Two days before what came to be known as Snowmageddon, the National Weather Service forecast the Western Pennsylvania region could expect about “6 to 8 inches of snow.”
The following day, the forecast was revised: Winter storm warnings were calling for a heavy snowfall beginning Friday afternoon — Feb. 5, 2010.
Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg, Indiana and Somerset were urging residents to refrain from calling with travel-related questions.
As flights were being canceled, residents flooded grocery stores to stock up on essentials. (Milk, bread and toilet paper, of course.)
It all 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. Another 8 inches fell 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 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. This was in the days before remote learning was an option.
The region’s largest snowstorm, by the way, happened Nov. 24-26, 1950, when 27.4 inches of snow fell.