30 Years Ago: Vermont’s Record-Breaking 24-Hour Snowfall

You know a storm means business when even the skiers are like, “Okay, this might be a little much.” That’s what happened on February 5, 1995, when one of Vermont's most popular ski resorts, Jay Peak, got absolutely buried under 42 inches of snow in just 24 hours. That’s right—three and a half feet of powder in a single day. This information coming from New England Storm Tracker.

Snow from the nor'easter was heavy and widespread. Areas that picked up 10 inches or more include Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine but Vermont was the clear winner on this one.

 This storm was part of a nor’easter that smacked New England, bringing blizzard conditions, brutal winds and snow plow drivers working around the clock trying to keep up. While Vermont is no stranger to big snow totals, this one took things to a whole new level. Skiers and snowboarders probably thought they had hit the jackpot—until they realized even the chairlifts were struggling under the weight of all that fresh powder.

For the rest of Vermont, this storm meant one thing: shoveling... lots and lots of shoveling. So, for those of you that ever think Vermont winters are bad now, just remember—1995 set the bar ridiculously high (or deep, in this case).

Overall, the memorable blizzard event ranks as a category 2 on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale and is one that still has many Vermont residents still reminiscing to this day.