"Snowmageddon"

Snow Totals February 5-6, 2010   Source: NWS

On this date five years ago, Washingtonians survived a crippling blizzard that will forever be remembered as one of the most significant winter storms ever. Dubbed “Snowmageddon” and the “Superbowl Storm,” that storm spanned two days ending on Superbowl Sunday.  Power outages were widespread and the Federal Government even closed for four consecutive days.

Back in 2010, it took days for roads to be cleared and power to be restored due to the magnitude of the 4^th largest snowstorm on record in the Nation’s Capital.  In fact, power outages lasted longer in many areas around the DC Metro Region following that storm than for Sandy in October 2012.  A whopping 17.8” fell at National Airport.

Having a second Top Ten snowfall in the Nation’s Capital during the 2009-2010 winter was unprecedented.  Earlier, the December 2009 storm saw 16.4” at National Airport, making it the 8^th largest snowfall on record.  Also, the 32.4” at Dulles Airport during “Snowmageddon” set a record for largest two-day snow total, surpassing the 23.2” that fell during a two-day snowstorm in January 1996.

The Superbowl Storm developed as an area of low pressure along the Gulf Coast that intensified rapidly. It continued to strengthen as it moved up the East Coast and became a “Nor’Easter.”  That enabled the storm to draw a substantial amount of cold air into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast while also drawing in copious amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean that fell as record snow. That was truly the ideal scenario for snow lovers across the Mid-Atlantic Region!