Palm Sunday Snowstorm of 1942

Today is the 65th anniversary of Baltimore’s Palm Sunday Snowstorm, a phenomenal storm that highlights the wide range of weather that is possible as the seasons change in the mid Atlantic states. The following description of the storm was found on the web site of the Batlimore-Washington National Weather Service Office:

March 29-30, 1942: The Palm Sunday Snowstorm dumped the state’s heaviest March snow on record in Maryland. The storm began as rain but changed over to a wet heavy snow. The snow stuck to power lines, trees and shrubs damaging them under its weight. Many of the fruit trees had begun to blossom. Over 20 inches fell over northern Anne Arundel, Howard, Southern and western Baltimore County, Carroll County, eastern and northern Frederick County, and north-central Washington County. Maximum amounts reported were 31 inches at Clear Springs (just 12 days earlier the temperature had reached 79�F here), 32 inches at Westminister, 30 to 36 inches at State Sanatorium (Frederick County) and 36 inches at Edgemont (Washington County). Baltimore City received its greatest snow in 20 years with 22 inches measured. Hagerstown and Westminister reported 22 inches in 24 hours. Frederick had 17 inches in 24 hours. Washington, DC received a total of 11.5 inches of snow.

Tom Tasselmyer