https://www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/bz-mrg.pdf (Page 14)
and http://www.raymondcmartinjr.com/weather/1996/07-Jan-96-500MillibarMaps.html for the 500/etc maps
Jan 96 had sprawling HPs to the north, trough in the east, multiple LPs that formed/diminished/reformed over the Gulf/SE until the ‘main’ LP formed near Cape Hatteras which eventually became ‘the’ LP. The 500 maps show a classic closed bowling ball and the trough is eventually negatively tilted and captures the rapidly deepening LP off the Mid Atl coast.
This was the mean geopotential height anomaly for the first five days of January that year, leading up to the storm (hopefully I did this right).