RICHMOND, Va. β This week marks the 30th anniversary of the legendary blizzard of 1996, one of the heaviest snowstorms Richmond and the East Coast has ever experienced.
Richmond International Airport measured a foot of snow during the historic storm, but the region could have been considered lucky compared to areas further north.
Northern neighbors received anywhere from 15 to 25 inches of snow, with Baltimore getting 22.5 inches and 24.5 inches stacking up at Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia. Roanoke received about two feet of snow. The storm dumped a record 27.6 inches of snow on Philadelphia.
CBS 6 Chief Meteorologist Zach Daniel noted that while blizzards can be fun, they are also very dangerous. Over 150 people died from that blizzard.
"I was an undergrad at University of Georgia at the time, didn't affect us down there as much, but in '93 that's the one that I really remember, the superstorm that produced similar snowfall totals, massive, massive storms," Daniel said.
For those who lived through it, the memories remain vivid.
GeNienne Samuels, who was at the University of Richmond, said classmates welcomed the snow because it meant no classes.
Julie Bragg, who was working in Roanoke, said television news crews with four-wheel drive vehicles picked up colleagues to ensure coverage continued.
Email the CBS 6 Newsroom with your blizzard memories
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