Heavy Snow in Connecticut, April 9 to 10, 1996

Name: Heavy Snow in Connecticut, April 9 to 10, 1996
Start: 1996-04-09T18:00
End: 1996-04-10T12:00
Location: Connecticut

April 9 to 10, 1996 · NWS BOX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

) as its center passed right over Nantucket Island, MA at 10 AM on April 10th. This storm brought a record late-season snowfall to most of northern Connecticut and especially to the higher elevations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.

A low pressure system developed along the mid-Atlantic coast and intensified to 984 mb (29.06 in.) as its center passed right over Nantucket Island, MA at 10 AM on April 10th. This storm brought a record late-season snowfall to most of northern Connecticut and especially to the higher elevations. Windham and Storrs each recorded 17.0 inches; Willington had 15.5 inches; Union had 14.8 inches; Bristol, at an elevation of 800 feet, had 12.0 inches. Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks had 7.0 inches. Seasonal snowfall totals reached new record maxima of well over 100 inches in many places. Since this was a late-season snowfall event, accumulation on pavement was much less. In Glastonbury, there was a total of 9 inches of snow on the grassy surfaces but only 3 inches on the pavement. The heavy, wet snow stuck to trees and power lines, resulting in many power outages. Up to 83,000 electric customers lost power statewide. Some final seasonal snowfall totals included: Bakersville, 131.9 inches; Putnam, 124.0 inches; and Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, 115.2 inches (old record 84.9 inches in 1993-1994).

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Hartford

When: April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Hartford forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.819, -72.572 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tolland

When: April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Tolland forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Windham

When: April 9, 6:00 PM EST to April 10, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Windham forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.827, -71.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Connecticut in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Connecticut, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5551533, 5551534, 5551535.