The Great Snow is considered one of the benchmark storms in New England, often compared to the Great Blizzard of 1888 in severity.
The Great Snow of 1717 was a series of snowstorms between February 27 and March 7, 1717 (Gregorian calendar) that blanketed the colony of Virginia and the New England colonies with five or more feet (1.5 or more meters) of snow, and much higher drifts.