Double Trouble: Blizzard and Historic Flooding of January 1996

30 years ago Pennsylvania was struck with one of the worst case scenarios that resulted in devastating flooding statewide. The event started with the largest snowstorm for the largest city. Join me in looking back at the Blizzard of 1996 and the flooding that followed.

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The Setup

The months leading up to January 1996 were quite active with plenty of moisture that kept the ground saturated. While the summer of 1995 was dry, wetness set in during the fall. October 1995 was the 4th wettest October on record for Pennsylvania.

Average temperature departure from mean for the period of November 1, 1995, to January 5, 1996. Source.

The wetness continued into winter which started cold and snowy. The favored snow belts of Pennsylvania picked up 20" to 50" of snow total in both November and December 1995. Snowfall was well above average statewide both months. The period was also colder than average with November 1995 tied for 9th coldest November for the state.

Total snowfall percentage of mean for the period November 1, 1995, to January 5, 1996 (does not include the blizzard). Source.

A snowstorm on November 15, 1995, dropped up to 2 feet of snow with the highest amounts in the Laurel Highlands. Another storm brought a foot of snow to portions of northern Pennsylvania on December 19th and 20th. Following this storm the snow pack would remain intact until the flooding nearly a month later. Another snow event brought an additional 6" to 12" across northern Pennsylvania on January 3rd right before the blizzard hit. Even before the blizzard the seasonal snowfall totals were 200% to 300%+ of average statewide.

Blizzard

Snow began falling before sunrise on the morning of Sunday January 7, 1996. By 9:30am parts of Franklin County already had 6 inches of snow. The snow became heavy during the morning and by afternoon blizzard conditions had begun with a strong northeast wind. Snowfall rates were 2 to 3 inches per hour and all of the precipitation in Pennsylvania was snow. Thundersnow was reported in Lancaster County. The snow eased by Monday morning but the winds continued to blow, hindering cleanup efforts.

Snowfall totals for the Blizzard of 1996 (January 7-8, 1996).

This storm remains the largest snowstorm on record in Philadelphia. It was also the largest snowstorm in Allentown which has since been surpassed twice (2016 & 2021). Snowfall totals, while still impressive, were likely lower than reported as the blowing & drifting snow complicated the measurements. Most airport totals used a water equivalent conversion to determine the snow total estimate. Drifts of 15 feet were reported in Chester County while drifts were up to 10 feet in Gettysburg. Drifts of 6 to 8 feet were reported in Philadelphia with wind gusts as high as 49mph.

Chart summarizing the locations in Pennsylvania where January ranks as the snowiest January on record. Additionally, January 1996 also ranks as a top 5 snowiest month on record for all locations.

Roofs collapsed in factories, warehouses, and apartment buildings. Side streets were plowed shut with piles up to 15 feet tall blocking them. Firefighters were unable to get to a house fire in Philadelphia due to the snow covered streets. Snow removal crews dumped snow into the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia (not a good idea given what was to come). Travelers were stranded at the Philadelphia Airport which was closed for 36 hours and the city was described as a ghost town. Some schools and businesses were closed for an entire week.

Map of snow totals for January 6-8, 1996. Source

The governor declared a state of emergency for 47 counties on Sunday (January 7th) with travel bans lasting until the morning of Tuesday (January 9th). The National Guard was deployed to help with recovery. 750 troops helped rescue stranded travelers and clear snow from roadways. Sources cite as many as 80 direct and indirect fatalities in Pennsylvania from the blizzard.

More Snow

Following the blizzard yet another storm brought 12" to 24" on the 12th-13th to an area stretching from south central Pennsylvania to the Pocono Mountains. The footprint of highest totals from this storm was not as large but some locations recorded more snow from this storm than the blizzard. 8.6" fell in Williamsport during the blizzard while 11.9" of new snow was measured on the 12th. Between January 7th and January 12th, Shippensburg picked up an incredible 47.2".

Snowfall totals for the storm that followed the blizzard (January 12-13, 1996).

The additional snow added to the already impressive snow pack. On January 13, 1996, weather observing sites in 15 different counties reported snow depths of at least 3 feet! Two stations reported depths of over 50". The combined weight of the snow from both storms caused many more roofs to collapse. 60 people were trapped when a roof collapsed at an ice arena near Allentown. 1 person was killed when a greenhouse collapsed in Berks County. 18 collapsed buildings and roofs were reported in Chester County.

Maximum snow depth observed in January 1996.

On the 16th the National Weather Service Office in State College began to discuss the possibility of flooding in the forecast discussion. At the time, though, the hydrologists expected that a couple inches of rain would not cause problems. Even on the 18th, forecasters saw the threat of ice jams but did not expect widespread flooding issues with a forecast total rainfall of just over an inch.

Flood

Given the harsh winter thus far, the warmup on the 18th was much welcomed but it wouldn't last. Late on the 18th the National Weather Service had already received reports of minor flooding due to melting snow. Ahead of the front temperatures surged into the 50s and 60s. On the early morning of the 19th, heavy rain spread across the state with a squall line of thunderstorms. Rain fell at rates of 0.5" to 1.0" an hour. Total rainfall amounts exceeded 3 inches in some spots.

High temperatures observed on January 19, 1996.

For many locations all the snow melted with as much as 2 feet of snow disappearing in just 12 hours. The snow pack held water equivalents of 2" to as much as 5". Behind the front, precipitation changed back to snow with temperatures dropping from the 50s back to the 20s in 1 to 2 hours. The rapid refreeze caused standing flood water to freeze.

Total precipitation observed for January 18-20, 1996.

With the formation an breakups of ice jams, rivers rose or fell as much as 8 feet in an hour. Unlike other floods, the speed at which the water rose caught people off guard and the jams also caused locations that don't normally flood to fill with water. Statewide 51,000 homes had some flood damage with over 11,000 a total loss. Nearly 2,000 businesses, 1,400 roadways, and 235 bridges were damaged. Boats, helicopters, jet skis, or whatever was available, were used to conduct water rescues. 65 people were rescued in Bucks County who drove around barricades or refused to leave their home.

The flood of January 1996 ranks as a top 10 crest for a majority of stream gauges in Pennsylvania. Data Source.

At the time this event was the highest crest on record for many waterways. The flooding events of September 2004 and September 2011 have surpassed the flood of 1996 in some spots. The federal government declared the entire state a disaster area. The FEMA director and many state representatives toured the damage in south central Pennsylvania.

In total, 200,000 people were evacuated in Pennsylvania at some point. 100,000 were evacuated in the Wilkes Barre area as the water neared the top of the dike. Thankfully the water crested a foot below overtopping the wall. 8,000 were evacuated in Harrisburg, including the governor. The flow here rose from 7 feet to 22 feet in just 14 hours and the flow was 20 times the normal flow. A section of the Walnut Street Bridge in Harrisburg was taken out by ice. 5,000 were evacuated in Bucks County.

Calculated crest above flood and major flood stages for the flood of January 1996. Data Source.

Some of the hardest hit communities sat along the banks of the Lycoming Creek and Loyalsock Creek. Both creeks drain into the Susquehanna River near Williamsport. This area had a heavy snowpack and a study suggests that the highest elevations in the headwaters of these waterways may have picked up nearly 6 inches on the 18th and 19th.

One ice jam on Lycoming Creek broke sending a wave 4 feet tall rushing down the channel. The wave damaged homes and businesses including a car dealership where 130 vehicles were damaged. 6 of 19 fatalities in Pennsylvania occurred in Lycoming County. Other counties in central Pennsylvania were hard hit. Four died in Juniata County with one fatality each in Bedford, Cumberland, and Snyder Counties.

Dramatic snow depth changes were observed between the 18th and 20th of January 1996. Some locations saw snow depth decrease by more than 20 inches!

Two tragic deaths occurred in Blair County where 1 in 5 homes reportedly were damaged. An elderly woman was found dead in her residence where flood water surrounding the home caused the heat to shut off. Neighbors were told she had been evacuated. A 17 year old was caught in floodwater while walking home. Rescues by jet ski and helicopter were unsuccessful as hypothermia had set in, locking his muscles. His body was found the next morning. The same jet ski rescuer was successful in rescuing 4 other trapped people.

Radar image from the State College, PA, radar at 7:00AM on January 19, 1996. Source

A man was rescued by helicopter in Bedford County after being stuck in a tree for 5 hours. In Huntingdon County, 4 people were rescued from a home surrounded by water after 24 hours with no heat or electricity. They were treated for hypothermia. 4 to 5 feet of water was reported in homes in Huntingdon County that never had any water in the basements. Flooding hampered the response to a fire at a furniture store in Troy despite being across the street from the fire department. The firemen had evacuated the fire hall hours earlier due to the rising water.

Cambria County Emergency Management received 800 calls with 200 flooded basements. In Indiana County residents could not think of another January flood with ice jams of this magnitude since one that their ancestors talked about from the 1920s. In Monroeton one woman noted that the water rose and receded quickly. The water that reached a depth of 30 inches in the home after she left at 1pm. All the water was gone by 9:30pm. On top of the flooding many mudslides and rockslides were reported.

Reanalysis of the weather pattern from 0z on January 19, 1996. Note the flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico toward Pennsylvania. Source.

The Ohio River in Pittsburgh crested 9.6 feet above flood stage at 34.6 feet on the morning of the 20th. Barges & boats on the Allegheny River broke loose and hit bridges & locks downstream, causing bridge closures until inspection could be completed safely. Buildings downtown had flooded basements with 650 buildings sustaining damage in the Pittsburgh area.

Numerous water treatment plants were flooded causing raw sewage to be released into the rivers. Beer kegs floated down the Allegheny after a beer distributer in Oil City was hit by flood waters. An evacuation shelter in Tyrone was, ironically, evacuated as the water crept closer to the building. After having to dump milk during the blizzard, farmers were hit hard once again as the cold & wet conditions brought pneumonia to the herds.

Susquehanna River at City Island, Harrisburg, PA. Source

Schools didn't want to miss yet another day and tried to get the day in on the 19th but it soon became clear that it was not going to happen. Some buses got stuck between flooded roads and some students were unable to get home even with an early dismissal. In addition to flooding, many were concerned that the quick freeze would result in slick roads.

The Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River just south of the Mason Dixon line recorded the 2nd highest peak flow. The US Army Corps of Engineers reported that 167 billion gallons of water were held back in dams in the state estimating that this saved up to $1.3 billion in potential damages.

Flooding in Pittsburgh. Source

Along with the heavy rain came high winds as well. High Wind Warnings were in place for portions of the state. The strong wind was attributed with helping to melt the snowpack but also caused damage to buildings. Power outages caused additional problems. A roof was blown off an apartment building in Jim Thorpe. Wind gusts were measured to 67mph in Philadelphia and 61mph in Allentown. Multiple homes were damaged in Fayetteville and a roof was blown off a home in southern Blair County.

Wrapping Up

While Pennsylvania has seen many historic floods and snow storms, the events of January 1996 will certainly be remembered for a long time to come. I enjoyed looking back and learning about these events as I was too young to remember. Stay tuned in the coming months for more content like this.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to always look up!

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