The Curse of the Six: NJ’s strange snowstorm history
There are plenty of weather patterns that meteorologists can explain; this probably isn’t one of them.
Take a look back over the last 60 years and an odd pattern jumps out: years ending in the number 6 have repeatedly produced major snowstorms somewhere in the Northeast.
I hadn't noticed until Dan from Monmouth County called the show Monday morning to point out the pattern.
It started with the Blizzard of 1966
Start with 1966: The Blizzard of 1966, from January 29 through February 1, hammered the Northeast, especially upstate New York.
It became one of the signature winter storms of the era, with enormous snowfall totals in parts of the Lake Ontario snowbelt.
Then comes 1976, which is the weak link in the pattern.
On February 2, eastern New York experienced a dramatic flash freeze and brief blizzard.
Albany plunged from 41 degrees around midnight to nearly 1 degree by late morning, while winds gusted to roughly 67 mph.
It was a major winter weather event, but not a classic blockbuster snowstorm.
In 1986, the Northeast again saw significant winter storms, including heavy snow in parts of New England early in the year and an April storm that dropped up to roughly 20 inches in portions of southeastern New York and the Catskills.
Then the pattern gets much harder to ignore.
The Blizzard of 1996, from January 6 through January 9, was one of the great East Coast storms.
Huge sections of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast were buried.
Philadelphia recorded more than 30 inches, and parts of west-central New Jersey saw snowfall totals around 35 inches.
Exactly ten years later, the February 2006 blizzard slammed the Northeast.
The National Weather Service's Central Park records show 26.9 inches fell during the February 11-12, 2006 storm, making it the second-largest snowstorm on record there behind 2016.
Then came the 2016 blizzard
The January 22-24, 2016 blizzard was enormous. NOAA classified the storm as a Category 4, “crippling” event in the Northeast.
More than 20 inches of snow fell on roughly 21 million people, and Central Park recorded 27.5 inches.
No, there is no known meteorological reason snowstorms should care about the final digit of the Gregorian calendar.
Weather is chaotic enough without numerology getting involved. Still, the run from 1996 to 2006 to 2016 is pretty remarkable.
Three major Northeast snowstorms, each separated by exactly 10 years, all in years ending in 6.
And now here we are in 2026.
Is 2026 the year of the Curse of the Six?
Maybe it means absolutely nothing, or, maybe you should fill the freezer, buy the tinned fish and stock up on snow melt and a new shovel.
If you're a snow lover or a plow driver, this could be the best news ever.
If you enjoy watching New Jersey lose its collective mind over a forecast map, then this might be your year.
Either way, it might be worth remembering one phrase this winter: The Curse of the Six.
A tornado's rapidly approaching - what should you do?
Gallery Credit: Sophia Laico
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.
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