Ten years ago, a winter storm dropped nearly 3 feet of snow onto the Lehigh Valley, a record-setter that remains the region’s biggest snowfall.
The storm came to the area late on the night of Jan. 22, 2016. It intensified the morning of Jan. 23, generating blizzard conditions for several hours as the storm’s bullseye shifted north, right over the region. By the time the storm wrapped up Saturday night, 31.7 inches of snow had fallen.
The snowfall, which broke the record 25.6 inches previously set by the Blizzard of 1996, was equivalent to the annual snowfall average at the time.
Only one storm in the Lehigh Valley since, in February 2021, has come close to delivering the snow accumulation that the 2016 storm did.
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, technically did not classify the storm as a blizzard because it did not produce at least three continuous hours of high winds and swirling snow. There was not enough sustained wind-blowing to fit the definition, forecasters said at the time.
A number of vehicle crashes were reported while people drove out into the snow, against the advice of local officials at the time. State police and the National Guard were called in during the storm to help drivers stuck on highways.
Then-Governor Tom Wolf decided against a travel ban at the time, because it would have forced him to redirect resources from snow-plowing.
People try to cross snow drifts at Seventh and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
Melissa Cain throws a shovel full of snow on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, as she and her husband John Cain cleared snow from the sidewalk in front of their home on Main Street in Stockertown, the day after the Blizzard of 2016 hit the Lehigh Valley. (Ed Koskey Jr./Special to The Morning Call)
Sissy Bennett walks down Eighth Street in Allentown after grabbing some morning coffee during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
A vehicle struggles navigating down a snow-covered Pennsylvania Street in Allentown on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
A view from a room at the Renaissance Hotel at Seventh and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
A snow-covered Liberty Street in Allentown on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
Shovelers make their way down Hamilton Street in Allentown during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Workers remove snow Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, in front of the PPL Center in downtown Allentown for patrons to attend that night’s ArenaCross event during the Blizzard of 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Lynn Robertson found herself stranded on Interstate 78 in Salisbury Township for four hours when a PennDOT snowplow arrived to help free her car during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
A car on West Turner Street in Allentown is buried in snow during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Pennsylvania State Police attend to a vehicle off the road on Interstate 78 in Upper Saucon Township during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Maintenance worker Branden Hartman shovels snow near Allentown’s Center Square on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. “I’ve been trying to keep up with the snow, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference,” he said. (April Bartolomew/The Morning Call)
The sky fills with color as the sun sets in Whitehall Township on Sunday Jan. 24, 2016, after Lehigh Valley residents spent the day digging out from the Blizzard of 2016. The storm dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
Luis Rodriguez and his brother shovel out a car on Tilghman Street in Allentown on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
Three pedestrians work to help a stuck car on a snow-covered North Broad Street in Nazareth on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (Ed Koskey Jr./Special to The Morning Call)
Cathy Wells and daughter Emma, 8, of Salisbury Township walk back toward their house Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, after they gave up on sledding on almost 3 feet of snow on a hill at Alton Park off of Oxford Drive. The snow left by the Blizzard of 2016 was too deep. (Harry Fisher/the Morning Call)
The Eighth Street Bridge in Allentown had reduced visibility during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Stopping to take a selfie and then venturing out to go to the Dime resturant across the street, friends Sami Lerit of Allentown and Sky Matechic of Phillipsburg walk through a snow-covered Arts Walk in downtown Allentown on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
Crews couldn’t keep up with all the snow as it buried the LANTA bus terminal in downtown Allentown during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)
Cathy Wells and daughter Emma, 8, of Salisbury Township attempt to sled on almost 3 feet of snow Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, on a hill at Alton Park off of Oxford Drive. (Harry Fisher/the Morning Call)
Three pedestrians work to help a stuck car on a snow-covered North Broad Street in Nazareth on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (Ed Koskey Jr./Special to The Morning Call)
Josh Stess, manager of STS Tire and Auto Center on Lehigh Street in Allentown, cleans off customers’ cars during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
On Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown, night falls and snow drifts steadily get bigger during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2026. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
Plow trucks were out early on Lehigh Street in Allentown during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Armed with a shovel, a resident makes his way up Hamilton Street in Allentown on Saturday, Jan 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Plow trucks were out early on Lehigh Street during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
People try to cross snow drifts at Seventh and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
Melissa Cain lifts a shovel full of snow on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, as she and her husband John Cain cleared snow from the sidewalk in front of their home on Main Street in Stockertown the day after the Blizzard of 2016 hit the Lehigh Valley. (Ed Koskey Jr./Special to The Morning Call)
A front end loader piles snow in the parking lot shared by Sears and Kohl’s at the Whitehall Mall in Whitehall Township late Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
A view from a room at the Renaissance Hotel at Seventh and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
A front end loader piles snow in the parking lot shared by Sears and Kohl’s at the Whitehall Mall in Whitehall Township late Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
A man walks down East Turner Street in Allentown on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
Two men walk down the sidewalk on Tilghman Street in Allentown on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
A snow-covered Liberty Street in Allentown on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, 2016. Lehigh Valley residents began the big cleanup after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
A snow plow operates on North Sixth Street in Allentown on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, as Lehigh Valley residents dug out from the Blizzard of 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
The sun sets over Route 329 in Whitehall Township on Sunday Jan. 24, 2016, after Lehigh Valley residents spent the day digging out from the Blizzard of 2016. The storm dumped a record 31.9 inches of snow on the region. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
A stranded vehicle waits to be dug out at the Interstate 78 and Route 309 interchange in Upper Saucon Township on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, a day after the Blizzard of 2016 dumped more than 30 inches of snow on the Lehigh Valley. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call)
Jan Saeger digs out her car along North Glenwood Street in Allentown, while husband Kurt uses a snowblower, as Lehigh Valley residents dug out from the Blizzard of 2016 on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Kurt Saeger uses a snowblower along North Glenwood Street in Allentown as Lehigh Valley residents dug out from the Blizzard of 2016 on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Khilynn Hartwell, 4 (foreground), and brother Khyni, 8, play in the snow along Turner Street in Allentown as Lehigh Valley residents dug out from the Blizzard of 2016 on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Many vehicles in the long term parking lot at Lehigh Valley International Airport remained covered in snow on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, two days after 31.9 inches of snow fell on the Lehigh Valley during the Blizzard of 2016. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
Nimaris Construction employee Richard Strawcutter of Albrightsville uses a snowblower to clear snow away from cars in the long term parking lot at Lehigh Valley International Airport. Crews at LVIA worked to remove snow from roadways and parking lots on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, two days after 31.9 inches of snow fell on the Lehigh Valley during the Blizzard of 2016. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call)
Business manager Justin Goldman assists fellow employees in digging out new vehicles in the lot of Bennett Land Rover Jaguar along Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township on Monday morning Jan. 25, 2016, after the Blizzard of 2016 hit the Lehigh Valley. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Cars in shoveled spaces among piles of snow on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, in the 1200 block of Jackson Street in Easton, the day after the Blizzard of 2016 hit the Lehigh Valley. (Ed Koskey Jr./Special to The Morning Call)
The lot of Bennett Land Rover Jaguar was still a series of snow piles, as employees worked to clear the lot along Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township on Monday morning Jan. 25, 2016, after the Blizzard of 2016 hit the Lehigh Valley. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Allentown Streets Department employee Tim Flores operates a rubber tire loader to remove snow off of the 200 block of North 12th Street on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, several days after the Blizzard of 2016 hit the Lehigh Valley. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Tim Rosenberger (left) and David Rissmiller clear off snow from the roof over the bar of the Kuhnsville Hotel as Lehigh Valley residents recover from the Blizzard of 2016 on Jan. 25, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
Caniyah Hartwell, 12, of Allentown (from right) helps sister Khilynn, 4, and brother Khyni, 8, climb a mound of snow along Turner Street in Allentown as Lehigh Valley residents dig out in the storm’s aftermath on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
With few cars on the road around 9:30 am, a couple walks in the middle of North Ott Street with their snow shovels near Muhlenberg College in Allentown as Lehigh Valley residents dig out from the Blizzard of 2016 on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
John Marsella shovels snow in front of his home along the 700 block of North Broad Street in Allentown as Lehigh Valley residents dig out in the Blizzard of 2016’s aftermath on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
On Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown, night falls and snow drifts steadily get bigger during the Blizzard of 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2026. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
Paul Leaser begins the tedious process of clearing snow away from his completely covered vehicle along the 2700 block of Greenleaf Street in Allentown as Lehigh Valley residents dig out in the Blizzard of 2016’s aftermath on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Harry Fisher/The Morning Call)
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People try to cross snow drifts at Seventh and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, during the Blizzard of 2016. (April Bartholomew/The Morning Call)
While the storm started late on Jan. 22, the brunt of the snow arrived Jan. 23. 30.2 inches fell that day alone, which remains the largest single-day snowfall on record for the region.
The snow also prompted days of snow-clogged streets and school closures. PennDOT sent thousands of plows out to clear roads.
While the storm ended up being massive, that single snowfall ended up being the main snow event that winter season, according to weather service data. Only 36.2 inches of snow fell that winter, 3.6 inches that February and another .3 inches that March. Outside of that one event, it was a largely snow-free winter.
In the decade since this storm, only one other storm has come close to bringing as much snow to the area. More than five years later, 27.3 inches of snow fell over a two-day period between Feb.1-2, 2021.
After that 2021 storm, there haven’t been any storms in the area with more than 10 inches of snow, according to weather service data. In fact only two months — January and February 2024 — have had more than 10 inches of snow since 2021.
Here are the top 10 biggest snowstorms in the Lehigh Valley:
Jan 22-23, 2016: 31.7 inches
Feb. 1-2, 2021: 27.9 inches
Jan. 7-10, 1996: 25.9 inches
Feb. 11-12, 1983: 25.2 inches
March 20-21, 1958: 20.3 inches
Feb. 20, 2003: 20.1 inches
Feb. 11-13, 1899: 20 inches
Feb. 13, 2014: 17.8 inches
Feb. 10-11, 2010: 17.8 inches
March 12-14, 1993: 17.6 inches