Heavy Snow, Hartford
- When
- February 16, 12:00 PM EST to February 17, 8:00 AM EST
- Where
- Hartford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.819, -72.572 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Connecticut, February 16 to 17, 1996
A rapidly intensifying low pressure system moved northeast from off the Virginia Capes, passing southeast of Cape Cod. It brought still another in a long series of major snowstorms this winter season.
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
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 rapidly intensifying low pressure system moved northeast from off the Virginia Capes, passing southeast of Cape Cod. It brought still another in a long series of major snowstorms this winter season. Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 12 inches. The snow began around noon and quickly became heavy. There was even a report of thunder with heavy snow at Waterbury at 2:45 PM. Some snowfall totals included: East Hartford, 12.0 inches; Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, 10.2 inches; Bristol, 8 inches; Farmington and Wethersfield, 6.8 inches; Union, 6.5 inches; and Vernon, 6.0 inches. The seasonal snowfall total reached a record 90.1 inches at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. The previous record was 84.9 inches during the winter of 1993-1994. A series of minor traffic accidents forced state police to close a section of Interstate 95 for 3 hours early Friday afternoon. As many as 100 cars were involved, but only a few minor injuries were reported. Traffic on eastbound I-84 was backed up for miles after a tractor-trailer truck jack-knifed in Manchester.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Tolland
- When
- February 16, 12:00 PM EST to February 17, 8:00 AM EST
- Where
- Tolland forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Windham
- When
- February 16, 12:00 PM EST to February 17, 8:00 AM 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
- Winter Storm in Alabama, February 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in Vermont, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Virginia, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New Jersey, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Virginia, February 16 to 17, 1996
- High Wind in Florida, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, February 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Maryland, February 16, 1996
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, February 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: 5552259, 5552402, 5552403.