NEW YORK (PIX11) – Jan. 7 marked the 30th anniversary of the Blizzard of 1996, a storm that still stands as one of the most powerful, disruptive, and memorable winter events in U.S. history.
Three decades later, it remains a measuring stick for East Coast snowstorms both for meteorologists and for anyone who lived through it.
A storm that wouldn’t quit
What made the Blizzard of 1996 truly exceptional wasn’t just snowfall totals; it was longevity and scale. Snow fell heavily for nearly two full days, overwhelming snow removal efforts and grinding daily life to a halt. The storm stretched across a massive swath of the eastern United States, impacting areas from New England through the Mid-Atlantic and into the Southeast.
Major airports shut down for extended periods, highways became impassable, and travel was effectively impossible in many locations. Unlike fast-moving systems, this storm lingered, allowing snow to pile up relentlessly while winds intensified and conditions deteriorated hour by hour.
Historic snowfall totals across major cities
The blizzard of 1996 etched itself into record books across multiple major metropolitan areas, with several cities recording top-three snowfall events all time…