Blizzards affect Washington, on average, once every four to six years. The most violent storms are called "nor'easters", which often affect large sections of the East Coast. From January 27 to 28, 1922, the city officially received  of snowfall, the largest snowstorm since official measurements began in 1885. According to notes kept at the time, the city received between  from a snowstorm in January 1772.