Remembering the epic Blizzard of ’96 through photos
Updated Jan 06, 2021;
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The infamous “Blizzard of 1996” deposited almost 30 inches of snow on Staten Island, shutting down businesses, leaving people stranded in homes and cars and crippling transportation throughout the borough. The winter of 1996 didn’t end with the blizzard. By season’s end, over 75.6 inches of snow fell, far exceeding the previous record of 63.2 set in the winter of 1947-1948. It hit NYC on the morning of January 7, 1996 and lasted for 37 hours, dropping on average 2 inches of snow per hour. Residents were told to stay home and await the passing of the storm; only police, fire department and hospital personnel reported to work according to NYCdata.