Great Blizzard of 1899 Froze Coastal Virginia and North Carolina

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In February 1899, a powerful Arctic blast triggered the Great Blizzard, unleashing record snowfall and historic cold across coastal Virginia, North Carolina, and much of the country. The storm set a benchmark in Norfolk with 13.5 feet of snow, still one of the top 5 snowfall totals on record for the city. Even coastal communities like Cape Hatteras saw rare and abnormal cold, with temperatures plummeting to 12°F.

Why it matters

The Great Blizzard of 1899 was an extraordinary weather event that demonstrated the region's vulnerability to severe winter storms at the time. With limited snow removal resources and transportation systems, the impacts would have been widespread and devastating. The storm also highlights how extreme cold and moisture can combine to produce historic snowfall, even in areas not typically known for heavy snow.

The details

The blizzard unfolded over a two-week period in February 1899, as an Arctic blast triggered record low temperatures in 12 states. In Hampton Roads, the storm brought 13.5 feet of snow to Norfolk between February 11-13, making it the 5th-greatest snowfall total in the city's history. Even coastal areas like Cape Hatteras in North Carolina saw rare snowfall, with 5 inches recorded in Wilmington. The extreme cold also gripped the region, with temperatures plummeting to 3°F in Norfolk, 4°F in Hampton, and 12°F at Cape Hatteras.

• The Great Blizzard occurred from February 11-13, 1899.
• The two-week Arctic outbreak that triggered the blizzard began in early February 1899.