This week is the 30-year anniversary of the superstorm of 1993. Also known as the “Storm of the Century,” the mega snowmaker set the record for highest single-day snowfall in the month of March for the Valley. While that storm is one of the more notable March systems for many parts of the country, we’ve had other big snows in March.
What is normal snowfall in March?
March is usually the month a lot of folks start feeling that spring fever. Spring is in sight on the calendar and stores have plenty of spring merchandise on the shelves, but snow is still quite common this month. March is, on average, our fourth snowiest month on record. Normal snowfall at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport in March is 10.5″.
March top 10 biggest single-day snows
Total snowfall from the Superstorm of ’93 came in at 15.7″ at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport. That storm set the record for biggest single calendar-day snowfall in March. A total of 14.7″ of snow fell on March 13, 1993, the most snow in one day during the month.
Only one other date had a double-digit snow. There was a total of 10.7″ of snow recorded on the last day of March in 1987. In total, three of the biggest single-day snows came at the beginning of the month, five in the middle of the month and two at the end of the month.
March top 10 snowiest on record
Several of the big snows mentioned above helped push those months into the top 10 snowiest on record. March 1993 is the snowiest March on record with a total snowfall of 30.9″. Also on the above list is 1987. March 1987 comes in at the seventh snowiest March on record with 20.6″. The years 1951 and 1960 appear on the list above and are also on the March top 10 snowiest list.
Below is the breakdown of the 10 snowiest Marches on record:
| Rank | Year | Total Snow |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993 | 30.9″ |
| 2 | 1965 | 23.2″ |
| 3 | 1971 | 22.0″ |
| 4 | 2008 | 21.7″ |
| 5 | 1992 | 21.1″ |
| 6 | 1960 | 20.6″ |
| 6 (tie) | 1987 | 20.6″ |
| 8 | 2017 | 20.1″ |
| 9 | 1951 | 19.9″ |
| 9 (tie) | 2013 | 19.9″ |
