Sixteen Years Since 1996's Epic Blizzard

By Grace Muller, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

Jan 7, 2012; 7:55 AM ET

In January 1996, a powerful nor'easter produced heavy to excessive snowfall from Virginia to New England. Some areas got up to 4 feet. The main fuel for the storm was a large temperature difference between very cold air across the continent and mild air over the western Atlantic. The result was a massive and very slow-moving extratropical cyclone that took nearly three days to clear the Eastern Seaboard. In addition to very heavy, and in some cases record, snowfall, strong winds created blizzard conditions.

Pictures from the Blizzard

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Man stuck in snow at a bus stop" by Danny Daly

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who is hiding in the snow pile" by Flickr user bnilsen

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shoveling snow off second story" by Flickr user bnilsen

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Right after the blizzard of 1996 in Philadelphia. Me starting the massive shoveling process of 32 inches of snow. Nice visit to Philadelphia!" by Bob Batchelor

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Snow on the deck in the Columbia, Maryland, townhouse" by Jeff Kubina

Sixteen Years Since 1996's Epic Blizzard