1987 Snowstorm Anniversary

The 1987 snowstorm buried El Paso under nearly two feet of snow, easily our biggest snowstorm on record.

Officially 22.7″ of snow fell at the airport.

The snowstorm went on to impact the Central Plains, Midwest, and Northeast.

In Chicago it was nicknamed the ‘Heart-attack storm’ because the storm claimed the lives of at least 25 people, mainly from heart-attacks while shoveling heavy wet snow.

The storm was also accompanied by record cold in El Paso. Record lows were set on the 14th, 15th, and 16th, with overnight lows in the single digits.

High temperatures failed to rise above freezing in the days following the storm. A high of just 27 was recorded on the 14th, and El Paso only hit 30 on the 15th.

Areas surround El Paso generally saw less snow. Las Cruces only reported 4.8″, Deming saw 12″, and Ft. Hancock recorded 9″ of snow.