The New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm was a significant winter storm occurring from December 31, 1963 to January 1, 1964 over most of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. The storm began when a surface low-pressure system moved northward through the eastern

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

and up the Fall Line east of the Appalachians, leading to a

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

storm from the central Gulf coast northward into

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Three people perished during the storm, and travel was severely restricted for a couple of days following the snowfall. The strong winds accompanied by heavy snow fall set historic new snowfall records in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Synoptic history

A shortwave in the southern stream of the Westerlies closed off as it approached the central United States

coastline. A surface cyclone formed in the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

of Mexico, slowly deepening as it moved north-northeast across the eastern Gulf. Cold air was residing across the Deep South in advance of this system, and as the surface cyclone tracked across northern Florida, heavy snowfall fell in its comma head from the Mouth of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

northeast through

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and Alabama into Tennessee, where the snow persisted into January 1. The cyclone ultimately moved along the east coast of the United States and

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

, moving out into the far north Atlantic as a strengthening storm.

Effects

Southeast Louisiana saw , mainly east of the Mississippi river, with

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

measuring . Damages totalled at least US$50,000 (1963 dollars). A stripe of of snow fell across portions of Mississippi, northwest Alabama, and into Tennessee, with lesser amounts falling on either side of this axis. Tree branches and power lines were downed as over a foot of snow fell in a band across eastern

. Three people lost their lives in traffic accidents relating to the storm. Damage totalled at least US$50,000. Across Alabama, Huntsville recorded of snow, setting a new record for daily, weekly, and monthly snowfall. It was the worst snow storm for the area since 1899. In Mississippi, Meridian saw while Bay St. Louis saw a snowfall. This became the snowiest day in

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

history.

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

measured of snow. Many roads and highways were impassable for two to three days after the snow fell. Damage totaled at least US$550,000 (1963 dollars). Across Tennessee, central and eastern sections of the state recorded over of snow, with up to 16 inches in south-central Tennessee at Lawrenceburg. Power and telephone lines were downed. Several boats were sunk at their docks when a shed covering them collapsed under the weight of the snow. Damage totaled more than US$50,000. Farther north across Pennsylvania on January 1, fell at Millersville.Millesville University
Snow of the 1960s.
Retrieved on 2006-11-27.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1963-12-31 Snowstorm Snowstorm, 12-31 Snowstorm, 01-01 Snowstorm, 1963-12-31 Snowstorm, 1963-12-31 Snowstorm, 1963-12-31 Snowstorm, 1963-12-31 Snowstorm, 1963-12-31 Snowstorm, 12-31

Synoptic history

Effects

See also

References