Best Mid-Atlantic winter storm of the last 40 years

[40/70 Benchmark]

Why does 1996 rank more highly than this year's?

They were pretty comparable, no?

[gymengineer]

Why does 1996 rank more highly than this year's?

They were pretty comparable, no?

This was an old poll. The 1/16 option just got added but I'm guessing most people just didn't feel like re-voting. 

[40/70 Benchmark]

This was an old poll. The 1/16 option just got added but I'm guessing most people just didn't feel like re-voting. 

Oh.....this year and the '96 system seemed like twin events in the mid atl.

[gymengineer]

Oh.....this year and the '96 system seemed like twin events in the mid atl.

For most of the metro and west areas--- draw a line from DC to Baltimore and go directly westward (so excluding Carroll County)--- this storm actually barely beat out 1/96 in terms of total snow and winds/drifts. 

[gymengineer]

The range of coverage of 2 foot + in 96 far exceeded 2016. That's one reason I assume.

Not for areas to your south..... see my post above. 

[MidlothianWX]

Storms I can remember in my lifetime:

 

1) PDII (Frederick)

2) Jan. 2016 (Richmond)

3) March 2009 (Richmond)

4) Jan. 2010 (Richmond)

5) Dec. 2009 (Richmond)

 

Honorable mention: 2/10/2010, 1/7/2011, 3/6/2013, 1/28/2014, 3/3/2014

[WinterWxLuvr]

County wide range from 16-22 " . I personally had 20 inches west of you off stone rd. Yea..sleet mixed in some. Catoctins just west stayed all snow (25-30 ish there) but as you know the winds and EPIC drifting was the story (to the top of roofs- 10 feet) . I've already conceded it's a one in a lifetime blizzard.

It was a lifetime storm. I never expect to see anything remotely close to it.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

This was an old poll. The 1/16 option just got added but I'm guessing most people just didn't feel like re-voting.

I agree some of it is lurkers or passerby who voted last year and haven't returned; however, both 96 & 2010 have picked up a lot of new votes since the new storm too.

I would think a large part of VA would still vote for '96? I think snowmageddon 1 was the biggest for eastern shore as well as southern MD but I wasn't down here so I don't know.

[HighStakes]

It was a lifetime storm. I never expect to see anything remotely close to it.

 

 

The models sniffed 93 out a good 5 days out as did most mets. Watching the storm mature was a thing of pure beauty.Of course the weather channel was the viewing place of choice..lol.

The storm was much better for you guys. I lived about a mile north of the beltway back then and knowing how close we were to an all snow event producing over 2 ft. has always left a bad taste with me about that storm. I got 12 inches and then an abrupt switch to wind driven sleet for 6 hours straight hours before it ended as a couple oh hours of snow. Ended up with 16-18 inches. Always was very disappointed there wasn't much on the back end with the storm. Roads were awful for several days afterward with the unseasonable cold that hung around.

[gymengineer]

No doubt ...if your talking strickly Balt. And DC . My comment was including the whole east coast in 96. There was also a vast area of 30"+ to.

Gotcha-- so extending outside of the Mid-Atlantic region (the poll's wording) too.

 

1/96 definitely had a bigger impact further SW through all of VA. And this storm had the 30" line further east in the metro regions. For due-west of the metro regions (so Frederick County, MD, Loudoun County, VA, and Frederick County, VA/Winchester), 1/16 looks to be a bit more. 

 

We could go county-by-county and have different answers to the poll. 

[Bob Chill]

One of my main reasons for picking 1/16 is because I have a much deeper knowledge of east coast snowstorms. The hunt was as rewarding as the prey.

PD1 was the "first hit" in the lifetime addiction so it will forever be a defining event in my life. But tracking a beautiful storm for 8 days and knocking down 30" in my yard may never be topped before I'm dead. Or in 2 weeks...

[WinterWxLuvr]

Gotcha-- so extending outside of the Mid-Atlantic region (the poll's wording) too.

1/96 definitely had a bigger impact further SW through all of VA. And this storm had the 30" line further east in the metro regions. For due-west of the metro regions (so Frederick County, MD, Loudoun County, VA, and Frederick County, VA/Winchester), 1/16 looks to be a bit more.

We could go county-by-county and have different answers to the poll.

Best storm and total snowfall don't necessarily equate.

[midatlanticweather]

First Snowmaggedden still wins. The heavy snow, lightning and because no one believed me after snopacalypse that we would get another big one.

Maybe we will add 2/9/2016

[psuhoffman]

2/9/10-2/10/10 has to be number 1 specifically for the Manchester area. 32 inches and that is a low estimate, may have easily been 3ft. plus. The initial thump maxed out here. We had a foot on the ground by 12 midnight. picked up 8 of those 12 in a 3 hour period. After the 3 hour lull from 2a.m.-5a.m. things got cranking fast.  2 inch an hour rates with temps falling to around 18-20 and rapidly increasing winds. We had true whiteout condition at least a half dozen times and I mean true whiteout conditions. I couldn't even see my neighbors house on several hundred feet away. The ratios were insane for a HECS. Very low liquid content.

 

Heavy bands stayed over us all day. Never heard any thunder but others in the area did. Heavy bands would rotate through and as they did skies would get very dark as they approached, almost thunderstorm in nature. After the bands moved through skies would temporarily would brighten before the next one rolled in. As the storm winded down we would get these narrow bands theta dropped in from PA and would enhance with the elevation here. They were short induration but very intense. This went on for several hours. The last one of these bands came through at 10:30p.m. 

 

If you take the duration ( 32 hours ) plus the wind, temperatures and total accumulation I feel this has to be number 1 here. Also can't forget to mention the 18 inches that were on the ground at the start from the storm 3 days earlier. Of course the worst of this storm was much more localized than our recent blizzard. 

 

I do think for overall for this region the recent blizzard probably would be number 1. To see such a large area experiencing extremely high totals was truly remarkable.

I was talking to friends of mine from NYC about favorite storms and was saying how this past week was great but that it didn't make my top spot.  Of course that storm having such a localized area of truly historic totals like that made it hard for them to understand but being here that one was epic and I am not sure anything will ever top that.  On top of everything you said, it was a huge over performer, I think our forecast was only 10-16" going into that event.  Plus it was only on the radar for a day or two before, there wasn't this long long LOOOONG build up and wait.  Being nervous every model run that something will go wrong.  The chase is fun but personally I kinda liked how that one just came out of nowhere and slammed us.  For all those reasons, the CRAZY rates of heavy wet snow in the initial thump, the crazy deform bands in the wraparound, true blizzard conditions, total snow on the ground when it was over, and the surprise factor...It would take a lot to knock that off the top spot, even if another storm technically dropped a few more inches I am not sure it would top it. 

[gymengineer]

Best storm and total snowfall don't necessarily equate.

True. 2/5-6/10 and 1/96 were tied for me. I couldn't pick between the two even though 2/5-6/10 was greater in snowfall. 

But, then it's hard to answer a poll like this because of course it comes down to what one experienced in their own location. 

[Bob Chill]

One thing is for sure, that 7 day period in Feb 10 may not be topped for 100 years or ever. If the poll was "greatest 7 days of winter" there only needs to be 1 choice.

[zenmsav6810]

I'll say PDII because I was in 3rd grade and the nieghbors and I had a snowball fight of all snowball fights. It helped because I was off from school for a few days and I remember my patience with my teacher were wearing quite thin! '96 was good too, I spoke my first word "wow" when I saw the snow. 3rd and 4th for me are the Snowmegedon I and II. 5th is the ice storm from two years ago (first time I saw such destruction in a winter storm first hand). 

[mappy]

for me personally:

 

Jan 2000

Dec 2009

Jan 96

Feb 2010 (both)

 

 

The Jan 2000 storm is what got me into weather, so I can't diss it. But do remember the 96 storm quite well and it was amazing. I will always be biased for Dec 2009, for obvious reasons.

 

Id put this past storm above the Feb 2010 storms... rest stays as is. For me. 

[gymengineer]

Oh.....this year and the '96 system seemed like twin events in the mid atl.

Pretty darn close--- remember NCDC's NESIS maps are "stingy" for all events, so they compare ok with each other. The biggest differences are SW VA and New England. 

[PrinceFrederickWx]

Pretty darn close--- remember NCDC's NESIS maps are "stingy" for all events, so they compare ok with each other. The biggest differences are SW VA and New England.

Virginia tidewater and Delmarva did much better in '96 too by the looks of those maps.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

One more bump cause I'm bored.

 

Any new voters?

[WEATHER53]

Jan 82 is underrated. 85 gets more pub but that is because of inauguration. 77 was super long but 82 and 94 are stand alones especially with what the afternoon temps were doing

[CAPE]

Virginia tidewater and Delmarva did much better in '96 too by the looks of those maps.

15" here for the Jan storm this winter. Dry slotted. 1996 I had 20" despite hours of sleet in the middle.

[snowfan]

Really don't think the events are close at all. The area of 20-30" was much greater in 96.

[CAPE]

Really don't think the events are close at all. The area of 20-30" was much greater in 96.

They were not similar at all in many respects. 1996 was colder, and even though it flipped to sleet for many, it had a long duration cold conveyor of moderate snow after the shallow warm layer moved off. For the storm this year, either you were in the deform band or you weren't. It rapidly weakened when it finally pivoted east, so those that were solidly dry slotted didn't pick up much more accumulation. Also places on the lower eastern shore(Salisbury) had mostly rain from the storm this past January. Pretty sure they did much better in the 96 storm.

[gymengineer]

Really don't think the events are close at all. The area of 20-30" was much greater in 96.

 

Area is one measure. Population impacted is another. There's mixed data for the two, but again, based on what everyone is describing in this thread, it all comes down to what the storms did in each person's backyard. 

 

Here's NCDC's population data (compiled for the RSI) that I posted in another thread, normalized to the 2010 census data:

 

For population affected by >=20":

1) 1/96: 28,928,278

2) 1/16: 21,000,936

3) 2/03: 19,242,275

4) 12/47: 13,501,073

5) 2/13: 10,662,789

 

For population affected by >=30":

1) 2/69 (late February New England storm): 2,009,520

2) 11/50: 1,207,570

3) 2/78: 1,169,430

4) 1/16: 1,121,182

5) 3/93: 729,753

6) late 2/10 (the NY storm): 677,436

7) 1/66 (including lake effect): 611,484

8) looks off with a huge spread in dates (2/25/1900- 3/2/1900): 526,154

9) 1/96: 493,778

 

So from the NCDC data, 1/96 and 1/16 were the most widespread 20"+ population impacts for northeastern snowstorms. And 1/16 more than doubled 1/96's population affected by 30". Of course, the NYC area covered a lot of the population, but both 1/96 and 1/16 were 20"+ storms for the NYC area. 

[PrinceFrederickWx]

Dec 29-30, 2017? 

Since the main thread is reminiscing, I'll bump this. It's been two years.

I'm not sure if the poll still works after the board update though. 

1/7/17 is an honorable mention for IMBY 

[Cobalt]

On 12/22/2017 at 8:18 PM, PrinceFrederickWx said:

Dec 29-30, 2017? 

Since the main thread is reminiscing, I'll bump this. It's been two years.

I'm not sure if the poll still works after the board update though. 

1/7/17 is an honorable mention for IMBY 

Ya jinxed it Just kidding. I'm still hopeful for this 2-3 week stretch of having a memorable storm. 

[PrinceFrederickWx]

Bump because panic room discussion

[tplbge]

3 hours ago, PrinceFrederickWx said:

Bump because panic room discussion

I'd have to say 96 because we hit got another 8+ the Friday afterwards.  Great storm that just wouldn't end. After the smaller 2nd storm, the Laurel Safeway awning collapsed above me because of the weight of the snow.  

It just sounded like shopping carts crashing together, but I heard a scream. I got nicked, but nobody really got hurt.