Blizzard of 2006: The Biggest Snowstorm in NYC History

[Benjamin Sipprell]

Band is shifting slowly to the east in its respective southern region over NJ ... but there is this huge blob of moisture/high reflectivity heading right towards the band from the sound ...

Massive convergence?

Starting to see some heavier snowfall rates in the eastern portions of Fairfield County, CT

 

[HAltschule]

Neat webcam from the Jersey Shore (yes...that is what us true Jersey Boys call it). While the snow pics aren't that amazing, there are some pretty rad breakers crashing, DUDE.

http://www.nj.com/shore/beachcam/index.ssf/video.ssf

 

[HAltschule]

New LSR's issued at 9:00am.

Elizabeth, NJ (next to Newark) takes the cake so far with 18.8" of snow. Wayne, NJ a close second with 18.5" and Danbury, CT with 18.0".

Nice.

 

[B Ozanne]

We wont see another official snow update from Central Park until 18z, 1pm eastern.

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

Be wary of storm reports ... already there's some interesting totals ... Fairfield at 16.7 while Darien and New Canaan just adjacent and west at 7.3 and 8.0" respectively. Shady ... since the snows have been heavier west of Fairfield, CT

9" (after 24 measurements rounded around the house) here in Huntington, CT (aka Shelton)

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

Convergence of off shore band and frontogenetically forced band at 10:30 ET has led to some impressive reflectivities over the Fairfield County region of CT ... nice.

Snowing really hard in my locale.

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

Janice Huff on NBC4 just said the NWS has officially come out with a new report of 22.8" at CP ... beating the 1888 Blizzard total.

I'm searching for this information.

EDIT: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/ny/discussion.html

 

[Jeff Snyder]

That banding is very intense indeed! Quite interestesting to see the relatively widespread >35dBz echoes in that band.

Originally posted by New York City NWSFO AFD

..SECOND BIGGEST SNOWSTORM OF ALL TIME AT CENTRAL PARK

NEAR TERM MESOSCALE UPDATE

INTENSE BANDING MOVING THROUGH THE CITY AT THIS TIME. AS OF 10
AM...CENTRAL PARK HAS RECORDED 22.8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL FOR THIS
EVENT (SO FAR)...NOW ONE OF THE BIGGEST SNOWSTORMS IN NEW YORK
CITY'S HISTORY. WE JUST ECLIPSED THE INFAMOUS BLIZZARD OF
1888...WHICH DROPPED 21.0 INCHES IN NEW YORK CITY. THE BIGGEST
SNOWSTORM OF ALL TIME WAS 26.4" SET DEC 26-27 1947.

--> http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KOKX/0602121536.fxus61.html

 

[Robert Dewey]

Wow, this is incredible. Too bad I didn't have the money or time to chase/postition myself in this thing.

 

[B Ozanne]

Originally posted by Benjamin Sipprell
Be wary of storm reports ... already there's some interesting totals ... Fairfield at 16.7 while Darien and New Canaan just adjacent and west at 7.3 and 8.0" respectively. Shady ... since the snows have been heavier west of Fairfield, CT

9" (after 24 measurements rounded around the house) here in Huntington, CT (aka Shelton)

Don't just look at the snow totals, check out the times as well. Last time I was out we had 15" in Darien, probably 16 or 17 by now. That Fairfield report is a little sketchy though, might have meant New Fairfield which is no where near Fairfield. Things will sort themselves out soon enough.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Leave it to NY to steal the show Well, I can't come close to that but I am happy that we are finally seeing something worth taking a camera outside for. Thanks to a nice little shortwave rotating around now that we are finally below freezing, we are *finally* seeing some decent accumulations here this morning. I've been seeing 3 to 5 so far depending on what part of town I'm in. 'Classic winter' scenes abound outside - the first real ones of this season.

 

[HAltschule]

NYC is only about 3.5" away from the biggest snowstorm in Central Park History. Here is a list of the Top Snowstorms. I remember the Blizzard of 1996...with that storm the heaviest axis of snow was in New Jersey. I lived in Edison/Scotch Plains, NJ and measured 32" of snow with that storm. Nevertheless, this storm is going to keep NYC virtually shutdown and in a travel nightmare for the next 3-5 days!! Some of the pictures of the plowed snow should be wild to look at. Many roads will not even get plowed for 5 days. And the snow that is plowed, they have to scoop up with front end loaders and truck it out. You just can't pile up that much snow on the streets and sidewalks of NYC.

In regard to the Mesoscale Banding feature which has persisted for many, many hours, it looks like New Haven, CT is in line for the 3-4" per hour snow rates over the next couple of hours. What a storm!!

The weather channel has reported that Central Park unofficially received 11" of snow in 3 hours!!!!!

CENTRAL PARK - 1869 to Present
Biggest Snow Storms
26.4" December 26th-27th, 1947
21.0" March 12th-14th, 1888
20.2" January 7th-8th, 1996
19.8" February 16th-17th, 2003
18.1" March 7th-8th, 1941
18.0" December 26th, 1872
17.7" February 5th-7th, 1978
17.6" February 11th-12th, 1983
17.5" February 4th-7th, 1920
17.4" February 3rd-4th, 1961
16.0" December 19-20th, 1948
16.0" February 12th-13th, 1899

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

Originally posted by B Ozanne+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(B Ozanne)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Benjamin Sipprell

Be wary of storm reports ... already there's some interesting totals ... Fairfield at 16.7 while Darien and New Canaan just adjacent and west at 7.3 and 8.0" respectively. Shady ... since the snows have been heavier west of Fairfield, CT

9" (after 24 measurements rounded around the house) here in Huntington, CT (aka Shelton)

Don't just look at the snow totals, check out the times as well. Last time I was out we had 15" in Darien, probably 16 or 17 by now. That Fairfield report is a little sketchy though, might have meant New Fairfield which is no where near Fairfield. Things will sort themselves out soon enough.[/b]

See, here's the problem, snow compacts with time ... measurements are taken every 6 hours ... and I don't have a snowboard here ... so I'm utilizing a cold stone walkway ... it's snowed about 5" since my 9" total report when I first clearned the stone walkway ... yet around the house the snow depth is 11" ... so things are fishy for me ... I wish I had started recording snow depth earlier. Then there's the issue that it's a stone walkway and IR is emitting out of the ground, etc.

So I'm trying to figure how much snow I've gotten by taking the 9" total off a backyard glass table with a 30" diameter (though next to the house), and then using the stone walkway ... in essence there's 14" then.

 

[B Ozanne]

18" on the ground at my house as of noon.

 

[Pat Lawrence]

Originally posted by HAltschule
NYC is only about 3.5" away from the biggest snowstorm in Central Park History.
The weather channel has reported that Central Park unofficially received 11" of snow in 3 hours!!!!!

Man, what a storm! Hard to believe Central Park may set a new record as many times as they have been pounded in the past.

A few more like this one and we may just get that next ice age underway

Pat