Brains
As the Northeast continues to dig themselves out from Winter Storm Hernando, on this date, 57 years ago, marks the completion of one of the most memorable storms New England has ever seen. While Winter Storm Hernando set records in states such as Rhode Island, where totals up to three feet of snow were reported, the 100-hour snowstorm of 1969 held a much heavier impact.
Over the course of four days, the storm impacted the entirety of the Northeast, but specifically nailed the mountainous terrain of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. When researching the storm, one will quickly notice that Mount Washington and its surrounding areas had the most notable totals. Records that are likely to never be broken again were set on Mount Washington, such as a 98 inch storm total, and 49 inches of snow in a singular day on February 25. This same season, the Mount Washington Observatory measured a total of 566 inches of snow, a record that still stands to this day.
The widespread snow totals weren’t elevation dependent. In Pinkham Notch, N.H., the storm delivered 77 inches of snow as well. Pinkham Notch also recorded their all-time snow depth at the conclusion of the storm, reaching a staggering depth of 164 inches. Other notable cities in the region that received large totals were Boston with over 26 inches, and Portland, Maine, with 27 inches of snow.
So what exactly led to a Nor’easter lasting over four days? Typical Nor’easters develop from intense low-pressure systems that travel up the East Coast. As it reaches the northern states, the moisture-packed and typically warmer air will clash with the arctic air pushing down from Canada. This sharp temperature gradient leads to intense storms along the eastern states, capable of producing large amounts of snow in the winter. With this storm in particular, the center of the low-pressure system stalled just off the coast in the Gulf of Maine for nearly four days, which halted any progress of the snow exiting the region. The result of this stall was heavy snowfall that lasted for days on end, when typically these conditions would quickly pass through.
A quick look at the renowned Mt. Mansfield Snow Stake, a widely used tool for skiers and winter enthusiasts in the Northeast, shows the magnitude of the winter of 1968-69. While northern Vermont wasn’t hit nearly as hard during this system, this was clearly a winter to remember for any snow-lovers in the Northeast. During this season, the stake reached its record measurement of 149 inches on April 2 of 1969. For example, this year has been particularly good skiing in Vermont, with the stake reading well above-average since November, but it still remains far below the snow depth during the winter of 1968-69. This year’s data is depicted as the orange line, while the winter of 1968-69 is shown in black.
While major news and media outlets wrap up their coverage of Winter Storm Hernando, the Northeast’s most significant snow storm in recent memory, looking 57 years in the past reminds us of a Nor’easter that nearly reached triple-digit snowfall totals. The 100-hour snowstorm of 1969 set localized records that have never come close to being broken, and was responsible for some of the snowiest scenes that can possibly be found on the East Coast.
