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With a few years of distance now, which 'main event' wins? '96 or '10?

gymengineer

By gymengineer,
in Mid Atlantic

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gymengineer

gymengineer

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For me, that two storm blitz in February 2010 was so amazing that it kind of relegated the Blizzard of '96 to a distant second in terms of all the criteria: 1) snow amount; 2) being shut in/crippling the region; 3) winds and drifts; 4) staying power.

 

But, if just comparing event to event, which was the more impressive? 1/6-8/96 or 2/5-6/10?

I would say the Blizzard of '96 is still the most impressive single storm I've ever experienced. What 2/10 had going for it was a higher storm total for many of us and equal peak wind gusts: In my neighborhood, it was 24" in '96 compared to 26.5" in '10 with 40 mph peak gusts in both.

 

The drifting in the much colder temps during 1/96 made the difference between the storms IMO. There has never been another event in my life with so much snow on paved surfaces, neighborhood streets, and secondary streets. So, based on that, 1/96 wins,

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87storms

87storms

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i like storms where i don't have to worry about ground temps or dry slots.  if i'm going to be picky, i feel like there was a little bit more of that with '10 than with '96.  '96 was a colder storm and i just remember when it started it snowing it stuck everywhere.  i wish i was able to follow that one like i did '10.  

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gymengineer

gymengineer

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i like storms where i don't have to worry about ground temps or dry slots.  if i'm going to be picky, i feel like there was a little bit more of that with '10 than with '96.  '96 was a colder storm and i just remember when it started it snowing it stuck everywhere.  i wish i was able to follow that one like i did '10.  

If you don't like dry slots, '96 was a much more worrisome storm than '10. There was a 2-4 hour actual dry period over the area with just light mixed precip (graupel, sleet/snow mix, snizzle, etc.) during the afternoon across the DC area until the coastal low really started bombing. 

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WVclimo

WVclimo

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In this area '96 accumulations topped 2/5-6/2010. And drifts were 5-8' which exceeded the 4' drifts of '10.

I lived in College Park at under 300' asl in 1996 and finished with 19" so 2010 with 28.5" here clearly comes out on top for me.

I'm not sure I would take either over 2/83 though.

I was in New Jersey for 1996.  Tallied 33" with insane drifts.  I'm not sure that storm will ever be beat in my book.

I drove to the Meadowlands the Friday after the 1996 storm. I have never seen snow drifts bury whole sides of low-rise buildings that way.
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snow.

snow.

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amounts were virtually identical....roughly 22" near downtown Silver Spring in 1996 and Mt. Pleasant in 2010...

 

I'd lean toward 1996 because during the day Sunday I felt like I was in Alaska in a blizzard...+SN, and 15 degrees with big gusts in the afternoon...I was almost disoriented walking around and I didn't feel that way in 2010...I had my bearings better....Also snow removal in 1996 in the district was nonexistent versus 2010 when it was just bad...so the impact was a bit different...I drove to cleveland park on Monday and parked on the sidewalk on Conn. avenue.....those sidewalks were shoveled in 2010.....I didnt feel the congeniality and good spirit in 1996 that I did in 2003 and 2010 and 1983...People were completely overwhelmed and powerless....so I'd give the nod to 1996...of course when talking 1/30 - 2/10 versus 1/6 - 1/13, the 1st wins easily

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MillvilleWx

MillvilleWx

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I don't really have too much memory on the 96 blizzard since I was only 5. That being said, the one thing I do remember was having to tie a rope to a tree to get up a hill to go sledding because the snow was so deep and winds would knock you over otherwise. My dad measured 24" after that storm and said drifts were on order of 6-8' high after all said and done.

Now 2010 I remember completely. The 1st storm dropped 32.5" which is 0.5" greater then the biggest one I ever saw in my hometown (Beat out 03). The piles of snow left after that storm were astonishing. My car and everyone's vehicle for that matter were buried over the hood. A snow plow got stuck in our culdesac and we had to dig him out and he proceeded to leave and never return. We had some guy 2 days later dig us out using a bobcat and the community association paid him a ton to get us all out since we were completely stranded.

The 2nd storm basically put that whole storm season over the top. I ended up getting 21" in that storm on top of the 1st storm bringing a two storm total of 53.5". My backyard had so much snow it came up to my chest. I stuck a yard stick in the snow and it completely engulfed it which is something I never thought I'd see in Baltimore. The wind during the 2nd storm was spectacular. I went out for a walk in the middle of Harford Rd and didn't see one car or plow during the height of the storm. There was another call for the bobcat after the storm finished. We had 4 15' walls of snow at each end of my neighborhood. Parking spaces in some parts were designated snow piles. Everyone had giant snow piles in their yards. The largest piles didn't melt till late April/early May. The scene around the area looked like Downtown Buffalo after a major LES event.

All in all, 2010 for me will be tough to ever top. That series of storms was the best overall imo for my house. The greatest storm I ever saw was the 2013 New England blizzard I went up to Waltham, Mass to see after cutting class that Friday from Millersville University. My friend and I went up and I'm so glad I did. 32" of snow, 10' drifts, wind gusts over 65, true blizzard conditions for 13 hours straight hours. Majestic. If you've never travelled to see a major winter storm, its totally worth it just to say you were there. I'll def do it all over again in my lifetime.

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wxdude64

wxdude64

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For here I'd have to go with 95-96. Mainly because that is my highest seasonal total at 72.1 inches, plus that is the year the snow broke the roof at work! Jan 6-8 I had 30 inches fall.

Second goes to 09-10, with 23.6 falling on Dec 18-19. Plus Jan 30-month of Feb was epic for the amount of snow plus winds that drifted it everywhere. Had two stretches of 30+ days with 1+ on ground. Year total 68.6 inches.

I'll throw a third place out there for 86-87. Back to back 14 inch snows on 1-22 and 1-25 plus winter would not end with a 7 inch snow falling Apr 3-4. Ended year with 60.0 inches.

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gymengineer

gymengineer

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amounts were virtually identical....roughly 22" near downtown Silver Spring in 1996 and Mt. Pleasant in 2010...

 

I'd lean toward 1996 because during the day Sunday I felt like I was in Alaska in a blizzard...+SN, and 15 degrees with big gusts in the afternoon...I was almost disoriented walking around and I didn't feel that way in 2010...I had my bearings better....Also snow removal in 1996 in the district was nonexistent versus 2010 when it was just bad...so the impact was a bit different...I drove to cleveland park on Monday and parked on the sidewalk on Conn. avenue.....those sidewalks were shoveled in 2010.....I didnt feel the congeniality and good spirit in 1996 that I did in 2003 and 2010 and 1983...People were completely overwhelmed and powerless....so I'd give the nod to 1996...of course when talking 1/30 - 2/10 versus 1/6 - 1/13, the 1st wins easily

Yeah, what happened to roads and sidewalks was definitely a greater impact in '96. 1/96 was a Saturday night through Monday morning event. By Tuesday evening, before plows had come through, there was still no way to drive down our street. The snow was up above my knees.

2/10 was a Friday afternoon through Saturday late afternoon event. By Monday morning, before the plows had come through, there were already enough tires grooves for our Honda Element to drive down the street and leave the neighborhood.

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PrinceFrederickWx

PrinceFrederickWx

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Its almost impossible nowdays to look at 2/5-6/10 independent of that whole series of 4 storms (1/30/10 - 2/10/10) but even still, I think 2/5-6/10 wins easily. It was probably BWI's biggest snowfall (though we'll never know due the measuring screwups) and it literally had the DC/Baltimore metro region in the bullseye, whereas 1996 was more of a region-wide event. It was also one of only two storms where I saw thundersnow IMBY (the other being 1/26/11). '96 is kinda hard to view independent of the two smaller events that followed as well.

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aldie 22

aldie 22

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I told this story on eastern awhile back...in 96 I had a meeting in San Francisco and missed the storm. I was lucky enough to land at Dulles to find my car completely buried and plowed in...so there was that. For me the run in 10 was incredible....had to be 42-43" of snow on the ground after the second storm....the pictures are just awesome

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EastCoast NPZ

EastCoast NPZ

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Jan 96 was a 36 hour event, all while temps remained locked in the low to mid 20s.  I had 37" IMBY (within Front Royal town limits) and temps stayed below freezing for nearly a week.  It had early Jan low sun-angle.  Everything was shut down for at least a week.  Front Royal was a ghost-town for a week.  We went tow-sledding down Rt 522S in Warren Co nearly every night for a week.  It was perhaps the most fun week of my life.  

 

I knew Jan 1996.  Jan 1996 was a friend of mine.  You, Feb 5-6, 2010, are no Jan 1996.

 

Not even close.

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mattie g

mattie g

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In '96, I was on semester break and got stuck with friends in Wilkes-Barre, PA for the storm.  While it was fun to party up there for a weekend during a snowstorm, they only got around 18-20" or so, while my Dad reported somewhere around 30" at home.  And I was drunk most of the time for the '96 storm, so it doesn't really hit home.

 

 

In my experience, Feb 5-6, 2010 was the better storm for me.  I measured upwards of 26" at home in that one, so it fairly easily beats 1996.

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usedtobe

usedtobe

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I'd say 2010 hands down.  I mixed in 1996.  Feb 6 was all snow.    BOth years I ended up with over 60 inches of snow but 2009-2010 I ended up with a little more in 2010. In 2010  I had snow cover for the entire month of Feb.  My 1996 snow was gone the next week because of the massive warm rain storm.

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Bob Chill

Bob Chill

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I wasn't here in 96 so it's easy. I'm pretty sure Feb 10 would beat 96 had I been here because I wasn't tracking storms like I do now. Feb 10 was satisfying on so many levels. 

 

Feb 79 will always hold a dear place in my childhood memories. 

 

Jan 22-26th 1987 was great with the 1-2 punch. It was a small version of Feb 10. Very memorable. 

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Skidude

Skidude

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Each storm had it's unique attributes.  1996 for the sheer volume of snow that dropped in such a short period.  I lived in Columbia MD and remember looking out of my window into the parking lot and having no idea where any of the cars were.  We measured 44 inches of snow on our deck that afternoon.

 

2010 was unique because of the relentless amounts of snow that kept falling and falling....way beyond anything we had ever seen.  I put on my ski gear helmet and googles and walked about in the middle of the blizzard and it was truly unbelievable how much snow was falling and what a "whiteout" truly felt like when I was only several hundred yards from my house.

 

For me, hands down, it was 2010.....I own a radio station in Thurmont and we needed to get it back on the air quickly to keep local residents informed about the roads, services and conditions and I ventured out in my Ford Windstar even against my wife's warnings that they were threatening to arrest anyone who tried to drive in the mess.  I headed northbound in route 15 from Frederick towards Thurmont and right around Lewistown I looked up to see a trickle of cars headed towards me southbound in the northbound lanes.  We pulled up alongside each other and cracked the windows and they warned me that the road was completely impassable.  I drove up there and was astonished when I saw 20 to 25 foot drifts across route 15 at Tranquility Farms.  I was convinced the road was closed.  It took them a week to get it open.

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ThePhotoGuy

ThePhotoGuy

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I was 4 years old during the '96 storm so I don't remember it at all.

 

Feb 2010 was just amazing. The snowfall, rates, and thunder snow just made it an amazing time for this area.  I think PD2 comes behind second for me after the Feb 2010 storms.

 

Nothing can beat this... There is a van somewhere...

post-1048-0-08363700-1389714165_thumb.jp

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gymengineer

gymengineer

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I was 4 years old during the '96 storm so I don't remember it at all.

 

Feb 2010 was just amazing. The snowfall, rates, and thunder snow just made it an amazing time for this area.  I think PD2 comes behind second for me after the Feb 2010 storms.

 

Nothing can beat this... There is a van somewhere...

The car pics from '96 easily match and sometimes exceed the '10 ones... mostly from the higher drifting in that storm.

For some examples, go here: http://wintercenter.homestead.com/photo1996b.html

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Sparky

Sparky

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Since I had already moved to Westminster for the 1/96 storm it is easily the most impressive single storm in all the years I have lived here.  I got 30" and the wind was off the charts mainly Sunday night into Monday morning.  In the first 2/10 storm I got 26" but it was a relative wimp in the wind dept.  The second storm added to it made for the most crippling I have ever experience out here, with another 27" of snow on top and much more exciting winds.

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