Evansville history of winter storms

Evansville Loves A Good Blizzard

The tri-state is no stranger to large snow accumulations. We've had blizzards, ice storms, feet of accumulation, and all variations of Mother Winter you can imagine. There are four instances in which we weathered the worst of winter storms, the first of which was the winter of 1917-1918. This particular winter was tragic, as the Ohio River froze, halting river traffic and preventing coal and food deliveries to the tri-state. In December of 1917, the tri-state saw a total of 16 inches of snow, followed in January of 1918 with an additional 22 inches. This resulted in 8-foot snowdrifts and citizens having to dig tunnels in downtown to access businesses. In total, over the two months of the blizzard, 66 inches of snow fell on the tri-state.

The Other Three Memorable Winters

The tri-state also saw brutal and historic winters in 1970-71 and 1976-77, each reaching snow accumulations over 20 inches total. The fourth of the worst winters and the most recent nasty winter event came in December of 2004. Refered to as "the big one", Evansville saw over 22 inches of snow, resulting in 20-inch snow drifts, stranded drivers on I-64, and temperatures well below zero. Some drivers who were stranded on the interstate had to remain in their vehicles for 23 hours or walk to safety if they dared. In 2009, we didn't see massive snow accumulations, but one month into the year, we were covered in ice. Multiple counties in Indiana and Kentucky were declared disasters. At the time, I was housesitting for my parents and had just learned cool snow people terms like "nar for the shreddin". While I was blonde and much younger, here's the video I shot from 2009 of the winter storm: