Anniversary of Infamous, Immobilizing Snow in NYC
"Miniskirts were in style then, but not the best for 16 inches of snow which slows the frenetic pace of Manhattan." Feb. 10, 1969. Photo from the NWS archive.
An infamous snowstorm, which is known as the Mayor Lindsay Snowstorm, struck on Feb. 8-10, 1969, shutting down travel in New York City and killing at least 40 people.
More than 20 inches of snow clobbered New York City, leaving thousands of motorists and airline travelers stranded.
Mayor John Lindsay was criticized for not handling snow removal properly, hence the nickname for the storm. Even mail service and trash collection suffered from impassible roads.
School was out for days in the New York City area due to the poor travel conditions.
"Was a great storm, NW Bronx, no school for a week!" said AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Michael B.
The culprit behind the hefty snow was a strengthening nor'easter that moved from off the coast of North Carolina to Long Island.
New England was also slammed by the heavy snow on the backside of the storm.
"New mall in Burlington, Massachusetts - roof caved in. I was in 9th grade. Boys in my class lying about their age (had to be 16, I believe) to shovel the roof for about $10/hr. - when min. wage was about $1.50/hr. Missed a lot of school," said AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Cheryl K.
If you have any personal accounts of the storm, submit them to the AccuWeather.com Facebook Page.
More Weather News
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What's Next for Beryl?
May 28, 2012; 12:25 PM ET
Beryl, with its drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms is expected to turn to the northeast, paralleling the Carolina coast during the middle of the week.
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Memorial Day Storms Albany to Boston
May 28, 2012; 12:09 PM ET
Locally strong thunderstorms will roll across upstate New York and through part of New England into this evening.
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"Mothership Cloud" Supercell Tornado In Texas
May 28, 2012; 12:07 PM ET
Storm chasers spotted the storm on May 21.
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Photos: After-Effects of Tropical Storm Beryl
May 28, 2012; 12:00 PM ET
"Beryl, shmeryl..." No serious damage has been reported.
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Severe Flooding in Northwestern Ontario
May 28, 2012; 10:49 AM ET
A state of emergency has been declared in the Thunder Bay area after severe flooding struck parts of Ontario's Lake Superior region.
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Watching the Caribbean in the Wake of Beryl
May 28, 2012; 9:30 AM ET
The same general area of disturbed weather in the Caribbean that seeded Beryl, could attempt yet another tropical system this week.
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Severe Storms to Slam Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield
May 28, 2012; 9:22 AM ET
Damaging thunderstorms will ignite from Chicago to St. Louis to Springfield later this afternoon and evening.
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Memorial Day Weather for "Founding" Towns
May 28, 2012; 9:01 AM ET
Officially, Waterloo, N.Y., is the birthplace of Memorial Day, however, many towns in the U.S. claim the honor of being the first.
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Atlantic Hurricane Forecast: Storms Close to the Coast
May 28, 2012; 7:32 AM ET
AccuWeather's 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season forecasts 12 named tropical storms, five named hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
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Beryl's Impacts on the Southeast
May 28, 2012; 5:25 AM ET
As Beryl moves into the Southeast, its impacts will be widespread. However, not all news will be bad.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 100° | Smyrna, TN |
| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.
This Day In Weather History
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