Heavy Snow, St. Mary'S
- When
- February 2, 5:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- St. Mary'S forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.216, -76.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Maryland, February 2, 1996
A vigorous upper-level jet streak induced low-level lifting of warm moist air over a stationary arctic front which extended from Tidewater Virginia through the Tennessee Valley early on the 2nd. This strong low-level lift produced a 75 mile-wide band of heavy snow which extended from Maryland's lower eastern shore through the extreme southern Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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 LWX wrote it up.
A vigorous upper-level jet streak induced low-level lifting of warm moist air over a stationary arctic front which extended from Tidewater Virginia through the Tennessee Valley early on the 2nd. This strong low-level lift produced a 75 mile-wide band of heavy snow which extended from Maryland's lower eastern shore through the extreme southern Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. The northernmost extent of 4 inch accumulations ran from southern Anne Arundel (MDZ014) through central Prince Georges (MDZ013) counties. The heaviest snows were in a narrow band from southern Charles Co (MDZ016) through southern Calvert Co (MDZ018). Accumulations in these areas ranged from 8 to 13 inches, with snowfall rates as high as 3 inches per hour during the peak of the event.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Charles
- When
- February 2, 6:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Charles forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.474, -77.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Calvert
- When
- February 2, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Calvert forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.535, -76.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Prince Georges
- When
- February 2, 7:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Prince Georges forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.830, -76.847 (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 North Carolina, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Louisiana, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Tennessee, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 2, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, February 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Maryland in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, 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: 5541595, 5541596, 5541597, 5541598.