WASHINGTON — Some Washingtonians may know February is the snowiest month of the year.
Six out of the 10 largest winter storms in D.C. have occurred in February, with “Snowmageddon” in 2010 being the most recent storm.
What residents may not know is that of those six winter storms in D.C., five occurred within a week of Presidents Day.
Here are some of the most significant:
2003: By law, Presidents Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February. This Presidents Day storm was the biggest of the 2002-2003 season. With 16.4 inches of snowfall reported officially at Reagan National Airport (DCA) from February 16-18, it remains tied for the District's eighth largest. Snow totals of greater than 30 inches were common west and north of downtown, including 26.8 inches at BWI Airport and 21.7 inches at Dulles Airport. With 40.4 inches of snow at Reagan, this winter tied with 1957-1958 as D.C’s seventh snowiest on record.
1983: A total of 16.6 inches accumulated at Reagan National Airport during a storm from February 10-11. Although this storm ranked higher on D.C.'s Top 10 list at the time, it has fallen a few spots since then, but remains the seventh largest snowstorm in the nation's capital. Both Dulles and BWI Airports saw 22.8 inches of snow during this storm and it ranks in the Top 10 at both locations.
1979: A total of 30.6 inches of snow fell at Reagan National Airport, with the majority during an epic February 18-19 winter storm. Its 18.7 inches of snow paralyzed D.C. and remains D.C.’s third largest snowstorm. It was also a Top 10 snowfall at Dulles and BWI Airports. This storm is also significant because it ranks as the largest snowfall at Reagan National Airport since it opened in 1941.
February 1979 remains one of only four months that DC has gotten at least 30.0 inches of snow.
February 1899: 35.2”
January 1922: 31.5”
February 1979: 30.6”
February 2010: 32.1”
1958: The 10th largest snowstorm on record in the nation's capital occurred on February 15-16 with a two-day total of 14.4 inches at Reagan National Airport. Following a daily record of 12.9 inches on February 15, the snow wrapped up on February 16. This was the largest winter storm during the 1957-1958 winter that not only had accumulating snowfall in five consecutive months (November 1957 - March 1958), but also finished tied with 2002-2003 as DC's seventh snowiest with 40.4 inches.
1899: This remains the snowiest February on record in Washington, D.C., with a monthly total of 35.2”. That can be attributed largely to DC’s second largest snowstorm ever (20.0 inches) that occurred from February 12-14. This storm remains one of only two that have produced 20 inches or more of snow in the nation's capital along with the January 1922 "Knickerbocker Storm."
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