Rochester's Worst Winters Storms

Rochester ranks among the top U.S. cities with the most annual snowfall at 92.3 inches, just below our neighbors Syracuse (#1 at 115.6 inches) and Buffalo (93.6 inches).   Rochester's official weather station was established in 1870, but the early settlers recorded several large storms in diaries for decades before that. Below are a list of the worst winter storms in Rochester History. 

Snow Storms (Post-1870)

1. Feb. 28-March 2, 1900: 43.5 inches

2. Feb. 27-March 3, 1984: 32.7 inches

3. Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 1966: 28.8 inches

4. Feb. 5-7, 1978: 25.8 inches

5. Dec. 8-11, 1981: 25.4 inches

Snow Storms (Pre-1870)

• Jan. 26-27,1839: 2.5-3.0 feet (diary of Edwin Scrantom)
• Feb. 15, 1837: 2.5 feet (diary of Edwin Scrantom)
• Feb. 2-7, 1845: 30 inches
• Feb. 4-6, 1854: 30 inches

Top Snowfall in a Season: 1959-60 with 161.7 inches

Ice Storms

• March 3-4, 1991: 1.5 inches of Freezing Rain, over 135,000 Rochester Area homes without power.

• January 3-5. 1913: Over 1.1 inches of frozen rain.

•  April 4-5, 2003: About 100,00 homes lost power.

 Other

•  Coldest Day: -22 F on February 9, 1934 (the prior day, February 8 also holds a record for that day at -16 F)

References and Further Reading:

1. "Top 101 cities with the highest snowfall in year", city-data.com
2. Golden Snowball Award 
3. Rochester History, vol. XXVII, issue , January 1965
4. "Rochester Historic Snowfalls", Democrat and Chronicle, March 12, 2014
5. "Storm Up State Continues", New York Times, March 3, 1900
6. "An Ice Storm Paralyzes Western and Northern New York", New York Times (March 5, 1991)  
7. Ice Storm of 2003 Left Many Devastated, Democrat and Chronicle, April 5, 2013
8. "A Meteorological of Ice Storm Impact Variables in the Rochester, N.Y. Area Including a Probability Analysis of Freezing Precipitation Return Periods for Significant Ice Storms", Mroz, Paul J., WOKR Weather Services, August 20, 1991
9. NOAA Weather Records for Rochester, NY

November 24

November 24, 1883: Rochesterians, including reporter and amateur astronomer Henry C. Maine, observe the "Red Light" or "Red Sunsets" that have been filling the skies all Autumn.  There is much speculation about the meteorological or astronomical cause of the strange red and oranges glows in the sky that persist after sunset.  The red skies continued for more than two years through 1884 and into the fall of 1885.  Theories about the cause included sunspots and solar disturbances, comets, hurricanes and cyclones, and great lake storms.  The true cause was the August 1883 eruption of  Krakatoa in the Indian Ocean which spewed ash and sulfur dioxide into atmosphere causing global climate changes through 1888.

Sources:

1.  History and work of the Warner observatory, Rochester, N.Y. 1883-1886, Volume 1, pp 53-70 (1887)  (source of images)
2. Wikipedia: 1883 eruption of Krakatoa
3. Rochester History,v9, issue 1 (1947) 

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July 2

July 2, 1963: Mohawk Airlines flight 112, attempting to take off from Rochester Monroe County Airport into a severe thunderstorm, veers out of control and crashes, killing 7 and injuring 36 people on board.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. Aviation Safety Network
2. Wikipedia: Mohawk Airlines Flight 121
3. Joan S. NEFF, Administratrix of the Estate of John W. Neff

June 19

June 19, 1846: A suspected tornado rips the roof off school house no. 9 on Parker St. injuring about 34 of the 100 children in attendance. False rumors initially spread that some of the children may have been killed, however, no fatalities actually occurred. It is reported that the children hid under their desks and benches for protection.

(Note: Date should be adjusted to Friday June19)
Sources and Further Reading:

1. Brookly Daily Eagle, "Children Killed at Rochester", June 22, 1846, pg 2

March 3

March 3, 1991: .Over 135,000 homes are left without power as an ice storm hits Rochester and surrounding areas with 1.5 inches of freezing rain accumulating over 22 hours.  More than 10,000 trees were destroyed.

 See Also: Rochester's Worst Winter Storms

Sources and Further Reading:

• "An Ice Storm Paralyzes Western and Northern New York", New York Times (March 5, 1991)
• "Impacts from a Major Ice Storm: Street Tree Damage from Rochester, New York", Journal of Arboriculture, 21(3), May 1995 

February 10

February 10, 2008: High winds and blowing snow result in one of Rochester's worst automobile accidents with a 36-car pile-up on route 390 by the airport.

Sources and Further Reading

1. Wham News: 390's Deadly Pile up One Year Later