Best Mid-Atlantic winter storm of the last 40 years

[PrinceFrederickWx]

Hopefully I got all the big ones- I narrowed it down to a top ten of what I thought would get the most votes. If there's a different storm you want to vote for, choose "other" and list it in the replies. I wasn't born yet for 1979 and was just an infant for 1983, so obviously I don't remember those two. But all the others I remember well.

 

Honorable mentions:

 

January 17-18, 1994

February 11-12, 2006

February 13-14, 2007

January 26, 2011

February 12-13, 2014

 

[Fozz]

For the region as a whole? Certainly Snowmaggedon. It doesn't get more perfect than that. 

 

I actually enjoyed the second storm more, but maybe because for the first storm I missed the 30+ totals by a few miles and it was mostly at night. The second storm was more of a Baltimore special. But regionwide, Snowmaggedon was as amazing of a storm as we've ever had.

 

EDIT: Maybe Jan 1996 was better... I can't say much about that since I was so young, but I always thought it had similar or slightly lower totals than Feb 6, 2010

[Lowershoresadness]

for the lower eastern shore it was probably this one

[snowfan]

96, 03 and then snowmaggedon 1.

[ravensrule]

Was not even close Jan 96 by far. Snowmaggedon 1 and then PDII.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

for the lower eastern shore it was probably this one

 

lol I knew someone was going to bring up January 1987... I wasn't sure what to do with those, because it seemed like they were only considered historic as a combined "double whammy" of back-to-back storms. Since the votes are for individual storm systems, it didn't seem fair to have that listed as one choice (especially since snowmageddon was split into two). However, I didn't know that the second one was the biggest one for your region, sorry about that... you can just vote "other" if you want.

[Lowershoresadness]

lol I knew someone was going to bring up January 1987... I wasn't sure what to do with those, because it seemed like they were only considered historic as a combined "double whammy" of back-to-back storms. Since the votes are for individual storm systems, it didn't seem fair to have that listed as one choice (especially since snowmageddon was split into two). However, I didn't know that the second one was the biggest one for your region, sorry about that... you can just vote "other" if you want.

lol it's all good my friend. I've learned to live vicariously through others and enjoy their big storms

[87storms]

96. It was a better snow producer here than 93 and impacted more area than 03 and 10.

[mitchnick]

you know it's a lousy, lousy winter when polls show up about prior storms

[Fozz]

Was not even close Jan 96 by far. Snowmaggedon 1 and then PDII.

 

Where did you live in Jan 1996?

 

I'm curious how much our area got... I was very young at the time so I have little recollection of it

[yoda]

Anything before 2003 I don't remember much of, so I am basing my ratings after that storm.  In '96, I was stuck in FL for my grandparents' 50th wedding aniversary, so I missed that storm completely... it was hell to get a flight back into DCA from JAX...

 

Jan 2000 -- All I really remember was listening to my weather radio and hoping beyond hope Bob Ryan was wrong (that we would get grazed by the SLP at best, one inch at most) and hearing my weather radio go off ~10PM and WSWarnings being issued for 4-8 inches for us... then 6-12 later that night and so on.  I remember running downstairs to my dad and telling him -- he didn't believe me until he saw the warnings himself

 

2009-10 season as a whole was the best... I remember being on the computer alot where I work and not getting much done during the December storm and the February storms since I was tracking the storms so much... luckily most of the admin knows I am a "weather nerd" so they let me do some model watching as long as I did some work

 

If I had to pick one, probably the Feb 5-6 storm first

[AdamHLG]

I thought PD1 was in 2003 and PDII was in 2006.  Am i wrong about that?

[poolz1]

I received 28" in both the 96 storm and the 2/6/10 storm.  96 was by far a more enjoyable storm to witness imo.  Most of the snow came during the day, very cold storm (low teens) and the relentless rates were awesome.  Compared to 2/6 which came at night mid 20s temp.

[Fozz]

I thought PD1 was in 2003 and PDII was in 2006.  Am i wrong about that?

 

PDI was in 1979

 

PDII was 2003

[TJ3]

If everyone taking this poll was alive and had a good memory of PD 1 there would be no need for a poll. It's not even close.

[snowfan]

[Sparky]

No question Jan 96.

[RIC_WX]

Pretty subjective to where you were I guess. Jan 25 is hard to beat for those of us in the epicenter of its sudden unforecasted wrath.

Honorable mention to January 96.

[mattie g]

February 5-6, 2010.

[mattie g]

This winter sucks, which is no doubt the reason why this thread was started.

[CAPE]

This winter sucks, which is no doubt the reason why this thread was started.

LOL

[PrinceFrederickWx]

This winter sucks, which is no doubt the reason why this thread was started.

 

This thread is more fun than tracking our current weather. Fact.

[Jebman]

you know it's a lousy, lousy winter when polls show up about prior storms

sure its a lousy winter

By april I will have had 2.5 inches of snow on the winter, worst ever since I was born

[87storms]

This winter sucks, which is no doubt the reason why this thread was started.

Lol we need more storms to track though I guess there's something to be said about how this area gets few HECS but they do happen from time to time.

Of all the storms feb 87 May have been my favorite or up there as a sleeper top 5 pick. Those rates in that short period of time were ridiculous. I was too young to remember the others before it but I do vaguely remember seeing a ton of snow on our patio at the end of 83.

[87storms]

sure its a lousy winter

By april I will have had 2.5 inches of snow on the winter, worst ever since I was born

Still have feb. We can score this month. Not saying we will but it's too early to throw in the towel. Maybe we are corrales in round 10. Down but not out.

[Ltrain]

I went with January 25, 2000 because it was a total surprise up until 9 or 10pm that evening. I remember watching my local forecast on TWC and when I saw the radar the precip looked like it was moving due north. I kept checking and checking and thinking, this is coming due north, I thought it was supposed to miss us. Sure enough at about 9 pm the red winter storm bulletin with that loud annoying siren noise came on TWC. I went from 4-8, then a couple hours later 8-12 then finally 12-16. My brothers and I were jumping for joy at around midnight that evening lol. It wasn't the most snow but it put me in the bullseye along the western part of the bay.

[winterymix]

I'm going to push the definition in this thread.

 

For me, the best storm was  February 14-17,1958.

 

I was four years old and was in my Dad's car.  He had to pull over and

bail a few blocks from home because of the road conditions.  I remember him

having to carry me home.  That got me interested in snow.

 

BTW, a city plow smacked his car and the city had to pay to fix the body work.

[CAPE]

1. Feb 2003- PDII

2. Feb 1983

3. Dec 2009

4. Feb 1979- PDI

5. Jan 1996(too much sleet)

6. Feb 5 2010

[benjammin]

1, Feb. 1979 PD1--11 years old first really big snow I remember well-there was already a few inches on the ground before it began--out of school the whole week-

2. Jan. 1996--to have Bob Ryan (notoriously conservative) predict 2 feet of snow before it began, I knew it was going to be good--followed by a few more clippers to freshen up the snow pack 

3. Feb. 2003--PD2--snow pack stayed for weeks 

4. March 1993 Superstorm--sleet really cut down on accumulations in Arlington, but very powerful winds 

 

painful missing out on 2009 and 2010--in Richmond so it was very painful to get decent to good accumulations while NOVA/DC area got absolutely obliterated

[Fozz]

My personal favorites:

 

1) Feb 10, 2010

2) PDII

3) Dec 19, 2009

4) Feb 6, 2010

5) Feb 2013 when I chased in SNE