Blizzard of 1996: Remembering the deadly eastern US snowstorm, record flooding that followed
The Blizzard of 1996 is remembered as one of the most devastating snowstorms to affect the northeastern United States in history.
Feet of snow piled up from the central Appalachians to the major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor from Jan. 6-8, 1996.
The metro areas from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston were virtually incapacitated by the storm.
Philadelphia was the hardest-hit city, receiving its largest single-storm snowfall total of 31 inches.
Amounts up to 48 inches were reported in western Virginia and the mountains of West Virginia.
High winds whipped around the snow, reducing visibility and leaving drifts as high as 5-8 feet, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
“It was a nor’easter that, like so many, came out of the Gulf of Mexico and it was a classic nor’easter track for a blizzard,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Steve Wistar said.
Travelers were left stranded on the roads and at the airports, and many schools and businesses were shut down for an entire week.
Roofs collapses were reported across the region due to the weight of the snow.
The blizzard was one of a trio of snowstorms that left a deep snowpack across portions of the Northeast during the first half of January 1996.
The deep snowpack set the stage for a major flooding event as temperatures rose and rain fell later in the month.
“It was a classic one-two punch,” Wistar said.
During Jan. 18-19, 1996, temperatures soared into the 50s and 60s F across the areas affected by the blizzard over a week prior.
Heavy rainfall accompanied the surge of warmer air, which led to rapidly melting snow and an excessive amount of runoff entering rivers and streams.
Flooding on the Allegheny River wharf in downtown Pittsburgh leaves some cars parked Friday morning by commuters under water late Friday afternoon Jan. 19, 1996, as the river rises from the combined effect of melting snow and rain. (AP/Gene J. Puskar)
More than 3 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“The rate of snowmelt was unprecedented,” the NWS said. “Residents recall going to bed the evening of Jan. 19 with over a foot of snow on the ground and waking up the morning of the Jan. 20 with bare ground.”
All but 10 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties reported flooding, making it the worst flood disaster to affect the state since Hurricane Agnes in 1972.
The blizzard and subsequent flooding caused billions in damages and claimed 184 lives, with 154 deaths from the blizzard alone.
Join Everything Under the Sun’s host Regina Miller as she discussed the Blizzard of 1996 with two AccuWeather Expert Meteorologists, Dave Dombek and Paul Pastelok, who were on hand during the storm. Learn how forecasts were prepared in those years and how technology has changed since, allowing for more accurate forecasts and dissemination of our weather forecasts and warnings.
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