Because of this, people had neither time nor incentive to prepare. The Neponset River also flooded I-93 in Milton, causing the highway's complete closure. Carpenter, Wyo. Parts of Boston’s South Shore and Woonsocket, R.I., got hit with the most: 54 inches. Throughout the region, the high winds caused enormous drifts. Julia Shipley • January 2, 2018 • Read Comments (111) How much do you know about the Blizzard of ’78, one of the worst snowstorms in New England history? [15], Women standing atop a snowdrift in Boston, Cars and trucks stuck in snow on Route 128 near Needham, Massachusetts, The storm's straight-line surface winds destroyed buildings along the coast, often aided by flooding and waves. Other people left their homes and went for help by cross-country skis and sleds. Many roofs collapsed across New England from snow load. The Great Blizzard of 1978 struck the Miami Valley with over 40 inches of snow. Yes, it snowed as far south as Miami on that Jan. 19, 1977. in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. "The most extensive and very nearly the most severe blizzard in Michigan history raged throughout Thursday January 26, 1978 and into part of Friday January 27. Some spectators spent the next few days living at the arena, eating hot dogs, and sleeping in the bleachers and locker rooms. [3][7], This storm system made its way up the coast and approached southern New England late February 6 and early February 7. Many people were caught in the storm while driving, and many others were trapped in their homes and workplaces, with snow drifts of up to 15 feet (4.6 m), in some places blocking the exits. One of the major problems with the Blizzard of 1978 was the lack of foreknowledge about the storm's severity. Multiple locations were found. When the storm began moving into eastern Massachusetts on the afternoon of Feb. 6, thousands of people were freed from their jobs so they could get home safely. Forecasting techniques and technology had improved dramatically in the 1970s, but the public was still quite skeptical. “We were lucky to only lose electricity for a short time. [3] The huge storm surge resulted in broken sea walls and massive property loss. Do You Remember the Great Blizzard of 1978? Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Some did not make it home for several days. The snow fell too quickly for plow trucks to keep up. Radio stations suspended regular programming to provide storm information and to serve as communication links where other means of communication had failed and highway travel was impossible. A massive effort was made to clear Logan Airport runways for 200 National Guard troops' arrival on 27 C-130 and C-141 military flights from Fort Bragg and Fort Devens, who were called out by the governor. But for those who lived through it, the blizzard is still alive in their minds. The Great Blizzard of 1978 occurred a few days earlier than the one in the northeast, and it affected the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes. [3] Many people were left without heat, water, food, and electricity for over a week after the storm finished. Throughout eastern Massachusetts, automobile traffic was banned for the remainder of the week. Ten-year-old Peter Gosselin, of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, disappeared in the deep snow just feet from his home's front door and was not found until three weeks later. On It didn’t stop for 33 hours, dumping two feet of snow on New England. But on March 11, cold Arctic air from Canada collided with Gulf air from the south and temperatures plunged. This car was buried in the snow for over a month in Kettering, Ohio, A National Guard snow plow prepares to clear the way in Shelby County, Ohio, Blizzard conditions arrived But there is one big blizzard that happened in January of that same year. [13] The Peter Stuyvesant,[14] a former Hudson River Day Line boat turned into a floating restaurant, was sunk in Boston Harbor. It happened Wednesday, January 25 through Friday, January 27, 1978. Local Product Criteria. By the time the snow disappeared, the Jan. 26-27 storm had come to be known as the Great Blizzard of 1978. See more ideas about blizzard, ohio, snow storm. The Blizzard in Black and White, Winter 1948-49: A Scrapbook Album of Photographs and Stories as Told by the Survivors. Snowplows were also stranded in traffic as the snow continued to fall. Temperature levels reached record lows from Florida to Georgia and up into the Midwest. Lots of warning there. [4] Snow fell mostly from Monday morning, February 6, to the evening of Tuesday, February 7. The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978[1][2] was a catastrophic, historic nor'easter that struck New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. COSHOCTON – Forty years ago many Ohio residents were riding out The Great Blizzard of 1978 that struck the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region. In Boston, the deep snow overwhelmed the city's sanitation department, because there was no more room along streets and sidewalks to put the snow; much of it was hauled to nearby harbors and dumped. On Feb. 5-7, 1978, Old Man Winter gave Massachusetts a beating it would not forget. The Blizzard of ’78 | New England by the Numbers A collection of interesting facts about the Blizzard of ’78, when over 40 inches of snow fell in New England's hardest hit areas. [8] While a typical nor'easter brings steady snow for six to twelve hours, the Blizzard of '78 brought heavy snow for an unprecedented full 33 hours as it was blocked from heading into the North Atlantic by a strong Canadian high pressure area. By Ishaan Tharoor Wednesday, Feb. 02, 2011. This blizzard was one of the worst in Rhode Island's history, catching off guard many residents and the state government. eHWO Great. Weather forecasting in New England is difficult, and meteorologists had developed a reputation as being inaccurate. See more ideas about blizzard, indiana, fort wayne indiana. JANUARY 25TH - 27TH OF 1998 MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLIZZARD OF 1978. Unable to store or transport milk because of highway closures, farmers were forced to dump the vast majority of milk produced in the days following the blizzard. Lusk, Wyo. Some 11,666 college-hockey fans in Boston Garden, then the site of the 26th edition of the annual "Beanpot" college ice hockey tournament, held at the time of the blizzard's outbreak, found weather much different from what they had expected. Snow fell mostly from Monday morning, February 6, to the evening of Tuesday, Feb… Air and rail traffic also were shut down. Most suburban districts in the area close for snow several times each winter, but they rarely do in the city itself because of relatively easy access to subways, whose ability to run is not appreciably affected by moderate snowstorms. in Dayton early in the The Blizzard of '78 formed on Sunday, February 5, 1978, and broke up on February 7. Governor Ella T. Grasso ordered all roads in Connecticut closed except for emergency travel, for three days;[22][23] Governor Michael Dukakis, of Massachusetts, did the same for his state. In New York City, it was one of the rare times that a snowstorm closed the schools; the New York City Board of Education closed schools for snow again only once in the next 18 years, on April 7, 1982. Heavy snowfall was followed by freezing rain and … Several people were found dead in downtown Providence, near the central police station; they may have been seeking shelter. Agricultural losses from the storm totaled around $73 million in Ohio as the result of dead livestock, lost production, property damage, and milk/egg losses. Thirteen individuals died from the cold while trapped inside their vehicles, and another 13 died inside their homes after losing power and heat. : 2012, 152. 1978 wasn’t the first time a massive storm derailed the romantic mid-month festivities in Boston. Sometimes it fell as fast as four inches an hour. The death toll from this epic winter storm rose to over 70 across the region. With… The winters of 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 were among the worst the Tri-State has ever seen. The American South didn't know what hit it in February 1899. [12] Because of the Blizzard, the second round of the Beanpot that year was not held until March 1, 1978, the latest date ever for the tournament's concluding games. What did occur was even rarer and even more dangerous: a severe blizzard . Fourteen people died on I-95 near Boston because snow piled high enough to prevent poisonous exhaust fumes from escaping from their idling vehicles. Thousands of employees were sent home starting in the early afternoon of February 6,[11] but thousands more were still caught by the storm. An Arctic cold front and a cold air mass then merged with the storm, creating the perfect ingredients for a large and intense low-pressure system. »PHOTOS: Blizzard of 1978 In fact, it was the first time in recorded history that snow fell in the town I was born, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Especially hard-hit were Cape Cod and Cape Ann, both on the eastern shore of Massachusetts. Rain and fog were widespread across the region during the evening hours of January 25, 1978 with temperatures generally in the 30s and 40s. Museum of the City of New York / Byron Collection / Getty Images. Additional troops were flown into Boston to help. NWS These storms resulted in lightning and thunder accompanying the snowfall as it fell at 4 inches (10 cm) an hour at times. ON JANUARY 25TH - 27TH OF 1978...A LARGE STORM SYSTEM RACED ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY REGION AND TRACKED ACROSS CENTRAL OHIO. . [25], National Guard emergency management center in Boston, National Guardsmen work with local workers and volunteers in Boston, This article is about the storm which affected the northeastern United States. A state of emergency was declared by governors in the affected states, and the United States National Guard was called out to help clear the roads. Almost 40 years earlier, the snowstorm of record was the 1940 Valentine’s Day blizzard . 2. The storm's power was made apparent by its sustained hurricane-force winds of approximately 86 mph (138 km/h) with gusts to 111 mph (179 km/h) and the formation of an eye-like structure in the middle. US Dept of Commerce : The flood continued through two days of tide cycles, a total of four successive high tides. The storm was responsible for the deaths of at least 51 people in the Ohio area alone. Blizzard of ’78 – Somerset, MI by Billie K67 “The most extensive and very nearly the most severe blizzard in Michigan history raged throughout Thursday January 26, 1978 and into part of Friday January 27. The government of Massachusetts had a system for notifying major employers to send employees home early in the event of heavy storms. . Jan 17, 2020 - Explore Rochelle Hoke's board "Blizzard of 1978" on Pinterest. The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic, historic nor'easter that struck New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. This ice greatly complicated recovery efforts in subsequent days, as it added considerable weight to power lines and tree limbs. This included 5 in Kentucky, 11 in Indiana, and 51 in Ohio. Questions? This is a true story, based on a true account by the author, who was caught in the Blizzard of 1978, also known as the White Hurricane, that struck the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions from Wednesday, January 25th through Friday, January 27th, 1978. Around 3 a.m. on Thursday, January 26, 1978, Ohio was hit by the worst blizzard in its recorded history. Some call it the Storm of the Century, and others, the White Hurricane. Thousands of homes throughout coastal Massachusetts were damaged or destroyed, as was "Motif Number 1", in Rockport, an often-painted fisherman's shack renowned in art circles. Beginning just before noon on Monday, Feb. 6, 1978, and continuing with hurricane-force winds for the next 30 hours, a ferocious blizzard paralyzed Connecticut. Briefing Rain turned to snow and winds reached hurricane-strength levels. [3], The storm was formed from an extratropical cyclone off the coast of South Carolina on February 5. A historic nor'easter brought blizzard conditions to New England, New Jersey and the New York City area at the beginning of February in 1978. Please select one of the following: Summary from NWS Akron, OH (Special Weather Statement from Feb 1, 1978), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In many instances, the only means of rescuing individuals with medical emergencies was by helicopter. The 1978 blizzard started with snow during the morning of February 6. Jewell, Loretta, ed. In January of 1978, a blizzard tore across the Ohio Valley and Great Lake regions. This sent water over low land along the shores of Long Island Sound, Cape Cod Bay, and other bodies of water, causing some of the worst recorded coastal flooding. Plows were further hampered by the number of cars stuck on the roads. The storm killed about 100 people in the Northeast and injured about 4,500. As of this writing, none has yet matched it in sheer severity. [16][17] Duxbury Beach was hit with 85 mph (137 km/h) gusts and 93 mph (150 km/h) in Chatham.[18][19]. Boston received a record-breaking 27.1 inches (69 cm) of snow; Providence also broke a record, with 27.6 inches (70 cm) of snow;[3] Atlantic City broke an all-time storm accumulation, with 20.1 inches (51 cm), two Philadelphia suburban towns in Chester County received 20.2 inches (51 cm) while the City of Philadelphia received 16.0 inches (41 cm). Residents in the Northeast are recovering from the worst winter storm of 2016, but on this day 38 years ago the Midwest experienced a record-breaking storm. Approximately 10,000 people moved into emergency shelters. The Great Blizzard, February 1899. The Blizzard of '78 formed on Sunday, February 5, 1978, and broke up on February 7. The blizzard produced the second lowest atmospheric pressure ever recorded over the contiguous United States from a non-tropical storm system. [3], Strong winds and extremely heavy precipitation brought zero visibility for travelers, and numerous power outages ensued. The region was already reeling after storms in January 1978 that left nearly two feet of snow in some areas of New England,[9] and had caused the collapse of the roof of the Hartford Civic Center.[10]. It took six days to clear the roads of snow and of the cars and trucks buried in it. This is a true short story of how an Ohio truck driver survived the storm on I-75 in the state of Ohio, in a blizzard with 50 to 100 mph winds and driving snow. from this rural drive, Hazards Over a foot of snow accumulated on January 26th alone. The town chose not to reconstruct the link, though the right-of-way is open to pedestrians. What occurred on January 26th, 1978 in Ohio was not a blizzard. the worst of winter storms. In January 1978, 31.5" of snow fell in Cincinnati, the most amount of snow in a single month since official records began in November 1870. Thousands of people walked and skied on the quiet city streets and over the frozen Charles River. The second snowiest month on record was January 1977, when 30.3" of snow fell. on the Ohio River, Snow plow hard at work in northern Kentucky, Plenty of snow to clear The fierce northeast winds from the storm—with the low-pressure area stalled off the island of Martha's Vineyard—combined with high tides and storm surge, resulting from the storm's low pressure. This number excludes the countless other vehicles buried in driveways, on the sides of streets, and in parking lots. The precipitation changed to rain on Cape Cod, reducing the total snowfall, but snow continued in the west. Go Back. Snow failed to arrive in Monday's pre-dawn hours as predicted, and many locals felt it to be another failed forecast—despite the accuracy of National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters' predictions concerning the Great Blizzard—and they went to work and school as normal. Please Contact Us. I do not recall that a blizzard w0arning was issued until late in the evening when it was already snowing like crazy and the temperature was heading down, way down. I-95 eventually had to be evacuated by cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. Wilmington, OH1901 South State Route 134Wilmington, Oh 45177937-383-0031Comments? An atypical vertical development of storm clouds brought unusual thundersnow to southern New England and Long Island. In Massachusetts, there was no travel ban again until 35 years later, when Governor Deval Patrick announced a travel ban on February 8, 2013, running from 4 p.m. that day until 4 p.m. the next day, because of the February 2013 nor'easter, whose snowfall rivaled and, in some places, beat that of the Blizzard of '78; in the "Blizzard of '13", the ban was declared before the worst hit; in the Blizzard of '78 this happened after the storm's worst. To be considered a blizzard, a winter storm must produce sustained winds or frequent gusts greater than 35 mph and be accompanied by falling and/or blowing snow that frequently reduces visibility to less than 1/4 mile for 3 hours or more. On the 11:00 pm news, the weather man said, "we're having a blizzard". But starting in the early morning hours on Jan. 26, the blizzard began dumping snow at a rate of 2 inches per hour. Wind gusts of 100 mph (160 km/h) were recorded in Plum Island and 110 mph (180 km/h) at First Cliff in Scituate, Massachusetts. morning on Jan 26, 1978, Towboat trapped in ice Falls and heart-attacks caused by snow shoveling were among the other causes of death across the region. Vol. The powerful winter storm of 1978 was a severe blizzard. By the time it ended, thousands of people were stranded and homeless as a result of the storm.[3]. [20][21] Most of the Interstate highway system in the region was shut down, with some stretches not reopening to traffic until the following week. Some 2,500 houses were reported as seriously damaged or destroyed and 54 people were killed, many because of fallen electrical wires. Trees that survived the daytime snow did not survive the nighttime ice storm. 1 and Vol. For the blizzard in the central United States that year, see, Boston Herald American, February 10, 1978, Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Blizzard of 1978: The week the state stood still", "The Blizzard of 1978: Seacoast SAD, February 15, 1978", https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/phillylists/Historic-snowfalls-Suburbs-totals-dominate.html, "The meteorology behind the blizzard of February 6-7, 1978", "#ThrowbackThursday: Hartford Civic Center Roof Collapse", "Blizzard of 78 - stories outside of Hull, MA", "Grasso Closes the State" by proclamation", "Blizzard Of 1978: Feb. 6-7, 1978: The Blizzard Of '78 Shut Down The State And Made Heroes Out Of Those With Four-Wheel Drive", "Hartford Civic Center Arena Roof Collapse", 1998 "Blizzard of 1978: Feb. 6–7, 1978: The Blizzard of '78 Shut Down the State and Made Heroes out of Those with Four-Wheel Drive", Gallery: A look back at the Blizzard of 1978, Major snow and ice events in the United States, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_of_1978&oldid=1004729358, 1978 natural disasters in the United States, February 1978 events in the United States, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Articles needing additional references from February 2013, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 February 2021, at 02:06. Extensive beach erosion occurred on the east coast of Massachusetts. [5] Nearly all economic activity was disrupted in the worst-hit areas. Monomoy Island was split into north and south parts. All across the region, thousands of volunteers with snowmobiles and four-wheel drive vehicles also risked their lives to transport emergency personnel and utility workers and to deliver medical necessities to those in need. In Truro, on Cape Cod, the Atlantic Ocean broke through to the Pamet River for the first time during this storm, completely washing away the link between the North and South Pamet roads. In 1978, I think it was more guessing than art and/or science. Since it developed during a new moon, an unusually large high tide occurred, and the storm brought a massive amount of water along coastal communities. Although Governor J. Joseph Garrahy had ordered an emergency evacuation of all public buildings, shortly before noon on February 6, too many people had lagged. A severe blizzard is characterized by wind speeds of 45 mph or higher accompanied by a great density of falling and/or blowing snow that frequently reduces visibilities to near zero, along with temperatures generally 10 degrees or lower. “It was a time when you were stuck at home for six days or more because the snow was so high,” said Donna Young. [3] In many areas in Central and Southern New England, the snow falling at night turned to an icy mix that left a notable layer of solid ice on every external surface. Across Ohio, it was blamed for 51 deaths. National Weather Service offices across the Great Lakes and Upper Ohio Valley had issued blizzard warnings for most of the region by late evening on January 25th. [3] It caused more than US$520 million (US$2.04 billion in 2019 terms[6]) in damage. In many cases, those who had become ill or had been injured during the storm had to be taken to hospitals by snowmobile. While Dayton has had an ample amount of snow this winter, it pales in comparison to the Blizzard of 1978 that totally took over the region. Fortunately, with so many highways closed, there were no traffic-related deaths in Ohio that weekend. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Please try another search. Many people were stranded in their cars along roads throughout New England. National Weather Service The storm caused coastal flooding. About 20 … Two others died in buildings that collapsed under the weight of heavy snow. All NOAA. [3] The storm was primarily known as "Storm Larry" in Connecticut, following the local convention promoted by the Travelers Weather Service on television and radio stations there. The “Great Blizzard of 1978” struck the Upper Midwest and Ohio Valley regions of the United States on January 23–28, 1978. Providence County, Rhode Island, was the hardest hit by the blizzard; the towns of Lincoln, Smithfield, Woonsocket, and North Smithfield all reported totals of at least 40 inches (100 cm) snow.[3]. It turned into a severe blizzard. Of the Ohio fatalities, 22 were the result of exposure as individuals abandoned their stranded vehicles or homes with no heat. The region's fishing fleet was damaged by the storm. About 20 people died as a direct or indirect result of the storm, most due to heart attacks or traffic accidents. Thousands of men and women on active duty put in many long hours to help clear roadways, restore power, perform emergency rescues and evacuations, deliver food and medicine, and transport medical personnel to hospitals. By … Many homes along the New England and Long Island coastlines were destroyed or washed into the ocean. In Snow Flurries to the Blizzard of '49 as Told by Those Who Saw, Endured, and Survived What is Described as the Worst Blizzard in History. The storm was primarily known as "Storm Larry" in Connecticut, following the local convention promoted by the Travelers Weather Service on television and radio stations there. Jan 11, 2020 - Explore phyl petrovich's board "BLIZZARD OF 1978" on Pinterest. More than 3,500 cars were found abandoned and buried on roads during the clean-up. Generally, temperatures will be 20 degrees or lower with a blizzard. Other transportation links were disrupted and shut down throughout the region, stranding public-transit commuters in city centers. Wind gusted to 53 mph, as snow drifted 6 feet in some areas. Boston and Providence recorded all-time highs for 24-hour and storm snowfall. At one point on I-93 north of Boston, a jackknifed tractor trailer blocked traffic in both directions, with a similar event occurring on Route 128 near Route 138 in Canton. A week after Ohio experienced its worst winter storm in history, the Northeast got its own taste of nature’s wrath. 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