North American Blizzard of 1996 (Blog Update #14)

This blizzard was a part of a nor'easter that dumped up to 4 feet of snow in some locations on the east coast. Much of the snow was wind-driven over a four day span.

The storm was historically significant because it was fueled by an arctic high pressure system located to the north of New York. The blizzard is one of three snowstorms in history to be rated as "extreme" on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS).

A NOAA snowfall map depicting accumulation in Virginia, after the North American blizzard of 1996. Most of the Shenandoah Valley received two to three feet (61 to 91 cm) of snow. Courtesy: NOAA

In Morrisontown, New Jersey, they recorded wind gusts upwards of 63 miles per hour. That in accumulation with the snowfall they got means they saw some of the worst conditions on the east coast.

Blizzard of 1996, Temple, Pennsylvania. Courtesy: TechieJustin~commonswiki

154 people died due to the storm and the flooding that ensued later after snow melting and heavy rains. The storm caused an estimated $3 billion in damages across the east coast.