A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck Washington DC In 1922… And No One Saw It Coming

We've had several fairly recent major weather events in Washington, DC. Most Washingtonians remember the infamous Snowmageddon of 2010, and the Blizzard of '96 was also a huge deal. However, there was one historic storm in Washington, DC that was the deadliest storm to ever hit the nation's capital. The Knickerbocker Storm of Washington, DC occurred in 1922 and dumped 28 inches of snow onto the city, killing almost 100 people.

The Knickerbocker Storm struck on January 27, 1922, and snow fell all along the Atlantic coast. An estimated 22,400 square miles of the northeastern U.S. were affected, with more than 20 inches of snow falling in some areas.

However, it was the nation's capital that was hit the hardest. Snow here reached 28 inches.

The area of the city near Rock Creek Park had measurements as high as 33 inches!

This was the biggest snowstorm in Washington, DC ever since official recordkeeping began back in 1865.

Dozens of lives were lost, but the thing that is most remembered about this storm is the tragedy of the Knickerbocker Theatre in DC. This magnificent building was located in what is now the Adams Morgan neighborhood. It was the largest and newest theater in Washington, but it was built with one major design flaw.

The roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre was flat, so when 28 inches of snow fell, the roof ended up splitting in half and falling. This occurred during a sold-out showing of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, a silent comedy that had been released the year prior.

In all, 98 people were killed. An additional 133 suffered injuries. Snow continued to fall throughout the evening as hundreds of rescue workers attempted to help those affected by the storms. Both the owner and architect of the theater were wracked with guilt over the incident, and both later committed suicide.

The storm was remembered as the Knickerbocker Storm of Washington, DC, and it was truly one of the most historic storms in Washington, DC history. What terrible storms in DC have occurred in your lifetime? Share your stories in the comments.

Fortunately, today's technology for weather forecasting is greatly advanced, so we don't often see the kind of casualties that occurred from some of the area's most famous historical storms. However, weather can still be surprising, so it's important to make sure you have an emergency preparedness kit in your home to be ready for any sort of inclement weather.