From Dangerous Snow Storms To Tornadoes, Here's Some Of The Wildest New Year's Weather Across The US

As another year closes and we all prepare for New Year’s Eve and Day, we may be wondering what the weather will be like. Let's hope none of it is as bad as these events when the weather disrupted some big plans.

Some are more recent, and some are hundreds of years old.

Here are our list of some memorable weather around New Year’s Eve and Day.

Snow At The Snow Bowl

On Dec. 31, 2000, the “Snow Bowl” brought a close game between Mississippi State and Texas A&M at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.

While some may remember the very close game, us meteorlogists got super excited about how snow fell during most of the game.

In total, 2.2 inches fell that day, and that is the most snow that has ever fell that day in history in Shreveport.

Frigid Temperatures At The Ice Bowl

Let’s stick with the theme of bowls matching their weather. On New Year’s Eve 1967, the NFL Championship Game took place between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Fans and players alike must have felt like ice as the kickoff temperature was 13 degrees below zero, with a wind chill of a teeth-chattering minus 36 degrees.

It was so cold that the metal whistles could stick to referees' lips, so they had to SHOUT signals. I wouldn’t have wanted to be one of the 51,000 people at this game.

Players were treated for frostbite, and a fan in the stands unfortunately died from cold exposure.

The Ice Bowl ranked 1st for the all-time lowest minimum temperature for any Dec. 31 in Green Bay. The temperatures dropped to -19 degrees just before midnight.

Tornadoes To End 2010

When I think of December, I tend to think about cold weather and snow.

But, at the end of 2010, it was a different situation entirely.

Two rounds of storms brought tornadoes from Arkansas to Missouri and into Illinois.

The first round struck just after midnight, while the second round struck just after daybreak. The second round, unfortunately, brought fatalities with two lives claimed north of Rolla, Missouri, and two more near Lecoma, Missouri.

But, the severe storm threat didn’t stop there.

On the night of New Year’s Eve into New Year's Day, a strong storm system brought even more tornadoes.

In total, the National Weather Service in Jackson reported 11 tornadoes.

There were a combined 4 EF3 tornadoes that day.

1963 New Year's Eve Snow In New Orleans

However, this is not the only instance of heavy snow in the Big Easy.

The final day of 1963 featured one of the few analogs to the 2025 Gulf Coast Blizzard.

Dec. 31st, 1963, featured an unusual 4-8 inches of snow across Southeast Louisiana with 4.5 inches in New Orleans, 2.7 of those inches falling on Dec. 31.

Some portions of Mississippi saw over a foot of snow.

Meridian, Mississippi, recorded 15 inches of snow while Bay Saint Louis, located on the Gulf Coast, saw 10.5 inches of snow.

Despite the record-breaking event, Alabama and Ole Miss still played the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day at Tulane’s snow-covered football stadium.

Alabama won the game 12-7.

1961 Idaho Ice Storm

Freezing rain is fairly common across the U.S. during winter, but how about a shocking 8 inches of ice accumulation!

This record-breaking event occurred in Northern Idaho on Jan. 1, 1961, and occurred as a result of freezing fog and freezing rain.

Freezing rain occurs when liquid rain falls into a region of sub-freezing temperatures near the surface.

On the other hand, freezing fog occurs when air that is below freezing becomes fully saturated, causing water droplets to freeze onto exposed surfaces, such as power lines, trees, and buildings.

This event resulted in immense destruction to forests and infrastructure across the region, with the heavy ice snapping both trees and power lines.

This event still holds the record for the heaviest ice accumulation in U.S. history to this day.

Honorable Mention

Dandelions Bloom in Pittsburgh?

No, that isn’t a mistake. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh reported that dandelions were in bloom in parks January 1, 1892.

Happy New Year to all! Let 2026 be a year of joy and laughter!

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.

Hayden Marshall is a meteorologist intern and First-Year-Master’s Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been following weather content over the past three years as a Storm Spotter and weather enthusiast. He can be found on Instagram and Linkedin.