Before the bed wetting global warming activists start telling ya it never happened before...
The Great Blizzard of 1888 was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in the history of the United States. Snowfalls of 20–60 inches fell in parts of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet.
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/great-blizzard-of-1888-changes-nyc-1422231918-slideshow/