2/17/1910: 15.0″
5. 2/15-2/17/2003: 13.9″
6. 2/14-2/16/2003: 13.6″
7. 1/5-1/7/1910, 1/6-1/8/1910: 12.7″
8. 4/3-4/5/1987: 12.6″
9. 4/4-4/6/1987: 12.5″
10. 4/2-4/4/1987: 12.4″
11. 1/4-1/6/1910, 1/7-1/9/1996: 11.9″
12. 11/25-11/27/1950: 11.5″
Players struggle during the infamous Ohio State-Michigan Snow Bowl game on November 27, 1950.
Top 12 5-Day Snowfalls
1. 3/4-3/8/2008, 3/5-3/9/2008: 21.2″
2. 3/6-3/10/2008, 3/7-3/11/2008: 20.5″
3. 1/16-1/20/1978: 17.6″
4. 3/31-4/4/1987: 16.4″
5. 2/15-2/19/2003: 15.9″
6. 4/2-4/6/1886: 15.7″
7. 2/13-2/17/2003, 2/14-2/18/2003, 3/8-3/12/2008: 15.5″
8. 2/14-2/18/1910, 2/15-2/19/1910, 2/16-2/20/1910: 15.3″
9. 2/13-2/17/1910: 15.0″
10. 4/3-4/7/1886, 2/12-2/16/1910, 2/5-2/9/2010: 14.3″
11. 1/17-1/21/1978: 14.2″
12. 2/12-2/16/2003: 14.0″
Top 12 Largest 7-Day Snowfalls
1. 2/11-2/17/1910: 25.6″
2. 2/12-2/18/1910: 21.4″
3. 3/2-3/8/2008, 3/3-3/9/2008, 3/4-3/10/2008, 3/5-3/11/2008: 21.2″
4. 3/6-3/12/2008, 3/7-3/13/2008: 20.5″
5. 1/14-1/20/1978: 19.0″
6. 2/10-2/16/1910: 18.8″
7. 3/30-4/5/1987: 18.3″
8. 3/29-4/4/1987: 18.1
9. 1/15-1/21/1978, 1/16-1/22/1978: 17.8″
10. 2/13-2/19/2003, 2/14-2/20/2003: 17.5″
11. 2/10-2/16/2003: 17.0″
12. 4/1-4/7/1886, 4/2-4/8/1886: 16.9″
Top 12 10-Day Snowfalls
1. 2/9-2/18/1910: 28.4″
2. 2/8-2/17/1910: 28.1″
3. 2/10-2/19/1910, 2/11-2/20/1910: 25.9″
4. 3/11-3/20/1906: 23.5″
5. 3/10-3/19/1906: 23.1″
6. 2/28-3/8/2008, 2/29-3/9/2008: 21.7″
7. 2/12-2/21/1910: 21.4″
8. 2/7-2/16/1910: 21.3″
9. 3/1-3/10/2008, 3/2-3/11/2008, 3/3-3/12/2008, 3/4-3/13/2008, 3/5-3/14/2008: 21.2″
10. 2/10-2/19/2003: 20.9″
11. 1/12-1/21/1978, 1/2-1/11/1996: 20.8″
12. 1/11-1/20/1978: 20.6″
Top 12 Largest 15-Day Snowfalls
1. 2/8-2/22/1910, 2/9-2/23/1910: 28.8″
2. 2/3-2/17/1910: 28.5″
3. 2/4-2/18/1910, 2/5-2/19/1910, 2/6-2/20/1910, 2/7-2/21/1910: 28.4″
4. 2/10-2/24/1910, 2/11-2/25/1910: 26.3″
5. 2/2-2/16/2010: 25.8″
6. 1/7-1/21/1978, 1/8-1/22/1978: 25.7″
7. 1/6-1/20/1978, 2/3-2/17/2010, 2/4-2/18/2010, 2/5-2/19/2010: 25.5″
8. 1/12-1/26/1978: 25.2″
9. 2/1-2/15/2010: 25.1″
10. 3/10-3/24/1906, 3/11-3/25/1906, 1/13-1/27/1978: 24.8″
11. 1/14-1/28/1978, 2/10-2/24/2003: 24.5″
12. 3/6-3/20/1906, 3/7-3/21/1906: 23.8″
Top 12 Largest 30-Day Snowfalls
1. 1/20-2/18/1910, 1/21-2/19/1910: 37.9″
2. 1/19-2/17/1910: 37.6″
3. 1/22-2/20/1910: 35.3″
4. 1/2-1/31/1978, 1/3-2/1/1978, 1/4-2/2/1978, 1/5-2/3/1978: 34.0″
5. 1/8-2/6/1978: 33.8″
6. 1/1-1/30/1978, 1/7-2/5/1978: 33.6″
7. 12/30/1977-1/28/1978, 12/31/1977-1/29/1978: 33.4″
8. 12/29/1977-1/27/1978: 32.8″
9. 12/28/1977-1/26/1978: 32.5″
10. 1/6-2/4/1978: 32.0″
11. 2/8-3/8/2008: 31.8″
12. 1/24-2/22/1910, 1/25-2/23/1910, 1/26-2/24/1910, 1/27-2/25/1910, 1/28-2/26/1910, 1/29-2/27/1910, 1/30-2/28/1910, 1/26-2/24/2003: 30.7″
Certain years show up on all the lists, including 1906, 1910, 1978, 2003, 2008 and 2010. These winters all had periods of extreme snowfall and are considered “historic”.
Check out more winter and other local weather data with the following links.
Winter Storms
Winter Season Records
Annual Weather Records
Wilmington National Weather Service