The Great Blizzard of 1899

That's exactly what happened near the turn of the twentieth century, when the Great Blizzard of 1899 engulfed the eastern half of the continent, from Saskatchewan to Cuba. The storm, which began in Canada on February 11th and lasted until February 14th, was notable in part because it disproportionately affected southern areas that are accustomed to much milder winter conditions. A photograph from the time shows government officials in Tallahassee, Florida, having a snowball fight on the state capitol building's stairs. The southern United States had never seen such severe winter weather before, and it has only done so once since 1985 when a deep freeze destroyed many of Florida's citrus groves.

Aside from the storm's massive size, it was also notable for bringing record-low temperatures to much of the country, many of which still stand to this day. Cape May, New Jersey, dropped to 0°F, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Cape May County, and received 34 inches of snow, a state record. Tallahassee dropped to -2° F, the state's only sub-zero temperature in recorded history. Atlanta, Georgia, reached a bone-chilling -9° F, a record low. Washington, D.C., hit -15° F, an all-time low for the city, and received 51 straight hours of snow. Other areas had even lower temperatures: -33 °F in Sandy Hook, Kentucky; -35° F in Dayton, West Virginia; -39° F in Milligan, Ohio; -47° F in Camp Clark, Nebraska; and a bone-chilling -61° F in Fort Logan, Montana!

Even New Orleans, which is normally hot, had a sub-freezing temperature of 22° F during its Mardi Gras celebrations that year. The city was completely engulfed in ice, and revelers had to wait for the snow to be shoveled from parade routes.

Type: Winter storm and historic cold wave
Formed: February 10, 1899
Dissipated: February 14, 1899
Fatalities: Over 100 deaths
Areas affected: United States, particularly east of the Rocky Mountains