PlainHazard

Heavy Snow

NOAA Storm Events type · 76,201 records since 1996 · 51 states and territories

The National Weather Service defines heavy snow as: "Snow accumulation meeting or exceeding locally/regionally defined 12 and/or 24 hour warning criteria." NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 76,201 heavy snow records from 1996 through June 30, 2026, the most in California (3,772), with 291 deaths recorded.

How the National Weather Service files heavy snow

Snow accumulation meeting or exceeding locally/regionally defined 12 and/or 24 hour warning criteria. This could mean values such as 4, 6, or 8 inches or more in 12 hours or less; or 6, 8, or 10 inches in 24 hours or less.
National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605, Storm Data Preparation (July 26, 2021), Appendix A, entry 22

Source: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605. Read the instruction (PDF).

Heavy Snow, 1996 to 2026

Records per year (2026 to June 30, 2026).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $10 million
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • $10 billion or more, or 1,000 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
76,2011996 to June 30, 2026
Deaths
2911,353 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$1.4Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Counties with a record
2,990of 3,266

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026. Search the record at NCEI.

Where do heavy snow records happen?

States

  1. California 3,772
  2. Idaho 3,527
  3. New York 3,420
  4. Montana 3,269
  5. Colorado 3,215
  6. Washington 3,207
  7. Maine 2,954
  8. Minnesota 2,803
  9. Michigan 2,508
  10. Pennsylvania 2,452
  11. Kentucky 2,262
  12. New Mexico 2,245
  13. Wisconsin 2,143
  14. Oregon 2,047
  15. West Virginia 2,010

Counties

  1. Kootenai County, ID 1,112
  2. Placer County, CA 815
  3. Nevada County, CA 814
  4. El Dorado County, CA 814
  5. Alpine County, CA 806
  6. Spokane County, WA 781
  7. Okanogan County, WA 622
  8. Rio Arriba County, NM 566
  9. Santa Fe County, NM 564
  10. San Miguel County, NM 543

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

When do heavy snow records happen?

47% of its heavy snow records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January.

The values, month by month

Jan 19,025 · Feb 17,050 · Mar 11,561 · Apr 3,973 · May 833 · Jun 148 · Jul 0 · Aug 5 · Sep 191 · Oct 1,998 · Nov 5,979 · Dec 15,438 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

The deadliest heavy snow records

The heavy snow records with the most deaths
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-04-01 Heavy SnowSan Diego County, CA · forecast zone San Diego County Mountains Snow began late in the morning and continued till around midnight. The heaviest snow fell between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. At the 3700 foot elevation, nine inches of snow fell in a six hour period. At the 5650 foot elevation, eighteen inches of new snow fell in a twelve hour period. In the Pine Creek Wilderness Area of the ... 8 13 –
2011-12-19 Heavy SnowCurry County, NM · forecast zone Curry County As 2 to 4 inches of snow fell across Curry County, roads quickly became icy. A driver of a Toyota sedan traveling on U.S. 60/84 four miles east of Melrose lost traction and slid head on into a pickup truck around 245 pm on the 19th. All four occupants of the sedan were killed, and both passengers of the pick up truck ... 4 2 –
2024-01-14 Heavy SnowKnox County, TN · forecast zone Knox Heavy, crippling snowfall fell across Knox County, with widespread reports of 8 inches to 12 inches of snow, especially across the west side of the county. A Knoxville based COOP observer measured 11.3 inches of snow, a CoCoRaHS observer in Powell recorded 8.2 inches, another just north of the 640 loop measured 9.4 ... 4 0 –
2007-01-20 Heavy SnowReno County, KS · forecast zone Reno Snow accumulated 8 inches in Plevna. Additionally, three individuals were killed and three injured when two vehicles lost control and collided near the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and Kent Road. Another injury accident occurred in Hutchinson. 3 4 –
1997-04-10 Heavy SnowPottawatomie County, KS · forecast zone Pottawatomie A late season moisture laden snow storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of accumulation across North Central and Northeast kansas generally north and west of Manhattan or along and north of a line from Abilene in Dickenson County to Baileyville in Nemaha County. Locally heavier amounts fell in some areas, especially near the ... 3 0 $221K
1997-04-10 Heavy SnowClay County, KS · forecast zone Clay A late season moisture laden snow storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of accumulation across North Central and Northeast kansas generally north and west of Manhattan or along and north of a line from Abilene in Dickenson County to Baileyville in Nemaha County. Locally heavier amounts fell in some areas, especially near the ... 3 0 –
2014-01-02 Heavy SnowBucks County, PA · forecast zone Lower Bucks A winter storm dropped 5 to 9 inches of snow across Eastern Pennsylvania from the middle of afternoon of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd. This caused hazardous traveling conditions for the evening commute on the 2nd and the morning commute on the 3rd. Three storm related deaths occurred, all in Bucks County. After ... 3 0 –
1998-02-03 Heavy SnowJefferson County, KY · forecast zone Jefferson A freak winter storm dumped as much as 25 inches of snow on parts of Kentucky from the evening of February 3 to the morning of February 6. Most of the Kentucky counties were declared states of emergency by the morning of February 5 as trees and power lines were down across a large area of the Louisville County Warning ... 2 4 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths direct and indirect as filed.

The most recent heavy snow records

To June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-28 Heavy SnowBeaverhead County, MT · forecast zone Northwest Beaverhead County 0 0 –
2026-05-18 Heavy SnowCarbon County, WY · forecast zone Central Carbon County 0 0 –
2026-05-17 Heavy SnowAlbany County and Carbon County, WY · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills 0 0 –
2026-05-17 Heavy SnowAlbany County and Laramie County, WY · forecast zone South Laramie Range 0 0 –
2026-05-17 Heavy SnowAlbany County and Carbon County, WY · forecast zone Snowy Range 0 0 –
2026-05-17 Heavy SnowCarbon County, WY · forecast zone Central Carbon County 0 0 –
2026-05-17 Heavy SnowAlbany County and 2 more, WY · forecast zone North Laramie Range 0 0 –
2026-05-05 Heavy SnowProwers County, CO · forecast zone Lamar Vicinity / Prowers County 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

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