Historic Thanksgiving Storms

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Wild Weather on Thanksgiving Day!

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Has wild weather ever disrupted your Thanksgiving? Here are five of the biggest Thanksgiving storms in American history!

Biggest Thanksgiving Storms

November 24–25, 1950

The Great Appalachian Storm
A storm rapidly deepened as it tracked inland along the eastern slopes of the Appalachians. A wind gust of 83 mph, the strongest ever, was recorded at Albany, N.Y., with sustained winds of 50 to 60 mph. Many trees and power lines were blown down across the region, and wind damage was extensive in New York State.

November 24–25, 1971

Thanksgiving Snowstorm
Heavy snow began on the day before Thanksgiving and continued into Thanksgiving Day. Albany, N.Y., picked up 22.5 inches, the greatest November snowfall on record, with amounts up to 30 inches reported elsewhere. This storm turned the busiest travel day of the year into a nightmare, with many stranded travelers not reaching their destinations.

November 26–27, 1983

The Great Thanksgiving Weekend Blizzard
This storm hit Denver, Colo., and produced 21.5 inches of snow in 37 hours, closing Stapleton Airport for 24 hours. The snow and wind closed interstate highways around Denver.

November 26, 1987

Thanksgiving Day Storm
A storm produced heavy snow in northern New England and upstate New York. Snowfall totals in Maine ranged up to 20 inches at Flagstaff Lake. Totals in New Hampshire reached as high as 18 inches, at Errol. Gales lashed the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. A second storm, over the southern and central Rockies, produced 9 inches of snow at Kanosh, Utah, and 13 inches at Divide, Colo., with 5 inches reported at Denver.

November 23, 1989

Thanksgiving Day Storm
Low pressure tracking across the Carolinas brought heavy rain to parts of the southern Atlantic coast region, and blanketed the middle Atlantic coast states and southern New England with heavy snow. The storm produced up to 9 inches of snow over Long Island, N.Y., and up to 14 inches over Cape Cod, Mass., at Yarmouth. Totals of 4.7 inches in New York City and 6 inches in Newark, N.J., were records for Thanksgiving Day.

To find more weather history and see what the winter has in store for you, go to our Weather Center! Or, check out our Thanksgiving Weather Forecast!

Were you a part of any of these historic storms? Did a different storm wreck your plans? Tell us about it in the comments!
 

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann