Thirty years ago this week we were hit with the biggest blizzard on record for the area. Snow started falling on January 6th 1996 and stopped on the 8th. Parts of Berks County recorded 34 inches of snow, but the raging winds caused major drifts which made the snow pile up to 100 inches high in certain areas. The weight of the snow proved to be a problem on rooves as there were many collapses in commercial and residential buildings alike. Boscov’s North had a heating unit cave in through their roof and onto the toy section of the store on Jan 8th around 9pm. Luckily there were no injuries.
Another smaller storm hit us while we were still reeling from the Blizzard; 6-10 more inches fell on Berks on January 12th. Besides a dusting at the very end of January, this would be the last snowfall of the entire 1995-1996 winter season.
Things warmed up shortly after the immense amount of snow fell, and along with torrential rain caused quick melt which resulted in considerable flooding all over the Mid-Atlantic.
The only winter storm since the Blizzard of 1996 that has come close in terms of snowfall totals occurred in January of 2016. That snowstorm started on Jan 22nd and ceased precipitation on the 23rd. Snowfall totals for that 2016 storm across Berks were between 22-30 inches.
Above is the home video experience as my family lived it in our home near Fritztown, just outside of Sinking Spring. Narrated and filmed by my Dad, guest starring yours truly. It took two full days to get plowed out and school was canceled for over a week. What do you remember about the Blizzard of 1996?
How well I remember, I worked at Arrow International(Wyomissing)at the time. The supervisor of Human Resources said to everyone that was employed there, that there was absolutely no excuse for people not to be able to get to work, even though the governor of Pennsylvania declared a snow emergency. The people that lived in the city of Reading could not get their cars out, as there was no where to put the snow. Only after this manager attempted to drive through the city streets, did he change his mind. It was mind boggling.
Thanks
Great video! It was certainly unprecedented and I hope we never experience one like that again!
I just watched my home movies of the same thing! Just a couple years older than you 🙂 Wonderful memories for a kid!
WOW..25 yrs ago.. a blink of an eye.. I remember it well!
I live in Harrisburg PA. The national weather said on Friday before the storm it would not hit us.Early Saturday morning all my wether radio’s were going off ,issuing winter storm warnings!
I was 6 years old during this and it RULED! We lived on a little bit up the hill on Maple st. I remember everyone putting all the snow in the empty grass lot right there on cotton and maple. Great sledding!
After doing 12 hour on-air shifts at Y-102 during the March, 1993 storm they let me sit this one out initially and I enjoyed watching it from a city loft. This was the days of reading snow cancellations from paper slips as they came in. I eventually asked: what’s the use? Everything is closed!
I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember a snowstorm, while growing up in Kenhorst, in the 50’s or early 60’s that dumped three feet. Is there any way to fact check this?
I was born in ’63 and grew up in Kenhorst. My parents are still on Commonwealth Blvd. since 1960. I’ll have to ask if they remember a storm like that. I do recall them telling me there was deep snow on the day they were moving into the house.
I still have the newspapers from this 🙂
I remember plopping our 10-month-old daughter out in the snow, and she looked up at us like we were nuts.