Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: Here's What NYC Looked Like During The Historic Snowstorm Of 1947
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 26, 2015
Modified Jan 26, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 26, 2015
Modified Jan 26, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
(Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York)
One of the biggest snowstorms to hit the city was on December 26th and 27th of 1947. By the end of those two days, Central Park was blanketed in a whopping 26.4 inches of snow. According to NYC.gov, the blizzard held rank as the biggest snowstorm in our history—"as moisture in the Gulf Stream fed the storm's energy, the City was paralyzed when the blizzard barreled its way through, stranding cars and buses in the streets, halting subway service, and claiming 77 lives." At the time, an estimated 30,000 vehicles were abandoned on highways and streets.
(Courtesy of the NYPL)
The storm hit NYC directly, with little snowfall outside of the five boroughs—Manhattan received 26.1-inches; both the Bronx and Staten Island got 25-inches; 27.2-inches in Brooklyn; 24.6-inches in Queens.
Below, see footage of the city during the storm—as the newscaster notes, "99 million tons of snow falls on New York, in the greatest storm of its recorded history. The 15-hour precipitation puts the big town in a deep freeze. As the snow descends at a rate of 2-inches per hour, car travel becomes hazardous, and pedestrians scurry for shelter. Most activity ceases, and then the metropolis becomes a silent city under a ghostly mantle."
Tagged
1940s
1947
Blizzard
flashback
history
snow
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Owl pellets and period equity: What's happening at NYC's public libraries this November
Also: Books!
By
Alec Hamilton
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 4:00 a.m. ET
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
A visit to the community-driven pre-parade puppet preparations.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
A visit to the community-driven pre-parade puppet preparations.
By
Hannah Frishberg
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
By
Sonia Rao
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
By
Sonia Rao
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .