SNOWMAGEDDON 2016! East Falls Hunkers Down

That time a historic winter storm hit Philly  — our story, as we brace for another humdinger!

⚠️Incoming! Forecasters warn Winter Storm Fern could bring a rare, multi-day snowfall to the region — the kind that sticks around, shuts things down, and turns neighborhoods into snow globes. The event is supposed to kick off Saturday evening, and hang around through Monday morning.

The last time we saw a storm of this magnitude was January 2016. For anyone who’s forgotten — or wasn’t living here yet — here’s a look back at Snowmageddon, when East Falls was slammed for two days, and buried under nearly two feet of snow. While meteorologists aren’t calling for quite so much accumulation this time (more like a foot, according to most models), we could also wind up with sleet and freezing rain on Sunday.

As weather reports urge caution, locals have been emptying supermarket shelves and stocking up on shovels, scrapers, and de-icers. Still. It’s hard not to feel a little excited. Snow is, hands down, our most magical weather phenomenon. Who doesn’t feel nostalgic about watching the first flakes start falling…. Skipping school (or work)… Sledding!… Hunkering down with loved ones at home… For the special way a blizzard seems to bring whole blocks together.

In this spirit, we present this throwback to the last historic blizzard to hit the area, ten years ago almost to the day. And we’ve got another two months of winter ahead, yet! Best wishes for a safe and snug season. 🙌❄️❄️❄️🩵💙

Originally published January 23, 2016 

On January 22nd in 2016, the Northeast was slammed by a “crippling” Category 5 blizzard that blanketed the city under 2 feet of snow. On top of this accumulation, the storm’s ferocious winds caused widespread drifting 4 to 5 feet high in some areas. The snow started falling Friday night, with snow emergencies in effect for evening rush hour. SEPTA basically shut down service for the weekend, along with PHL airport, the Reading Terminal market, along with all city libraries, recreation centers, and city jail visitation.

In East Falls, the snow laid fast and thick — by 7pm on Friday, it looked like a snow globe out our window. We suited up and hit the streets for the first photos of the blizzard. We walked from Gypsy Lane through the “new homes” to McDevitt, then back up through the historic area. Everywhere we went, neighbors were in great spirits:

Saturday, we had quite a coffee run! Started out around 6:45 am, to find sidewalks largely un-shoveled, and most roads were still pretty thick with gunky wet snow (although the main ones had been pretty much plowed).

Of the few cars that were on the road, many seemed to be having difficulty (big surprise, I know!). We even saw a plow truck stuck in the snow off Schoolhouse lane. The river iced over in a cool rippled pattern, and the wind was relentless, blowing snow into shifting drifts and covering over fresh tracks behind you as you walked. While Philly has a diehard rowing community, the only paddlers on the river this weekend were the feathered kind.

At 8:00 am, Calumet Street was exhaustingly beautiful — a smooth, glistening expanse of snow that hadn’t been plowed or even walked on. Before I know it, I was creeping uphill to capture the street’s charming, colorful rowhomes in their snug winter scenery. Of course, each new angle seemed prettier than the next, and before I knew it, I was committed to a climb way steeper than I’d intended for two feet of fresh snow. 🤣 Dammit, Calumet! lol About halfway up I seriously considered lying down to make snow angels.

This was one heavy, windy storm!  Weather channel told us to brace for the whole weekend, and prepare for a ton of cleanup.

Stay warm, East Falls! Keep tuned to our Instagram and Facebook for more pics & video, plus updates on what’s open, who’s out here, and how’s everything going on a super-local level.

PS. Isn’t it purdy, though?! ❄️📷📹  Click here for more pics and video of the storm in East Falls. ❄️📷📹

EPILOGUE:

We made it! No significant local power outages, but likely millions of dollars of damage. By Sunday, the forecast was cool & cloudy: and so the dig-out began…

Patch.com reported snow totals of up to 3 feet of accumulation in some parts of the Delaware Valley (they were also posting hourly updates). In Philadelphia, our official total was 22.4 inches — the fourth largest snowfall in the city’s history, after December 2009 (23.2 inches), February 2010 (28.5 inches), and the most we’ve ever seen was in January 1996, when we got 30.7 inches (!) plus massive drifts and bitter cold temps for weeks.

Share your neighborhood pics with the world! Tweet @EastFallsLocal or tag us on Facebook (where we’re trying to cover every nook & cranny, ha). Photos from our walks around East Falls, Sunday, January 24th:

THANKYOUVERYMUCH:  Above shares from @MotorCityN8, Heather Petrone-Shook, and Bastiaan Slabbers, our favorite local Dutch guy and roaming photo-journalist (who always seems to be up to something interesting — too bad his NewsWorks gallery of the blizzard hasn’t been archived, boo).

💙 🩵 ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ 🩵 💙

Can’t get enough of East Falls in the snow? Don’t miss “UP THE NUTS,” Russ Gardner’s charming & nostalgic post about winter as a neighborhood kid here in the 50’s.

Video from 2015…