In 1996, New York City was hit by one of the most severe blizzards. Twenty inches of snow fell during the storm, along with 50 mph winds and drifts as high as 8 feet. The powerful winter storm developed when cold air came from the Gulf of Mexico combined with hot air coming from Canada; it hit NYC on January 6 and lasted for 37 hours, dropping 2 inches of snow per hour on average.
Schools were closed, mail was snarled, food deliveries were delayed, and disrupted travel. Only the police, fire department, and hospital staff reported to work; residents were advised to stay home and await the passing of the storm. The storm intensified, and traffic came to a halt, leaving many people stranded mid-way to their destinations. There was high anxiety and frustration at airports, bus terminals, and rest stops along highways. The grocery stores looked as foreboding and empty as they did in post-apocalyptic films by evening. Con Edison reported a power outage in Gravesend, Brooklyn, affecting 1500 customers, though services would be restored the following night. From Washington to Boston, damages were estimated at a billion dollars, while casualties reached a hundred from Kentucky to Connecticut. People living on the streets of New York were the most affected. Even though the city made every effort to relocate the homeless safely, only 7200 beds in 39 shelters were occupied.
We were in Falls Church, and walked like 5 miles up to Giant, because it was open. We towed a sled to put the groceries on. We cooked in the fireplace and camped out together in the family room. Giant snow forts, hot dogs on the fire, no school. It was pretty freaking cool actually.
I grew up in the DMV. We, too, built our first and last igloo, and it took WEEKS to melt. I was literally telling the story this week. Good times.
At the time, I had a motorcycle which I parked on the street. I didn’t see it for months.
No way it still worked after that long, right? Surely rusted out?
Nah, no worse than any car would. It was an old KZ650, and pretty much bulletproof. And it had a tarp over it.
Snow is better than rain, anyway — it doesn’t really cause rust, at least until it starts to melt. Anyway, it always took a little resuscitating in the spring, snow or not — like any bike would after sitting for a while. A jump start or a new battery, some air in the tires, maybe spark plugs. Basic maintenance.
The bigger problem would be salt from the city salting the roads to melt the ice, but that didn’t reach under the pile of snow the bike was buried in.
People in northern climates have vehicles and other toys buried in snow, in their back yard for entire winters, many entire winters.
I remember this like it was yesterday, but when I look at these pictures, it makes it look like it was the 70’s.
Right? I was a senior in high school, and I think of it almost as a recent event, but it looks like a bygone era in these pictures.
Welp, time to bust out the yearbook and admire my full head of hair.
We’re basically twice as far away from the 96 blizzard (~29 years, it was early 1996) as that blizzard was from the 70s (~16 years), so…
Yeah, I hate that too hah.
The era of the analog world all feels very similar compared to today
All of this would have been photographed on film so that definitely contributes to older look.
Such a memorable storm. I was at American Trash on the Upper East Side that night. A bunch of us drunks went outside and started an impromptu football game in the middle of a snowy 1st Avenue. We were using one of those Nerf footballs that whistles as it flies and on high throws, you’d lose sight of the ball in the streetlights and had to figure out where it was coming down by the sound.
Sometimes I miss the snow.
Sometimes I miss American Trash!!
Was home from school playing my copy of Mortal Kombat 3 (Sega Genesis) that I’d been gifted days before for my birthday. Pure 9 year old bliss.
I don’t remember what I was doing but I also would have been home from school. Probably also playing MK or Nintendo, watching Price is Right or Supermarket Sweep, David the Knome. Maybe doing chores if I was at my mom’s because on snow days she would use that as an opportunity to give us stuff to do before she came home from work.