Rochester is among the snowiest cities in the country. The region is in common storm tracks and far enough north that precipitation often falls as snow instead of rain.
And of course, Flower City is located along the shore of one of the world’s largest snowmaking machines – Lake Ontario.
So epic winter storms are not uncommon. Here are some of the biggest in Rochester:
Snowstorms in Rochester NY: Heaviest snowfall in days
1. February 28 – March 2, 1900. 43.5 inches
Snow fell for 63 consecutive hours, making it the worst snowstorm and deepest snowpack ever seen in Rochester. The monster storm halted commerce and disrupted life in the Great Lakes region, with cities from Cleveland to Buffalo to Montreal reporting blizzard conditions. In this area Le Roy had drifts of 10 feet, Geneva was cut off from outside communications, and the only people who reached Brockport were on horseback. In the city, people were lamenting that the daily milk train was several hours late and delivery vehicles could not navigate the streets.
2. February 27 – March 3, 1984. 32.7 inches
Malvern Street in Rochester on February 29, 1984.
The Great Leap Storm, as it was known, extended for six consecutive days. But the worst came in the last two days of February, when nearly 2 feet of snow fell and the Rochester area was briefly in shutdown mode. People resumed their normal lives by March 1, but light snow continued as crews struggled to clear streets and remove snow.
3. January 29 – February 2, 1966. 28.8 inches
The blizzard of ’66 featured a large amount of lake-effect snow, with snow reports of 100 inches and 90 feet in locations near the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The area was paralyzed for a time, and a father and daughter died of exposure along a road in Orleans County after their car, which they had driven off the road, became buried in the snow. February 2 Democrat and Chronicle it contained a surprising report that wholesale suppliers said the community was running out of food.
4. March 13-15, 2017. 26.5 inches
This storm was insidious in that it started just five days after a fierce storm knocked out power in much of the Rochester area. Schools and most businesses closed; those that remained open had few customers, since no one could travel.
5. February 5-7, 1978. 25.8 inches
The entire eastern United States was affected by this storm. Part of the New York State Thruway was closed, and the New York City Stock Exchange was also closed. Locally, it got off to a slow start, but it shut down Rochester on February 7, 1978. Two men died of heart attacks after trying to shovel snow that was six feet deep. The city manager later ordered an investigation into the snow removal failures.
Snowstorms in Rochester NY: Largest one-day snowfall
1. March 1, 1900. 29.8 inches.
This mother of all one-day storms forced the cancellation of most train service, blocked roads, closed schools, closed stores and left coal companies scrambling to meet a surge in demand. This was the second day of a three-day event that became the largest snowstorm on record here.
2. January 3, 1996. 23 inches
A good portion of this mammoth snow was lake effect snow from Lake Ontario. Transport networks stopped and schools were closed for two days in a row. Municipal highway departments, their budgets already depleted by heavy plowing work in November and December, cried poverty.
3. 4 March 1999. 22.3 inches
“Blizzard of ’99” screamed the headline on the next day Democrat and Chronicle. “Big hit triggers mammoth paralysis, road mayhem.” A state of emergency was declared after a storm dropping 2-3 inches of snow per hour ravaged the region. Disappointed meteorologists admitted they had not predicted the storm’s severity.
4. March 6, 1999. 18.4 inches
Coming on the heels of an even bigger storm two days earlier, this monster forced the county government to reimpose a state of emergency six hours after the old one was lifted. Portions of the New York State Thruway closed, as did local malls and many other businesses. Due in large part to these back-to-back storms, March 1999 was Rochester’s snowiest March.
5. February 14, 1960. 18.4 inches
A car buried in snow on March 14, 1960.
This storm was considered the worst in Rochester in a decade. Snow comforters were up to the hip. Roads were closed and planes grounded, although passenger trains remained in service. Two men died of heart attacks while shoveling snow. The storm made the winter of 1959-1960 the snowiest in local history.
NOTE: Unofficial records show a one-day snowfall of 30 inches on February 15, 1837, and multi-day storms totaling 30 inches on February 2-7, 1845 and February 4-6, 1854. Storms are omitted from this list because measurements were not made by official weather observers.
This article originally appeared on the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ranking Rochester NY’s Biggest and Wildest Snowstorms. See the list