On the afternoon of January 22, 2016, "Snowzilla" began.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

CAPITAL WEATHER GANG

During ‘Snowzilla’ four years ago today, D.C. looked like this

The storm made the 2015-16 winter historic, and nothing like most Washington winters of late.

By Ian Livingston
January 22, 2020 at 12:48 p.m. EST

The snow began falling during the afternoon of Jan. 22, 2016. ... At first it was like a fine mist of powdered sugar casually tossed across the landscape. By sunset, the sprinkling of sugar was transforming. It was a few inches deep, plows hit the streets. Soon, the city came to a standstill. A real Washington snowstorm was underway. Its name was “Snowzilla.”

[ How much snow fell from Snowzilla in the D.C. area, in detail ]

The wind blew and snow fell throughout the night, with blizzard warnings in effect. Drifts piled up, even in the hear of the city. The storm was a midwinter snow event at its finest.



Snow accumulates during the overnight hours in Northwest Washington. (Ian Livingston/The Washington Post) (FTWP)

After a round of morning thundersnow, the storm continued into and through much of Jan. 23. Bands of snow rotated into the region through sunset. ... A dry slot — a mainly precipitation-free zone that wraps around the low — worked into the Interstate 95 corridor midday, causing a pause in the precipitation in spots. It didn’t last long. There was only minimal mixing of precipitation, which is a rarity for a major D.C. snowstorm.

In the end, Snowzilla’s (debatable) 17.8 inches tied for the fourth-biggest snowstorm in Washington history, on par with its cousin “Snowmageddon” back in 2010.

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Elsewhere, the historic snowstorm went on to drop an astounding 27.5 inches on Central Park in New York City, becoming that city’s biggest snowstorm on record. With 27.3 inches falling on Jan. 23 alone, it was the snowiest day on record there. ... Snowzilla also became Baltimore’s biggest snowstorm, with 29.2 inches, and made it into the top 10 in Philadelphia, where nearly two feet was measured.



Snowzilla snowfall map. (NOAA)

To the north of New York City, totals dropped off rapidly. In Bridgeport, only 9.5 inches was recorded. In Boston, half a foot was small potatoes compared to what Washington received.

East Coast snow lovers of our time have been blessed by many a big storm. Snowzilla is one of many that have happened in recent decades.

[ Remembering Snowzilla, which buried the D.C. region in 15-30 inches of snow ]



People walk along Connecticut Avenue in the late afternoon of Jan. 23, 2016. (Ian Livingston/The Washington Post)

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Mountains of snow in Washington on Jan. 23, 2016. (Tim Brown/Flickr)

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By Ian Livingston
Ian Livingston is a forecaster/photographer and information lead for the Capital Weather Gang. By day, Ian is a defense and national security researcher at a D.C. think tank. Twitter https://twitter.com/islivingston

Tue Jan 24, 2023: On January 23, 2016, "Snowzilla" happened.