This Massachusetts Community Set Record For Deepest Snow Cover

Weather trends have changed over the years. The snow isn't as deep – or perhaps we are taller than when we were kids – and the snow cover seemed almost sky-high.

I think there is truth in both points.

To my mind, the winter of 2015 was the snowiest in recent memory in southeastern Massachusetts. While I don't have snow totals for the Greater New Bedford area, Boston's WCVB-TV Channel 5 says 110.6 inches of snow fell in Greater Boston during the winter of 2014-2015.

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The winter of 2014-2015 was brutal, whether you were in New Bedford, Pittsfield, Boston, or any and all points in between. What made matters worse was that the temperature seemed to remain at or below freezing much of the winter, which didn't allow the snow a chance to melt before more fell on us.

Seasonal snow totals are one thing, but the snow cover – or the accumulated snow on top of us at any given time – is another.

Barry Richard/Townsquare Media

WeatherSTEM.com says, "The record snowfall depth for the state is 62 inches, which occurred in Great Barrington, Massachusetts (Berkshire County) in January 1996." That's 5.1 feet of snow cover. I am 5.7 feet tall. Yikes!

The site says, "The record amount of snowfall in a 24-hour period is 29 inches observed on April 1, 1997, in Natick, Massachusetts." The storm became known as the "April Fools Day Blizzard."

The Western Regional Climate Center says the City of New Bedford can expect 32.8 inches of snow during an average winter, while Massachusetts averages about 41 inches of snow annually.

LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.

Gallery Credit: Anuradha Varanasi

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

Filed Under: Great Barrington, Massachusetts, snow

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