‘Snowmageddon’: Wednesday marks 15 years since Pittsburgh was hit with over 21 inches of snow

PITTSBURGH — We’re finally having a winter around here for the first time in a few years, but it is nothing compared to the winter of 2009-2010 and especially February of that winter.

Fifteen years ago today, “Snowmageddon” bared down on western Pennsylvania with as much snow in 20 hours as we’ve seen so far this entire winter season. 21.9″ of snow officially fell at Pittsburgh International Airport with parts of the region easily topping two feet of snow.

PHOTOS: Viewer pictures from 2010 Pittsburgh ‘Snowmageddon’

The benchmark snowstorm so far this century wreaked havoc in cities from coast to coast, but most notably the Mid-Atlantic. The storm caused more than 40 fatalities, including deaths in Mexico as well as the United States.

Pittsburgh was the first major city to experience part of the nor’easter’s heaviest snow with snow starting late in the afternoon that Friday and snowing until late morning Saturday. At times, the snowfall rate was nearly two inches an hour making it nearly impossible to keep roads clear. 

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The snow shut off very quickly Saturday morning giving us a bit of a break before, four days later, another eight inches of snow fell over a two-day span.  Total snowfall in February 2010 was nearly four feet.

Snowmageddon is currently ranked as the fourth largest snowstorm on record, just behind the March blizzard of 1993 in which 25.3 inches of snow fell.

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