Greatest Snow Storms in your back yard

[uncle W]

we were trying to Stay Alive.#1 song by the Bee Gees that month..favorite month of weather..ever!!.. 2nd place Dec 26th-early Feb 2011..and Early Feb-late March 67

as good as that month was the two storms that changed to rain were a downer and the Ohio Bomb ruined the snow cover before the second blizzard...After the blizzard in February there was another significant snowfall around the 14th...

[Tatamy]

Truth be told, I'd take the late December 2010 - late January 2011 period over it....three snowstorms to two and no major thaw that was caused by the incredible blizzard that went up through the eastern Great Lakes around January 28, 1978...melting all the East Coast snow long before the 2/6/78 event got here.

Back things up by about a week to 1/14/78 and you might have a case though...the greatest ice storm in the last 35 years on Long Island, IMO, on that date.

I lived in East Northport at the time and I strongly agree with you on the ice storm that took place on that date. I have pictures of ice 1" thick on trees, shrubs, you name it. I've never seen anything like it since. We were without power for 5 days with that event. Interestingly the effects seemed to be most dramatic on the north shore and less so on the south shore...

[Isotherm]

1. Boxing day blizzard

2. Boxing day blizzard

3. Boxing day blizzard

If I was old enough to remember 96, it would definitely be that. But Boxing day 2010 was the most exciting storm I've experienced. 25" of wind blown, heavy, heavy snow. Helicopter rescues on the highway south of my house, road closures for up to a week in Monmouth County, etc. PD II comes close though with long duration and 24". Classic.

[Tatamy]

Longest Duration: 3/3/2001 - 3/5/2001 (40 hours and 13.5 inches)

Largest Accumulation: 2/6/1978 (Around 23 inches)

Most Intense:

a/ For the overall offshore cyclone: 2/6/1978

b/ For the intensity of the snowfall in conjunction with a major storm: 2/11/1983 & 12/19/2009 (at least 3 inches an hour for several hours)

Strongest Winds: 2/6/1978 & 1/21/2005

Most Impact: 2/6/1978

I lived in East Northport at the time (1978) and would agree that the 2/6/1978 storm was the most intense that I have ever experienced. I remember hour after hour 1/16 mile visibility with the intense snowfall rates. I measured 30" with that storm. The town contractor (I was in Huntington Township) used a payloader to plow the street and pile up the snow on the corners of each block. I have never seen anything like it since.

With regards to the strongest winds, February 1983 gets that nod. I had many hours with winds to hurricane force in gusts (75 - 85MPH) during the overnight while it raged. During the time of the highest winds the snow was mixed with graupel which tended to limit accumulations as compared to the immediate New York City area. I measured 17" with that one.

For the best surprise event 1/17/1978 gets my vote. As other posters noted it was forecast to be a snow to rain event like two others that occurred earlier in that week. The snow / mixed precip line got hung up along the NJ coast that morning and things turned out much differently. From the standpoint of a major surprise and unexpected snowstorm that was probably the best one until the Boxing Day event of a couple of years ago. While it was forecast at almost the last minute I have to think if that event had occurred 20 or 30 years ago with the weather prediction model technology that existed then that it would have had catastophic impacts on the area.

Another little known surprise event occured on February 2, 1976. With that one a coastal storm suddenly formed at the last minute as an arctic front crossed the area. Temps went from 40 degrees at 5:30am down to 8 degrees by 8:30am. Winds gusted to 60 MPH (This is an estimate as my anemometer was frozen solid by a brief period of frezing rain as the temperature plummeted. We had a 3 - 4 hour period of all out blizzard conditions with heavy blinding snow, and frequent cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning. There was not a lot of snow - maybe 3 - 4 inches but because of the high winds it was blown into drifts of 2 - 3 feet.

[JonClaw]

From my childhood: Easily the Blizzard of '96 because of the snow drift that reached the roof of my garage.

In the last 10 years, I'm currently leaning towards Boxing Day of 2010 just because of the way the storm had the models swing from miss to hit in less than 24 hours. It was one hell of a Christmas present.

[Chris L]

December 25-27th 2010: 24" of snow (might have been more) incredible...

BLIZZ of 96 is the king for impact, around 28-30".

But the greatest period for winter lovers is by far Dec 2010-Jan 2011.... 60" of snow fell or thereabouts in that period. Snow depth up to 30" in shade (average was 22-24" on JAN 27th).

Then again, I fully believe the February 5, 2010 Blizz would have been the NESIS 5 Blizz.

[SnoSki14]

January 1996 is still the best for backyard totals, 28-30" of snow, then February 2003 and boxing day come close with around 2 feet.

If Feb 4-5 could put out that much snowfall, then I fully anticipate we will get a storm that goes beyond Jan 96 although we are also starting to fight against the warming. In the past there were a lot of nickel and dime events which put out 25-30" of snow, some a bit less, some a bit more but many of those winters had the ability for cold air to come down and produce snowfall.

Now it's a hit or miss, we could easily get a winter like last season or we could get a 09-10 10-11 winter, but with the warming continuing, rain may eventually overtake the snow.

[blizzardof09]

@jetski09- rain eventually overtake the snow? Before last winter we had an incredible stretch of winters and besides last winter since 2003 we've had some pretty damn good winters with the "global warming" problem. I do not want to turn this into a global warming debate but had we been coming off a 2010-11 winter you wouldnt be saying this, and last winter we had LOTS of stuff going against us so writing on the wall winter was gonna stink. Did you forget about the 80's drought too with hardly any winter action? Granted the "global warming" thing didnt start yet but you get the point. Climatologically some absolutely drastic irreversible actions have got to happen for us to see our snow turn into rain every winter and have snow become a past time. I thought that was how you were getting at that rain statement

[Cfa]

The only memorable ones are February 2003 & the Boxing Day Blizzard.

I think February 2003 was my first snow day ever, I was in Elementary School at the time. I don't remember the storm that much, other than the snow being deep.

As for the Boxing Day Blizzard, before it was even in full swing it was already the most intense snowstorm I've ever experienced, there was no more than 3 inches on the ground before I had to walk a mile practically bent over to avoid being assaulted with sharp snow. I'll never forget the 5-8 feet snowdrifts blocking entire streets.

@jetski09- rain eventually overtake the snow? Before last winter we had an incredible stretch of winters and besides last winter since 2003 we've had some pretty damn good winters with the "global warming" problem. I do not want to turn this into a global warming debate but had we been coming off a 2010-11 winter you wouldnt be saying this, and last winter we had LOTS of stuff going against us so writing on the wall winter was gonna stink. Did you forget about the 80's drought too with hardly any winter action? Granted the "global warming" thing didnt start yet but you get the point. Climatologically some absolutely drastic irreversible actions have got to happen for us to see our snow turn into rain every winter and have snow become a past time. I thought that was how you were getting at that rain statement

Don't we already get more rain than snow in the winter? Or at least a 50/50 split? It sure seems that way.

[JBG]

December 2010 wins hands down here in most categories, PDII the exception in duration.

Boxing Day was my favorite storm. The one that showed that a moderate-strong Niña could produce a great storm. Also good and intense.

[SnoSki14]

@jetski09- rain eventually overtake the snow? Before last winter we had an incredible stretch of winters and besides last winter since 2003 we've had some pretty damn good winters with the "global warming" problem. I do not want to turn this into a global warming debate but had we been coming off a 2010-11 winter you wouldnt be saying this, and last winter we had LOTS of stuff going against us so writing on the wall winter was gonna stink. Did you forget about the 80's drought too with hardly any winter action? Granted the "global warming" thing didnt start yet but you get the point. Climatologically some absolutely drastic irreversible actions have got to happen for us to see our snow turn into rain every winter and have snow become a past time. I thought that was how you were getting at that rain statement

Actually I feel we are clearly seeing the global warming in progress even going back to 2010-2011. Remember that global warming tends to make our weather pattern very variable which is probably why we are seeing such huge winter to winter swings, but yes there will eventually come a time where the cold air supply will be too weak and even a perfect storm track will lead to nearly all rain if the warming patterns are accurate that is.

Everything has a tipping point, and yes even when we see a ton of snow, the global warming pattern is clearly in affect, the intense blocking pattern that we've seen in 10-11 is likely related to the warming, less dense sea ice, higher latitude temperatures, accept when we get snow, everyone's happy but things may change eventually.

And yes we get more rain than snow in winter, but that's nothing new. And I know we had awful snow years in the past but that was more directly related to the ENSO events and storm tracks rather than us lacking the cold air to be able to produce snow events as the globe and the higher latitudes were much cooler, extent of sea ice and snow cover was much greater in the 80s and further back than it is now.

[Guest Pamela]

Don't we already get more rain than snow in the winter? Or at least a 50/50 split? It sure seems that way.

Well if you figure we average *around* 3 inches of precipitation per month December through March (actually a bit more falls but whatever the case) for 12 inches total in that time and you figure in the neighborhood of 30 inches of snow falls in an average year, then about 25% of the wintertime precip is in the form of snow in this area...assuming a ratio of 10 inches of snow for every one inch liquid.

[tamarack]

Saw him that night(on TV) and apologized to his audience because he had a tooth pulled earlier in the evening. What a freakin character!

That's what he said, but I think Tex had had more than his share of New Year's Eve joy. It was the 11 PM news on 12/31/1962, easily remembered (by me, anyway) because that day was the coldest windchill of my NNJ experience, 1950-1972. NYC's temp was 13/4 and mine was 5/-8, with wind gusts approaching 70, uprooting large bare-limbed oaks from semi-frozen soil, and making 6' snowdrifts from 2" of snow that fell late on 12/29. That day remains NYC's strongest recorded wind in Dec, and either the 1st or 2nd strongest wind of my experience, with only the 1950 Apps gale for competition. Tex Antoine did as much as anyone to trigger my interest in weather.

Longest: An odd one, in Jan 1970, IIRC. We had tiny-flake, very steady -SN for about 36 hr, to make perhaps 3.5" at temps near 20.

Largest: I was not making careful measurements before 1962, unfortunately, and the 3 storms of about 24" came 3/56, 3/58, and 2/61.

Most intense: For rate of snowfall, probably 3/23/61, a wet (and unforecast) storm that dumped 12" in about 4 hr. Walked the 5 miles home from school, as buses never showed.

Greatest wind: Feb 3-4, 1961. Probably gusted near 50.

Greatest impact: Feb 3-4, 1961, easily. There was about 20" OG, mainly from the Jan 19-20 storm of 20", sustained by NYC's longest ever run of subfreezing maxima and a couple smaller storms. Snow depth was in the 40-45" range, by far the most I saw before moving to N.Maine. The three nearby reservoirs, Oak Ridge, Charlotteburg, and Canistear, had snowpack of 50", 47", 52" respectively.

[uncle W]

That's what he said, but I think Tex had had more than his share of New Year's Eve joy. It was the 11 PM news on 12/31/1962, easily remembered (by me, anyway) because that day was the coldest windchill of my NNJ experience, 1950-1972. NYC's temp was 13/4 and mine was 5/-8, with wind gusts approaching 70, uprooting large bare-limbed oaks from semi-frozen soil, and making 6' snowdrifts from 2" of snow that fell late on 12/29. That day remains NYC's strongest recorded wind in Dec, and either the 1st or 2nd strongest wind of my experience, with only the 1950 Apps gale for competition. Tex Antoine did as much as anyone to trigger my interest in weather.

Longest: An odd one, in Jan 1970, IIRC. We had tiny-flake, very steady -SN for about 36 hr, to make perhaps 3.5" at temps near 20.

Largest: I was not making careful measurements before 1962, unfortunately, and the 3 storms of about 24" came 3/56, 3/58, and 2/61.

Most intense: For rate of snowfall, probably 3/23/61, a wet (and unforecast) storm that dumped 12" in about 4 hr. Walked the 5 miles home from school, as buses never showed.

Greatest wind: Feb 3-4, 1961. Probably gusted near 50.

Greatest impact: Feb 3-4, 1961, easily. There was about 20" OG, mainly from the Jan 19-20 storm of 20", sustained by NYC's longest ever run of subfreezing maxima and a couple smaller storms. Snow depth was in the 40-45" range, by far the most I saw before moving to N.Maine. The three nearby reservoirs, Oak Ridge, Charlotteburg, and Canistear, had snowpack of 50", 47", 52" respectively.

anyone who lived thru the March 1960 to February 1961 period remembers it as a bench mark for storms...In Brooklyn there were nine inches on the ground as per the Bensonhurst coop observer on 2/2/61...three miles se of my house...21" fell on 2/3-4...28" was the max depth measured on the 4th...I was almost twelve at the time and remember the period 1/15/61 to 2/12/61 well...It's the greatest period of snow and cold combined in my lifetime...