Feb
11

Today in Smithsonian History: February 11, 1983

The snowfall plot and Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS) value for the Blizzard of 1983. (Via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

The snowfall plot and Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS) value for the Blizzard of 1983. (Via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

February 11, 1983 Washington’s third largest snowstorm of the century forces the Smithsonian Institution museums to close at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 11, and to remain closed all day on Saturday, Feb. 12. The buildings reopen on Sunday, Feb. 13, but only 15,073 (compared to an average of 50,000) people visited the museums that day.

If only the poor innocents of 1983 knew what was coming in 2010: Snowmageddon!

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Posted: 11 February 2019
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