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January 1996 Thread


PennMan

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Might as well have a thread about this since our area was particularly hard hit during this timeframe. Hard to believe it's been 16 years since the Blizzard of '96.

post-30-0-53395500-1325917139.jpg

I was only 7 when the storm occurred but still have relatively vivid memories of it. We had a solid 30" here in Lebanon County. The snow drifted up against the house, holding the back door shut until we had shoveled the back deck off. As if the 30" storm wasn't enough, another 1-2" fell on Jan 9-10, and then another 13" on Jan 12-13. I distinctly remember attempting to walk across our yard to the neighbors' house and failing after the second storm, as the snow was up to my chest.

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Might as well have a thread about this since our area was particularly hard hit during this timeframe. Hard to believe it's been 16 years since the Blizzard of '96.

post-30-0-53395500-1325917139.jpg

I was only 7 when the storm occurred but still have relatively vivid memories of it. We had a solid 30" here in Lebanon County. The snow drifted up against the house, holding the back door shut until we had shoveled the back deck off. As if the 30" storm wasn't enough, another 1-2" fell on Jan 9-10, and then another 13" on Jan 12-13. I distinctly remember attempting to walk across our yard to the neighbors' house and failing after the second storm, as the snow was up to my chest.

I was almost 10 for the winter of 95/96. For such a snowy winter I'm kinda surprised I really don't remember very many details beyond some of the 96 storm and my most vivid memory from that winter, the epic 24 hour meltdown and flood that came in late January. The 96 blizzard back in my area was more of just a heavier than usual significant snowfall as the ridiculous totals missed us just to the east and southeast. More recent storms like the 2003 Presidents Day storm and specifically the Feb 5/6th, 2010 storm hit my area harder.

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I dated a Serb-American then and will never forget my Orthodox Xmas Eve night, watching the yule log burn, and glancing up at the sky noting how cloudy it was on that cold night. That was very interesting because the forecast was for clear skies. This was the night before the 96 Blizzard and the forecast for the next day was p/cloudy. I was tracking the storm as best I could then via a then-prehistoric Internet hookup at work, weather radio, and media.

I was at my girlfriend's house in Weirton WV.....I woke up to snow. The snow was coming down hard and that was a shocker. Definitely a white Orthodox Xmas. Turned on the weather channel, back then they had the NWS forecast. Light snow or flurries, less than an inch. At that point, there was about two inches. Saw the TWC radar, and it was looking good for where I was. The forecast then went up to 1-3, we had 4 at that point. Then 3-5, then 4-8, then 10-14. Got 14 inches in Steubenville, 15 at my apartment in Mt. Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

I have to give it to AccuWeather, they schooled the NWS on that forecast, only one to talk about a risk of a storm in Pittsburgh and have snow in the forecast.

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I lived in Allentown back then, and even we initially weren't supposed to get much. My memory is a bit foggy, but I believe just 2 days prior, the forecast was for just a chance of flurries as the storm was believed to stay south of the region. Even the night before the event I think the forecast was for at the most 6-12 inches. The next morning, as the flakes began to fly the totals started getting updated rapidly to 12-18, then 18-24, and then finally 2-3 feet. We ended up with 26 inches.

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