text: december 1969 nor 'easter the december 1969 nor 'easter was a strong winter storm that mainly affected the northeastern united states and southern quebec between december 25 and december 28 , 1969 . the multi - faceted storm system included a tornado outbreak , record snow accumulations , a damaging ice storm , and flooding rains . the storm developed over texas by december 25 and advanced eastward , spawning over a dozen tornadoes in louisiana , georgia , and florida . upon reaching the eastern seaboard , the cyclone turned northeastward and intensified into a powerful nor 'easter . on december 26 and 27 , the storm 's forward movement slowed to a drift , causing very heavy snow over upstate new york , vermont , and southern quebec . warm onshore winds , caused by a storm track close to the shore , allowed precipitation to change to sleet and rain in central and eastern new england . where precipitation remained as snow , accumulations reached 40 inches ( 100 cm ) or more , crippling travel . drifts up to 30 ft ( 9 . 1 m ) high blocked roadways , isolating some communities and forcing emergency workers to rely on snowmobiles for transportation . at least 20 fatalities were attributed to the storm in new york and new england . in central new england , a severe freezing rain event occurred along the boundary between cold air to the west and warmer air to the east . several inches of glaze ice , accompanied by gale - force winds , caused damage comparable to the aftermath of the 1938 new england hurricane . throughout the region , the snow and ice — in some cases further weighted by heavy rainfall — caused roofs to cave in . montreal received 27 . 5 in ( 70 cm ) of snow in that city 's biggest snowstorm on record at the time ; officials blamed the storm for 15 deaths in quebec . in eastern new england , ice jams , poor drainage , and several inches of rain caused flooding that forced people from their homes and submerged roadways . wind gusts to 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) and strong waves battered the coastline . background the winter of 1969 – 1970 continued a long - term el niño from the previous winter , which featured two significant storms in the northeastern united states , including the " lindsay storm " in february . north atlantic oscillation ( nao ) values ranged from weakly negative to weakly positive in the period leading up to the storm , trending more consistently negative in the days surrounding its genesis . nao values dropped significantly in the wake of the nor 'easter , signaling abnormally cold temperatures during january 1970 . december 1969 was a month of active weather throughout the northeast , with frequent light to moderate snow events preceding the late - month nor 'easter . a significant storm on december 22 – 23 dropped 8 to 24 in ( 20 to 60 cm ) of snow in eastern new york and northern new england , as well as significant freezing rain in southern and eastern new england . many of the same areas would be impacted again just days later . before the cyclone 's arrival , a 1 , 033 hpa ( 30 . 5 inhg ) high pressure area situated north of new england funneled very cold air into the region ; the − 22 ° f ( − 30 ° c ) air temperature at albany , new york , on december 25 still holds the record for the city 's coldest december temperature . on december 25 and 26 , extensive cold air damming and frontogenesis occurred along the u.s. east coast . the high pressure area slowly retreated as the storm approached . meteorological history the nor 'easter originated in a weak area of surface low pressure that formed over northern texas by december 25 . it moved generally eastward over the next day as it crossed the deep south . a southerly low - level jet ( a localized wind stream in the lower levels of the atmosphere ) developed by midday over mississippi and alabama , and drifted eastward . precipitation soon blossomed , with heavy snow falling over the appalachian mountains by late on december 25 . the low turned toward the northeast by early on december 26 to follow the temperature gradient along the east coast , at which time the storm underwent the first of two periods of rapid intensification . in 12 hours , barometric pressure fell 12 hpa to 996 hpa ( 29 . 4 inhg ) while the nor 'easter accelerated from georgia to the coast of new jersey . this bout of strengthening occurred as the associated upper - level trough at the 500 - millibar level – several miles into the atmosphere – assumed a negative tilt from northwest to southeast . heavy precipitation overspread the mid - atlantic and new england early on december 26 . the low - level jet continued to strengthen and delivered warm air to areas east of the storm center , where precipitation quickly transitioned to rain . the jet ultimately reached extremely high velocities of 55 m / s ( 120 mph ) as it wrapped around the northern side of the low , feeding abundant moisture into areas of heavy precipitation . the storm slowed drastically on december 26 , and over the next 24 hours , it moved very slowly from cape may , new jersey , to near boston , massachusetts . during this period , exceptionally heavy snow fell over eastern new york , vermont , and southern quebec . while located just east of long island on december 27 , the nor 'easter began its second phase of rapid strengthening that brought central pressure down to 976 hpa ( 28 . 8 inhg ) . during this period of intensification , snow propagated around the western side of the system , reaching as far south as long island . with a storm track very close to the shore and a retreating high pressure area to the northeast , onshore winds allowed temperatures to warm above freezing in eastern and northern new england . a frontal boundary between the warm atlantic air and a residual wedge of colder air over the interior served as the focus for a severe ice storm in central new england . thunder and lightning accompanied the precipitation in some areas . by 12 : 00 utc on december 27 , the attendant upper - level trough matured into a closed cold - core low . the nor 'easter continued to drift toward the east - northeast over the next 24 hours . impact and aftermath southeast u.s. and mid - atlantic the developing extratropical cyclone spawned 16 known tornadoes and waterspouts in louisiana , georgia , and florida , becoming the largest christmas day tornado outbreak on record . a short - lived f3 tornado touched down in vermillion parish , louisiana , destroying eight homes near kaplan and damaging 25 more . one woman was killed and eight were injured , three severely enough to require hospitalization . another damaging tornado moved through several settlements in southern iberville parish just over two hours later ; the tornado destroyed seven homes and damaged multiple other buildings , with one injury reported . the tornado was officially classified an f3 , though meteorologist thomas p. determined it to have caused damage consistent with an f2 rating . a non - tornadic wind gust destroyed a nearby trailer home . later that day , a tornado skipped along a path through and concordia parishes , touching down three different times . the f2 tornado damaged about 20 trailer homes in glade , and caused further damage near the end of its track . a tornado in southern georgia , about 9 mi ( 14 km ) west of albany , damaged or destroyed several small homes , killed three head of cattle , toppled numerous trees , and injured seven people . elsewhere in the state , there were isolated reports of hail and damaging thunderstorm winds . several tornadoes in the florida panhandle caused minor to moderate damage to trees and homes , the most destructive of them occurring in quincy , florida . that tornado struck an industrial area and unroofed at least three structures . a tornado in lee , florida , destroyed a trailer , damaged farm buildings , and injured one person . in addition to widespread rain , parts of northern south carolina experienced freezing rain that damaged trees and power lines . freezing rain and sleet fell over the southern piedmont of north carolina , resulting in power outages and dangerous travel conditions . at least one fatal traffic accident was reported . heavy snow covered the northwest piedmont and mountain region of the state , accumulating to around 12 in ( 30 cm ) at asheville ; occurring on the heels of another winter storm , this snowfall contributed to depths up to 2 ft ( 60 cm ) at higher elevations . high winds from the storm left at least 50 , 000 electric customers in the richmond , virginia region without power . in carroll county , strong winds uprooted trees . significant snow accumulations occurred throughout the mid - atlantic , chiefly away from the coastal plain . snowfall exceeded 10 in ( 25 cm ) in parts of western virginia , western maryland , and west virginia ; washington , d.c. received 12 . 1 in ( 31 cm ) of snow . northeast u.s. the cyclone was rated by meteorology researchers and ( 2004 ) as a high - end category 3 on the northeast snowfall impact scale , equating to a " major " winter storm . however , more recent data from the national climatic data center classifies the nor 'easter as a low - end " crippling " category 4 . by december 30 , at least 20 deaths in new york and new england had been attributed to the storm , largely from traffic accidents and physical exhaustion . areas of northeastern pennsylvania , eastern new york , and vermont received snowfall in excess of 20 in ( 51 cm ) , including 29 . 8 in ( 760 mm ) at burlington , 26 . 4 in ( 67 cm ) at albany , and 21 . 9 in ( 56 cm ) at binghamton , new york . accumulations locally exceeded 40 in ( 100 cm ) , with 45 in ( 110 cm ) measured at waitsfield , vermont and 48 in ( 120 cm ) in the small village of east wallingford , vermont . the storm remains one of the greatest on record in cities like albany and burlington , and contributed to high monthly snowfall totals ; in albany , december 1969 stands as the snowiest documented month , with 57 . 5 in ( 146 cm ) . throughout the region , the weight of the snow , combined with gale - force winds , collapsed roofs and brought down power lines . the winds blew snow from this and previous storms into drifts as high as 30 ft ( 9 m ) , blocking roads and leaving some communities isolated . in some areas , travel was only possible with snowmobiles , which were used by emergency workers to deliver emergency supplies as needed . rescuers also used snowmobiles and aircraft to search for stranded residents and travelers . many cities and counties throughout the northeast issued snow emergencies . business and industry suffered extensively in the days following the storm . while major highways were generally cleared by december 29 , some local roads reportedly remained covered for up to a month . about 230 mi ( 370 km ) of the new york state thruway — nearly half its total length — was closed for 27 hours . the snowfall also caused widespread property damage , as the roofs of barns , sheds , and other buildings caved in under the weight of the snow . an airport hangar in oneonta collapsed , destroying five aircraft inside . in the aftermath of the storm , many homes sustained water damage from melting snow . " innumerable " traffic accidents were reported , and many motorists became stranded or were forced to abandon their vehicles . four people in a stalled automobile died of carbon monoxide . also in new york , one man froze to death , and three individuals were killed in a building collapse . in the capital district , the snow fell with a high water content , occasionally mixing with freezing rain . as a result , it was much denser than normal and proved difficult to manage . the city of albany spent a record $ 2 million usd on snow removal , and the city restricted nearly all traffic except for vehicles necessary to maintain emergency supplies . governor nelson rockefeller closed state offices in albany on december 29 and 30 , in an effort to enable efficient snow removal . mayor erastus corning 2nd assessed the situation as a " dire emergency " . governor deane c. davis of vermont declared a state of emergency and ordered the national guard to assist with cleanup efforts . blowing snow continuously blocked roads after being cleared , and snow removal vehicles , not equipped to withstand the excessive snow , began experiencing mechanical issues . the storm left some communities without power or telephone service for up to two days , although isolated outages persisted longer . one person died in river . with roads impassable in both new york and new england , tank trucks could not reach dairy farmers , who were in some cases forced to discard thousands of gallons of milk . in other cases , power outages rendered equipment useless , requiring milking to be done manually . one person in new hampshire died of exhaustion during the storm . the influx of warm , moist air over a wedge of cold air near the surface resulted in a severe ice storm across central and northern new england , most notably in the upper connecticut river valley . glaze ice thicker than 2 in ( 51 mm ) , and reportedly up to 6 in ( 150 mm ) thick in vermont , built up on trees and power lines , wreaking " unbelievable " havoc . in the hardest - hit areas , damage from the ice storm was comparable to that caused by the 1938 new england hurricane . the combined load of snow and ice caused significant damage to many residential and industrial buildings , with several factory and warehouse roofs collapsing . livestock were killed in multiple rural building collapses throughout the area . southern maine endured its second damaging ice storm in a week , with many of the same communities losing power on both occasion . precipitation also transitioned to freezing rain and sleet across interior connecticut , where the dangerous conditions induced numerous traffic accidents . due to the abnormally cold temperatures in the wake of the storm , the glaze persisted for up to six weeks , much longer than the typical three days for ice storms in new england . the changeover to heavy rain in southern and eastern new england swelled frozen rivers , creating ice jams which induced severe flooding . flooding of roadways and homes was compounded by drainage issues from the dense . rising floodwaters forced hundreds of families to leave their homes in massachusetts , new hampshire , and maine . up to 4 in ( 100 mm ) of rain fell in the boston region , where thousands of homes were inundated . rivers had begun to recede by december 29 after cresting well above flood stage . up to 4 in ( 100 mm ) of rain fell over rhode island after 6 to 11 in ( 15 to 28 cm ) of snow , with widespread flooding reported in multiple towns . frequent automobile accidents and large traffic jams were reported in the state . winds were strongest in cape cod , massachusetts , where gusts peaked near 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) . the gales were particularly damaging to trees laden with snow and ice . the heavy rainfall in eastern massachusetts added tremendous weigh to the snow that had already fallen , causing roof collapses and making it difficult to clear the snow . in southeastern new hampshire , the strong winds toppled trees and blew out windows in hampton beach . although the coastal plain of new england avoided the heaviest snow accumulations , pounding surf and strong winds battered piers , boats , and other coastal installations , while low - lying areas experienced storm surge flooding . quebec the storm dropped up to 30 in ( 75 cm ) of snow in southern quebec , where wind gusts up to 50 mph ( 80 km / h ) damaged buildings and brought down power lines . over a period of 60 hours , 27 . 5 in ( 70 cm ) of snow fell at montreal in what was then the city 's heaviest snowfall on record . rail , air , and automobile transportation were paralyzed . one individual in quebec city was struck and killed by a snowplow , and two more died of exposure to cold while ice fishing on the st. lawrence river . several fires broke out in montreal during the storm , killing at least six people and leaving 23 families homeless . in total , the storm was connected to at least 15 fatalities in the province .