The storm took its name from the resulting collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., shortly after 9 p.m. on January 28, which killed 98 people and injured 133.

An Arctic air mass was in place across the northeast United States; Washington, D.C. had been below freezing since the afternoon of January 23.

The front that spawned the cyclone was almost completely dry until after it crossed the Gulf of Mexico, making this storm unique among large southeast snowstorms.

Despite the slow start, a low formed and deepened rapidly off the Georgia coast as the cold front reached the Gulf Stream on January 27.

[2] This snowstorm is the biggest in the history of Washington since official record keeping began in 1885 (although it is dwarfed by the 36 inches (91 cm) of snow in the Washington–Jefferson Storm of January 1772).

During the movie's intermission, the heavy, wet snow split the roof down the middle, bringing down the balcony as well as a portion of the weakened brick wall.