Over the years, some of the worst snowstorms have happened in March.

Just in the past week there were two nor’easters, cyclonic bursts of stormy weather with the name derived from storms having counterclockwise motion and bringing wind and rain from the northeast.

The first happened last Friday and dropped more than 20 inches of snow in parts of the Poconos. Most of Carbon County and eastern Schuylkill saw a few inches of snow but very heavy wind.

Wednesday’s storm had the potential to be crippling. Fortunately for our area, the path of the storm wasn’t as expected and parts of eastern New Jersey received 2 feet of snow instead.

It was in the month of March that Carbon County experienced its largest snowfall on record.

On March 13 and 14, 1993, a total of 28 inches of snow was measured in Lehighton, according to the National Weather Service. The storm arrived on the day Carbon County was celebrating its 150th birthday. It was accompanied by winds with gusts of about 50 mph.

Wednesday’s storm dumped 9 inches in Albrightsville, 7.5 inches in Summit Hill, 7 inches of snow in Lower Towamensing Township and about 6 inches in Lehighton.

Other measurements, according to the National Weather Service, were 11.8 inches in Bartonsville, 10.3 inches in Coolbaugh Township and 8 inches in Saylorsburg in Monroe County, and 7.3 inches in Neffs, Lehigh County.

Perhaps the most historic blizzard to ever occur happened in the month of March.

It was March 13, 1888, that the “Blizzard of ’88” occurred.

The March 14, 1888, issue of the Mauch Chunk Coal Gazette told of the havoc that was created. It told of a passenger train stuck in Nescopeck. Some areas of New York state and Vermont had 50 inches of snow from the storm.

The storm closed the railroads, which resulted in a shortage of coal, a major heating fuel source at the time, in some towns.

A snowstorm that reportedly dropped 30 inches of snow in some local areas happened March 24, 1765.

Major winter storms dumping a foot of snow happened on March 18 in 1956 and 1958.

Even the month of April doesn’t guarantee sanctuary from snowstorms. One happened on April 5-7, 1982, and impacted Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Near-blizzard conditions occurred and were followed by a cold air mass that gave Boston a temperature reading on April 7 of minus 10 degrees during the afternoon.

Incidentally, the National Weather Service says another nor’easter could possibly bring snow again Sunday night. It’s too early to determine where the low pressure system that would create the storm will form, so forecasters are giving us a 30 percent chance for Sunday night precipitation.