North American blizzard of 2003

It was the "Presidents Day Blizzard" for New York City and Boston, and a crippling snowstorm for Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, and Philadelphia, PA. When the amount of snow and overall impact of the storm in the major east coast cities is compared to what happened in the Capital Region, it is safe to say that the region received a glancing blow. Nonetheless, the "Glancing" blow dumped up to a foot of new snow in the immediate Capital Region, with 14"–20" in the eastern Catskills, mid Hudson Valley, and Berkshire and Litchfield counties. Surprisingly, the actual surface storm that contributed to the snowfall was weak and poorly defined. As a result, the Northeast corridor was pummeled by a significant, and in many places, record-breaking, snowfall in the absence of a major coastal storm.

Wind gusts of more than 40 mph in New York and Boston created the necessary blowing snow and reduced visibility criteria for at least three hours, allowing the system to be classified as a blizzard in those cities, despite the fact that true blizzard conditions were relatively brief. 27.5" of snow fell on Boston, the most from any storm, 20" on New York City, the city's fourth-heaviest snowfall ever, and 20"-24" fell on Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, setting snowfall records and crippling those cities for days. Up to 50 inches of snow fell in the mountains of eastern West Virginia and western Maryland, with snow sleet and freezing rain falling further south in Virginia and North Carolina.

Type: Winter storm
Formed: February 14, 2003
Dissipated: February 22, 2003

Fatalities: 2 fatalities direct, 25 indirect
Damage: Over $14.1 million
Areas affected: Southern Rockies, Central United States, Eastern North America