As skiers, we’re all fascinated by the places that get truly monster snowfalls.

From legendary single-day blizzards burying whole towns to mountain peaks that accumulate dozens of feet of snow in one winter, the records set by these extreme snowfall events are nothing short of astounding. How much snow are we talking? Consider this: one Washington State mountain witnessed 95 feet of snowfall in a single season, and an Italian village once woke up to over 8 feet of snow in just 18 hours.

Let’s journey around the world to explore some of the most incredible meteorological snowfall records ever recorded, mixing record-breaking moments with the snowiest places that Mother Nature has to offer.

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24-Hour Snowfall Records

Some of the most jaw-dropping snow events on record have occurred in just one day. In a 24-hour span, these snowfall totals can reshape landscapes and break records. Here are a few one-day snowfall feats that left meteorologists in awe:

Capracotta, Italy (2015)

This Apennine Mountains town was buried under 100.8 inches (8.4 feet) of snow in only 18 hours. An intense cyclone funneling moisture into the mountains produced what was likely a world-record one-day snowfall, turning the village into a surreal snow globe.

Silver Lake, Colorado (1921)

A legendary blizzard dropped 75.8 inches (~6.3 feet) of snow in 24 hours at Silver Lake. This long-standing official 24-hour world record, set in the Colorado Rockies in April 1921, has stood for a century. (In fact, the storm didn’t stop there—by 32 hours, a total of 95 inches had fallen!

Thompson Pass, Alaska (1963)

In February 1963, Thompson Pass near Valdez was pummeled with 78 inches (6.5 feet) of snow in 24 hours. Alaska’s coastal mountains regularly see huge “snow dumps,” and this event showed how even at relatively low elevations the snow can pile up unbelievably fast.

Bessans, France (1959)

The European Alps have their own extreme tales. In the village of Bessans, high in the French Alps, 67.8 inches (~5.7 feet) fell in just 19 hours in April 1959. That’s an average of 3.5 inches of snowfall per hour during this epic alpine storm – one of Europe’s most intense on record.

Multi-Day Snowstorms

While 24-hour records are one way to measure a storm’s fury, some snowstorms earn their place in history by lingering and dumping snow for days on end. These multi-day monster storms left behind phenomenal totals:

Mount Shasta, California (1959)

Over nearly a week (February 13–19, 1959), a relentless storm at Mount Shasta Ski Bowl amassed 189 inches (15.75 feet) of snow. This is often cited as the greatest single-storm snowfall ever recorded worldwide – imagine nearly sixteen feet of snow from one prolonged blizzard!

Donner Summit, California (1982)

The Sierra Nevada is famous for huge snowstorms, and one in January 1982 was truly exceptional. At Donner Summit, a single Pacific storm system unloaded 186.6 inches (about 15.5 feet) of snow. Remarkably, Donner Pass in the Sierras has topped 775 inches in a season on four occasions, underlining its reputation as one of North America’s snow champions.

Buffalo, New York (2014)

Even lower elevations can see astounding snow totals given the right conditions. In November 2014, a historic lake-effect snow event near Buffalo produced storm totals approaching 7 feet in some communities. Over a few days, neighborhood streets became canyons of snow, showing that you don’t need a mountain to get buried when cold winds and warm lakes align just right.

Seasons for the Record Books

It’s one thing to get a big storm, but how about an entire winter of record snowfall? For seasonal totals (typically measured over a snow season or calendar year), one region stands above all: the Pacific Northwest of North America, where moist Pacific air slams into high peaks. Two spots in Washington State have traded the title for snowiest winter ever recorded:

Mount Rainier, Washington (1971–72)

During the winter of 1971–72, the Paradise Ranger Station on Mount Rainier was inundated with 1,122 inches of snow (93.5 feet). This unbelievable total, measured at 5,400 feet elevation, set a world record that stood for over two decades. The mountain’s frequent storms and 14,411-ft summit create a perfect snow trap, making Paradise live up to its name for snow lovers.

Mount Baker, Washington (1998–99)

In 1998–99, Mount Baker Ski Area (4,200 ft elevation) shattered the record with 1,140 inches (95 feet) of snowfall over the course of the season. This remains the world’s record for snowfall in a single season. What’s amazing is that Mount Baker achieved this at a lower elevation than Rainier’s Paradise, thanks to its location, and perhaps a bit of meteorological luck that winter.

These two sites – just a few hours’ drive apart – illustrate how Washington’s Cascade Range is uniquely suited to catching prodigious snowfall when conditions are right.

The Deepest Snowpacks on Earth

When snow keeps piling up over weeks and months, the depth of snow on the ground reaches mind-boggling levels. The deepest snowpack ever measured on Earth was recorded in Japan, a country famous for its heavy snows:

Mount Ibuki, Japan (1927)

By February 14, 1927, observers on Mt. Ibuki (elevation ~5,000 ft) measured a snow depth of 465.4 inches – about 38.8 feet of snow standing on the ground. This is the greatest recorded natural snow depth in world history. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly a four-story building completely buried in snow!

Tamarack, California (1911)

The Sierra Nevada also produced an immense snowpack in the winter of 1911. At Tamarack, California, a maximum snow depth of 451 inches (37.5 feet) was measured on March 11, 1911, which remains the United States record for snow depth.

In fact, that winter brought 390 inches of snow just in the month of January at Tamarack. Both the Mt. Ibuki and Tamarack records speak to winters when the snowfall was so continuous and heavy that it accumulated into an almost unbelievable snowpack.

The Snowiest Places on Earth

Extreme snowfall isn’t just a one-time fluke – some locations are consistently the snowiest places on the planet. These regions combine geography and climate in just the right way to produce astonishing snowfall year after year:

Japanese Alps (Honshu, Japan)

The mountains of Japan’s main island are often considered the snowiest place on Earth. Thanks to cold Siberian winds picking up moisture over the Sea of Japan (creating ocean-effect “powder”), parts of the Japanese Alps see an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 inches of snow each year.

That’s 100+ feet of snow annually in the 2,000–6,000 ft elevation zone! In these areas, winter roads famously cut through towering snow walls (the Yuki-no-Otani snow canyon, with 50-foot snow banks, is a tourist attraction). Japan’s combination of maritime moisture and mountain terrain makes it a veritable snow factory.

Sukayu Onsen, Japan

Nestled in the Hakkōda Mountains of northern Honshu, Sukayu Onsen is known as the snowiest inhabited place on Earth. It averages about 17.6 meters (58 feet) of snowfall each year. In the winter of 2013, Sukayu had a snow depth of 566 cm (18.6 ft) on the ground. Despite these extreme conditions, the area remains accessible year-round, and locals take pride in managing (and even celebrating) the colossal snowfall.

Paradise, Mount Rainier (Washington, USA)

This high spot on Mount Rainier’s slope is North America’s snowiest regularly inhabited location, averaging around 680 inches (56½ feet) of snow each year. Its unique position near the Pacific coast and elevation around 5,400 ft mean storms frequently dump snow here when lower elevations see rain. It’s not unusual for Paradise to have 20 or more feet of snowpack by spring. (Fittingly, as noted, Paradise also once set the single-season record of 93.5 feet.)

Thompson Pass & Valdez, Alaska (USA)

Coastal Alaska rivals any place on the planet for snowfall. Thompson Pass (2,678 ft) averages about 552 inches annually, and has hit 974 inches in a single season in the past. Just down the road, the town of Valdez at sea level gets about 320 inches (27 feet) of snow in an average year, making it one of the snowiest sea-level locations on Earth. Winters in Valdez mean constant shoveling and plowing, as even moderate storms can bury the town in feet of heavy snow. (Fun fact: Valdez’s sea-level snowfall even tops that of snowy coastal cities in Japan; for example, one Japanese seaport, Tsukayama, once saw 68 inches in 24 hours!)

Caucasus Mountains (Russia/Georgia)

The high peaks along the Black Sea in the western Caucasus catch tremendous snowfall as well. In fact, Achishko, a mountain area at about 6,200 feet elevation in Russia’s Caucasus range, has recorded snow depths up to 315 inches (26 feet) on the ground. This region’s snowy reputation is why nearby Sochi (at the foot of these mountains) hosted winter athletes in the subtropics – the snow was waiting in the peaks above.

From blizzards that drop snow by the foot-per-hour to mountain slopes that stack up tens of meters of snow each winter, these records highlight the most extreme snowfall our planet can produce.

Such feats of nature create challenges for those who live in their shadow – collapsing roofs, snowslide dangers, and heroic efforts to keep roads open – but they also inspire awe and even a sense of pride.

Whether it’s an unexpected one-day snowfall that makes global headlines or a far-flung mountain known for nonstop powder, the world’s incredible snowfall records remind us of the extraordinary power of winter in all its snowy glory.