Reliving Western Pa.'s Snowmageddon — a decade later

Two days before what came to be known as Snowmageddon, the National Weather Service forecast that region should expect “6 to 8 inches of snow.”

The following day, that forecast was revised: Winter storm warnings were calling for a heavy snowfall beginning on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 5, 2010. State police in Greensburg, Indiana and Somerset urged residents to refrain from calling their stations with travel-related questions.

Flights were being canceled and residents were flooding grocery stores to stock up on essentials. (Milk, bread and toilet paper, of course.)

It turned out to be the fourth-largest snowstorm on record in Pittsburgh — according to the National Weather Service — with 21.1 inches on Feb. 5 and 6.

Add to that 8 more inches over the following week, and snowpacks ranged from 12 to 28 inches.

Virtually none of it melted quickly.

In the days and weeks afterward, public works crews all over Western Pennsylvania worked to clear streets the snow-choked roadways. Residents — many of whom lost power — were forced to dig out their vehicles while backloaders and bulldozers helped out.

Happily for the kids, schools were canceled for days, some even up to a week.

By the end of February, 48.7 inches of snow had fallen on the Pittsburgh region. That not only stands as the snowiest February on record but also the snowiest single month of all time — since records started in 1881.

Here’s more of the images captured from those snow-covered days 10 years ago.

Categories: Local | Allegheny | Regional