In 1951, Tennessee Was Hit With The Worst Blizzard In Its History

While it’s been a few years since Tennessee has been hit with hard and heavy snow, many folks in the Volunteer state can probably remember the last good snow. But there are few native Tennesseans that still remember the greatest winter storm in the state’s history: The Great Blizzard of 1951. With over 8 inches of snow and thick, heavy ice, the storm completely shut down Middle Tennessee for nearly a week. These pictures give you an idea of just how devastating this storm was.

Steve Harwood - Flickr

While Tennessee typically looks absolutely magical covered in a winter snow, the worst storm in the state's history was truly awe-inspiring.

Tennessee State Library and Archives

The storm started on January 28th of 1951 with steady, but mild snowfall blanketing Middle Tennessee.

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Tennessee State Library and Archives

The snowfall continued over the next few days until the weather warmed slightly, bringing a few inches of freezing rain to cover the already inches-thick covering of snow on the ground.

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Tennessee State Library and Archives

The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers throughout Middle Tennessee, and the temperatures dropped down so far that most gas and oil furnaces ran out of fuel, leaving folks to find alternative sources of heat.

Tennessee State Library and Archives

The ice started to thaw on February 5th, a full week after the storm started. In Nashville, as folks started to leave their homes, they created what many historians consider the worst traffic jam in the city's history.

Tennessee State Library and Archives

This beautiful shot of Fall Creek Falls, taken just a day after the snow had stopped falling, shows just how heavily the snow fell.

Tennessee State Library and Archives

After it was all said and done, the area was buried under 8 inches of snow and ice and the area was affected for weeks. Over $2 million of damage had been done to the area's infrastructure and multiple people died from problems due to the storm.

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