THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY

1987: The Veterans Day Storm

Episode Details

On November 11, 1987 and major snowstorms struck the nations' capital. During the Veteran's Day Storm almost a foot of snow fell at National Airport. Prince Georges County, MD was hard hit with up to 13 inches of snow falling in a short amount of time. It caught motorists off guard and stranded cars on the Capital Beltway. There were so many cars that snow plows could not get through to open the clogged arteries. Cars littered the roadway for more than 24 hours. The event precipitated the development of the Washington Metropolitan Area Snow Plan to facilitate preparedness and response to future storms. The storm struck before the days of lightning detection networks and Doppler weather radar. Thunderstorms began dumping heavy snow over Fredericksburg VA, then the storm moved northeast across the southern Metropolitan area and fast accumulating snow hit Camp Springs. The result was a singular localized event. Outside of the Washington DC immediate area not more than a few inches of snow fell from the storm.

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THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY

1987: The Veterans Day Storm

This Date in Weather History

This Date in Weather History Update

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