Does New York City have a snowy 666 curse?

On Feb. 23, New Yorkers awoke to the city covered in over a foot of snow. Many were stuck inside, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency. This major snowstorm isn’t New York’s first of the year, but the blizzard’s arrival follows a creepy trend of New York City being hit with a big snow during years ending in a six, as The Weather Channel meteorologist Paul Goodloe noted. In thinking about a lot of the most consequential storms – 1996, 2006, 2016, and now 2026 – numerologists might ask: Is New York City cursed?

1996

This blizzard was called “A storm like no other” and was the sixth biggest snowstorm in the city’s history. From Jan. 7-8, 1996, New York City received about 20 inches of snow and powerful winds of 50 miles per hour, impacting travel and leading to school closures for the first time since 1982.

2006

“The Blizzard of ’06,” from Feb. 11-12, 2006, broke records at the time with 26.9 inches of snow at Central Park. The previous record was set in 1947 with 26.4 inches. Despite technically not being a blizzard in New York City, it was officially deemed a nor’easter with 20-30 mile per hour winds. Flights out of LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports were canceled, and service was suspended for the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road. 

2016

From Jan. 22-24, 2016, Central Park was hit with 27.5 inches of snow – breaking the record set 10 years earlier, becoming the largest blizzard in New York City since recordkeeping began in 1869.

2026

2026 is indeed the new 2016, as New Yorkers were hit with a blizzard that has already made it into the city’s top 10 storms. Along with a travel ban, power outages and a traditional snow day for students, at least 19.7 inches of snow fell on Central Park. Although this winter storm didn’t smash records (yet), this trend made us wonder, is it fate that another blizzard will slam into New York City in 2036?