Historical Pictures of Snowfalls and Blizzards in New York City, 1900s-1980s

From light snowfalls to fierce blizzards, New Yorkers have been dancing to the icy tunes of winter for decades.

These historic snapshots, capturing snowfall and blizzards from the 1900s to the 1980s, offer a glimpse into the city's frosty past.

The images freeze the moments when life in the Big Apple adapted to the cold. People gathered, roads turned snow, and the city continued to beat despite the cold. But there is more than meets the eye.

These photos show the city's patience and wisdom, and how New Yorkers came together to face the challenges of winter. They not only show snowy scenes but also how the city changed over time.

New York blizzard of 1888

The blizzard of 1888, nicknamed The Great White Hurricane, affected cities stretching from the Chesapeake Bay in the south to Maine in the north.

The storm caused the collapse of railway and telegraph lines, leaving people trapped indoors due to snowfall up to 50 feet high.

While some areas were buried under as much as 60 inches of snow, New York City received a comparatively lighter but still impressive 22 inches of snowfall.

The Great Blizzard of 1947

On December 26, 1947, with the Boxing Day storm, what seemed to be the wish for a white Christmas turned into a horrifying reality.

The Great Blizzard of 1947 trapped many people, leaving them without enough food and heat due to dwindling supplies of coal.

The devastating storm killed 77 people and brought a then-record 26.4 inches of snowfall to Central Park.

North American blizzard of 2006

On February 12, 2006, the North American blizzard of 2006 struck East Coast cities, disrupting normal life and closing schools for several days from Baltimore to Boston. ,

However, New York City bore the brunt of the storm, receiving a heavy snowfall of 26.9 inches, the highest recorded snowfall in the city's history according to government records.

Winter Storm Jonas of 2016

On January 23–24, 2016, Winter Storm Jonas, also known as Snowzilla, attracted the nation's attention as a major blizzard.

The impending severity has prompted 11 governors and Washington, D.C. Prompting the mayor of Washington to declare a state of emergency.

Travel was halted for two days in New York and New Jersey due to the intensity of the storm.

Ultimately, the city received 26.8 inches of snowfall, just shy of breaking the existing record.