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View the story "Remembering the Epic Blizzard of '96 Through Photos, Stories" on Storify]
Remembering the Epic Blizzard of '96 Through Photos, Stories
Storified by Accu Weather· Tue, Jan 01 2013 10:36:04
Accuweather
A powerful nor'easter unloaded two feet of snow and more from Virginia to southeastern New England on January 6-8, 1996. Up to four feet of snow was unleashed.
Philadelphia was at the heart of the storm, getting buried by 31 inches of snow. The Blizzard of '96 still stands as the all-time biggest snowstorm for Philadelphia.
High winds howled across the region, causing massive drifts and blowing snow that significantly reduced visibility.
Accuweather
Two cars remain sit buried in the snow as pedestrians walk on 21st Street in Philadelphia Monday, Jan. 8, 1996. Many of Pennsylvania's streets and roadways were closed after Governor Tom Ridge declared a state of emergency and imposed a ban on non-essential travel. (AP Photo/Nanine Hartzenbusch)
Weather History: The Blizzard of 1996Brightcove
Photos and Memories of the Blizzard:
"My son was born January 28th that year. I remember the intensity of that storm and prayed that he wasn't born in the middle of the blizzard. My wife and I lived in a condo at the time and the maintenance guys, in an effort to plow the parking lot, literally buried all the parked cars. You couldn't see my car whatsoever. My upstairs neighbor noticed that our car had 'vanished' and called the property manager immediately and informed him that my wife was expectant. As a result, four guys armed with shovels, dug out my car in just about 20 minutes. I've never seen human beings move that fast," AccuWeather Facebook fan Tommy O'Donnell said.
heights in snowolivermj_697
"We didn't have school for almost 2 weeks in the Poconos," AccuWeather Facebook fan BJ Hickey said.
"Stuck in Deptford, NJ. over 30+ inches of snow. Cars looked like bumps in the road," AccuWeather Facebook fan Chris Peria said.
Fbcdn
"Looking out the back sliding glass doors, in Hamilton, NJ January 8, 1996," AccuWeather Facebook fan Cindy Grote wrote (picture above).
"My cousin got married that Sunday January 7th. The wedding was in Wilmington DE and we had several family members piled into an SUV to make the trip from southern NJ that morning to make sure the grandmother of the bride got to the ceremony. We eventually made it to the venue, the Hotel DuPont, as the ceremony was taking place. We had a lot of fun at the reception, and then the reality became we had to spend the night there because we were not allowed to leave due to the state of emergency. At least we were all stranded in a delux hotel with a fun group! Our family finished up at the reception, checked into our rooms and all settled into the lobby and coffee shop area to play cards, laugh and just enjoy each other and the situation. It turned into a very fun and certainly memorable event!" AccuWeather Facebook fan Amy Suchanoff Hoey said.
Fred's First SnowCowtools
"Haha! I had to jump out my bedroom window to shovel out the front door so the dog could go out..he was a St. Bernard! We were pretty happy to watch him in his natural element! He helped dig us out! It took days in Wanaque, NJ to dig out!" AccuWeather Facebook fan Deborah Faber said.
"We lived in Philly at the time and my youngest was 2 and a half. Our station wagon was completely covered in snow! That's when we decided to move to Tennessee!" AccuWeather Facebook fan Laura Helton Bradley said.
Never been a huge fan of the snow hahaha #tbt #blizzardof96alexandralhayes
"We were living in central NJ at the time, and it was very windy outside. My daughter, then 3 years old, wanted to go outside and play in the the swirling snow, but asked what the noise was. Trying to distract her as she was *not* going to go outside and play, I told her the noise was a snow-shark. She said, in a very matter-of-fact manner, that I was wrong -- she knew it was a big lizard. My husband thought we were both crazy, but asked her how she knew it was a big lizard. She said, "I saw it on television, the big lizard of 1996." We still laugh about this every time we have a big snow storm forecast," AccuWeather Facebook fan Pamela Winterhalter Garbini said.
Blizzard of 1996 Home Video *No Sound*rev4life03
"My Home Video of the 1996 Blizzard. This was in Plattekill NY. 2.5 feet fell," AccuWeather Facebook fan Ryan Ribeth said.
pausing after shoveling 1996bnilsen
"I went into labor my husband drove me to the hospital in the drifting snow with two small children in the back seat almost hitting a pole. He managed to get us to the hospital in time. My little girl was born on Jan 8 1996 a year I will never forget," AccuWeather Facebook fan Jessica Jackson said.
Blizzard of 1996Jeff Kubina
"Spent over a week solid running fire calls in my hometown of Burke, VA (Fairfax Co). It was a MESS to say the least. Nothing like carrying a stretcher 1/4-1/2mi in 30+ inches of snow!" AccuWeather Facebook fan Henry Dralle III said.
Thaw and Major Flooding That Followed:
"I was a senior in high school. The river that went through our town flooded and I couldn't get home, even with an early dismissal from school. Totally crazy," AccuWeather Facebook fan Maria Halpin Inks said.
"That was the flood in which we lost our house," AccuWeather Facebook fan Rhonda Jenkins said.
