Washington's weather is best known for being hot and humid in summer, but the region also gets a good dose of each of the other three seasons. It doesn't get anything like the regular snow of places further north, but it can still get some big dumps of snow. Most of it typically comes in January and February, although it's naturally variable with outliers. The historical average in even the snowiest months is still under 6 inches, but that doesn't tell the whole story, because the area can be prone to some big storms. The record holder so far goes all the way back to 1922, with the Knickerbocker storm dumping 28 inches. More recently storms in 2016, 2010, 2009, and 2003 have all dumped over 16 inches.
And while even small amounts of snow can create a surprisingly large amount of havoc for the area's legions of commuters and it forces many schools to close--and even sometimes the federal government--it also transforms the National Mall, its monuments, and other Washington landmarks like the White House into a winter wonderland.
Here's a sampling of some of the photos I've taken in DC during various snowstorms, including the Snowmageddon (2010) and Snowzilla (2016) storms and the much smaller but still significant Snurlough (2019) storm.
Photos of Washington DC in the Snow
Korean War Veterans Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
DC World War I Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
A statue of President Andrew Jackson, surrounded by cannons, in Lafayette Park, next to the White House. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
JFK Hockey Fields toward the Lincoln Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Outside the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. license topic="white house dc snow"]
Korean War Veterans Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
MLK Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Rotunda of the DC World War One Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Korean War Veterans Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Walkway along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (Reflecting Pool is to the left, with the JFK Hockey Fields on the right.) Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Korean War Veterans Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
DC World War One Memorial through Ash Woods. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Korean War Veterans Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Washington Monument. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
World War I Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
The Potomac and Arlington National Bridge. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
West Potomac Park with the Washington Monument. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
MLK Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
One of the century-old Yoshino cherry trees surrounding the Tidal Basin. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Lafayette Park. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Lincoln Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Jefferson Memorial across a frozen Tidal Basin. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
White House Christmas Tree. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Japanese Lantern next to the Tidal Basin. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Constitution Gardens. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
National World War Two Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Lincoln Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Next to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Korean War Veterans Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
National World War Two Memorial. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Old Canal Keeper's House. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Tidal Basin. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
US Treasury Building. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
US Treasury Building. Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.
More Photos
I have more high-resolution photos of Washington DC in the snow.
