STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Jan. 8 and 9, 1996 - The infamous "Blizzard of 1996" deposited almost 30 inches of snow on Staten Island, shutting down businesses, leaving people stranded in homes and cars and crippling transportation throughout the borough. The winter of 1996 didn't end with the blizzard. By season's end, over 75.6 inches of snow fell, far exceeding the previous record of 63.2 set in the winter of 1947-1948. It hit NYC on the morning of January 6 and lasted for 37 hours, dropping on average 2 inches of snow per hour. Residents were told to stay home and await the passing of the storm; only police, fire department and hospital personnel reported to work according to NYCdata.

Michael Falco

West Brighton

Angela DeSanno and Jean DeGaetano, both Lab Technicians at St. Vincent's Hospital, wear plastics bags over their head to keep out the blizzard after a short run to the local store.

Don't Edit

Hilton Flores

Monroe Avenue

Rows of cars buried in snow as the digging gets under way on Monroe Avenue.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

Oakwood

Buses were stuck in both directions on Guyon Avenue at Hylan Boulevard for over two hours, blocking all access to Guyon.

Don't Edit

Steve Zaffarano

Arrochar

An Arrochar man pushes his snow-blower along Columbia Avenue.

Don't Edit

Michael Falco

Victory Blvd. and Clove Rd.

Znaida August, of Silver Lake, helps her son, 3-year-old Michael August, with his hat as she and her other son, Jonathan Gonzales, 10, make their way down Victory Boulevard near Clove Road.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

Corson Ave.

Onlookers check out a plow that slid out of control into a car parked on Corson Avenue in St. George.

Don't Edit

Michael McWeeney

New Dorp

Advance Reporter Rich Cirillo stands on a huge mound of snow approximately 15 feet high in a New Dorp parking lot.

Don't Edit

Jin-Sup Lee

Dongan Hills

Mike Apolloneo, of Dongan Hills, shovels his way out of his driveway during the blizzard.

Don't Edit

Michael Falco

Clove Lakes Park

West Brighton resident Carol Farrell tries some cross country skiing with her dog Charlotte at Clove Lakes Park.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

New Dorp Lane

A parking meter on New Dorp Lane on Jan. 8, 1996.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Frank J. Johns

Rosebank

Big Moe from Rosebank found the only dry spot around -- the top of a car roof.

Don't Edit

Michael Falco

Staten Island Ferry terminal

Staten Islanders board the S 74 bus at the Staten Island Ferry terminal in St. George the day after the big blizzard.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

New Springville

Suzanne Israel, of New Springville, shovels out her car with a dust pan.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

January 8th, 1996, "Blizzard of '96" front page.

Don't Edit

Michael Falco

St. George Ferry terminal

Islanders wait on line to board buses at the terminal the day after the storm.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Michael McWeeney

Snake Hill

Snake Hill was blocked off to any traffic due to the terrible weather conditions.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

Baby born during the blizzard

Jeff Iannone Sr. with his wife, Michele Iannone, bring home their new baby, Jeffery Anthony 'Storm' Iannone, from Staten island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, on Jan. 8, 1996.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

Tottenville

Stephanie and her father, Peter Kosinski of Tottenville, shovel out.

Don't Edit

Jin-Sup Lee

Knee-deep

No small task, a man tries to push his way out of the knee-deep snow that has accumulated on Island streets.

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

Snowblowers for sale

Artie Mancuso takes his new snowblower home that he just bought from Trim-A-Lawn.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Jin-Sup Lee

Verrazzano toll plaza

Snow plow at the Verrazzano Bridge tries to keep up with the massive snowfall at the toll plaza.

Don't Edit

Richmond Ave.

A man shields himself against the blizzard winds and snow as he walks along Richmond Avenue, Eltingville.

Don't Edit

Jin-Sup Lee

St. George

A concerned man helps a fallen pedestrian to his feet in the thick snow at the bus terminal in St. George.

Don't Edit

Rob Sollett

Hylan Blvd.

Pedestrians share the snow-covered Hylan Boulevard with cars in Huguenot during the blizzard.

Don't Edit

Michael Falco

National Guard

National Guardsmen head out to Long Island from the Manor Road Armory.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Baltimore Street

Residents of Baltimore Street, Great Kills, band together to clear their block of snow during the Blizzard of 1996.

Don't Edit

Weary commuters

Travel-weary Islanders wait on board one of the SIRT trains at the Staten Island Ferry terminal in St. George.

Don't Edit

West Brighton

An Island skier makes her way past St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton.

Don't Edit

Michael McWeeney

Staten Island Expressway

Traffic on the Staten Island Expressway is brought to a standstill by nearly 30 inches of snow.

Don't Edit

Hilton Flores

Tompkinsville station

Maintenance workers clear the third rail at the Tompkinsville station.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Staten Island Advance

Tottenville

Perri Raviol and Jessica Malone, of Tottenville, enjoy their snow tunnel.

Don't Edit

The weekend blizzard of 2005 in photos: A slippery, low-visibility demolition derby

The snowfall was just the first act of a frosty 1-2 punch. Forecasters warned of blizzard conditions on January 22, with a second round of heavy snow accompanied by strong winds gusting to nearly 50 mph. When it was all over, the first big storm of 2005 left more than 15 inches of snow behind. Blowing and drifting snow made conditions even more difficult. But at least it happened on a weekend, and with enough warning for people to get ready.