NEW YORK — With as much as 30 inches predicted for parts of the New York City area, the Blizzard of 2016 has a shot at being the biggest snowfall on record in Central Park.
As of 8 p.m., Central Park had 25.1 inches with the snow still falling.
Snow totals as of 8 p.m.
The total to beat is 26.9 inches, which was set during the storm of February 11-12, 2006. That’s not to say that was the biggest snowstorm ever — the official yardstick for New York is Central Park, and some storms, like the fabled 1947 and 1888 blizzards, had a more severe impact even though Central Park may have received less in those events.
The 2006 storm brought thunder snow and snowfall rates of up to 5 inches per hour, bringing NYC to a standstill. The previous record was held by the blizzard after Christmas in 1947.
A view of the Gapstow Bridge in a snowy Central Park 12 February 2006 as a major storm slammed the mid-Atlantic and Northeast states dumping nearly two feet (60cm) of snow in Central Park by late morning, the city’s second heaviest snowfall on record, surpassed only by the 26.4 inches (67cm) that fell in December 1947. (Getty Images)
The Blizzard of 1888 measured 21 inches, but snowdrifts were reported to be several feet high.
The Blizzard of 1996, a two-day event in January 1996, was notable for its massive snow totals up and down the Eastern seaboard.
And do you remember the Boxing Day Blizzard of 2010? That comes in at 20 inches. Also looking at the list, a big storm in the busy winter of 2010-11 dropped 19 inches, and the Presidents’ Day Blizzard in 2003 dropped 20 inches.
