Worst snowstorms in St. Louis history
Whether you like it or not, it’s that time of year again. You can’t drive your car without scraping off some ice, your toes are cold all the time, long gone are the days when you could leave the house without a jacket and you dread the moment when your alarm clock goes off and you have to venture out in to the cold world that exists outside of your cozy warm bed. Although we do have to deal with the usual inconveniences of winter, it’s really not so bad yet here in St. Louis. Whenever you are bummed about the cold weather, just think about these history-making storms that the area has seen and you just might feel better about the current temperatures.
January 1982
This one is remembered for the amount of fluffy white snow that the St. Louis area was covered in at the end of January. Some areas saw as much as two feet of snow when it was all said and done. Weather analysts said that storm was the kind that only comes around about once in 70 years. Another part of this storm that makes it so memorable is that it took the area by surprise. Not only are blizzards like this unusual for St. Louis, weather models only predicted light snow. Needles to say, everyone was in shock to see what actually happened.
January 2011
Although the Midwest doesn’t get dumped with nearly as much snow as states like Colorado and Minnesota do, their storms are equally brutal, if not more so, for a different reason. The freezing rain mixed in with snow can make for some treacherous conditions. That’s exactly what was in store for St. Louis during this storm nearly three years ago. Most of the St. Louis area was covered in more than a foot of snow. Another thing that made this storm brutal was the wind gusts that reached 40 miles per hour. That mixed with below zero temperatures, snow, freezing rain and sleet made for a nearly unbearable winter storm.
March 2013
This storm didn’t produce nearly as many winter wonderland pictures as the blizzard did of 1982 but it was a rather impressive winter storm. It was still a record setter and has become the most severe winter storm that has hit the area in the month of March. This storm covered the area in 12.4 inches of snow.
Taking a look at all of the storms that have dumped more than a foot on St. Louis, what we’re seeing this year isn’t so bad, right? Sure, it’s not like you can have a picnic or go swimming in these 20 or 30-degree temperatures. But, driving conditions aren’t terrible and you don’t have to worry about digging your car out of snow to go do something. And it’s really best that you take advantage of that fact. Even though winter hasn’t been terrible yet you never know when the area will see its next record setting storm.
