If you hail from the nations snow country, wintry blizzards are like some bully you endured back in grade school: You never forget them, and their long-ago tortures grow in size and scope with each retelling. Obviously, we get a lot of snow in New York. The wind caused snow drifts as high as the top porches of some houses. I remember sledding around the neighborhood because of the giant piles of snow. An inch or more, usually much more, of snow remained on much of that area for nearly two months. 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. [3], The storm was formed from an extratropical cyclone off the coast of South Carolina on February 5. Because of this, people had neither time nor incentive to prepare. The area is astridecommon storm tracks and far enough north that precipitation often falls as snow instead of rain. if you parked at the fuel pumps they would fuel your truck for you and then wake you up. Hurricane force winds of 86 mph, with gusts up to 111 mph, and heavy precipitation, dropping at rates of up to 4 per hour, combined to create zero visibility conditions, making travel impossible and knocking out power in many areas. 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. Seems like storm stories always highlight storms past. He was a pig; he wanted to make sure he got his share.. The storm initially began as rain, but quickly changed to heavy snow during the predawn hours (as Arctic air deepened ahead of the storm), leading to frequent whiteouts and zero visibility during the day on January 26. Get more stories delivered right to your email. I will be FOREVER grateful to the Harmony Fire Department. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic, historic, nor'easter that struck New England, New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area. The Neponset River also flooded I-93 in Milton, causing the highway's complete closure. [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 33hours as it was blocked from heading into the North Atlantic by a strong Canadian high pressure area. National Adopt a Shelter Day emphasizes the importance, 2 21-year-old UK students dead after crash on I-90, Prayer and healing service planned for Kim Pegula, Eagles member to be inducted in ROC Music Hall of, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, Best Mothers Day Gifts for moms obsessed with books, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Bowen called out the National Guard to help. This is among New York's worst blizzards and it will never be forgotten. Copyright 2014 The Sentinel Corporation 03/01/2014. At least nine people were killed after being buried in their cars. How do I keep bugs off my patio this spring? Rigs were also parked at church parking lots and Wilts on East Ninth Street. New York wasn't the only state to be majorly affected by the blizzard of 1977. In many instances, the only means of rescuing individuals with medical emergencies was by helicopter. [9] The total effect on transportation in Ohio was described by Major General James C. Clem of the Ohio National Guard as comparable to a nuclear attack. Hundreds of cars stranded along M street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Key Bridge. In New York during the months of November, December, and January, our state saw below-average temperatures that had us bundled up far more than usual. DETROIT - It's been 44 years since a powerful blizzard dropped more than a foot of snow in Southeast Michigan, establishing itself as one of the more memorable weather events in recent history.. Rochester is one of the snowiest cities in the United States. Farmers had to pour out their milk because trucks could not get through to haul it to market. I was only a kid when it hit, but I remember snow up to the gutters and almost 2 weeks off from school right after Xmas vacation! On March 3 and 4, 1999, a blizzard dumped nearly 2 feet of snow on Rochester. February 28 - March 2, 1900. Air and rail traffic also were shut down. All NOAA. That lady I met that night She honored me, 2 years later, by becoming my wife and we have never been apart since we met, in that bar, that wonderful night! Photos of cars half hidden in huge snow banks were on the Sentinels front page every day. Two men died of heart attacks while shoveling snow. 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. 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. All across the western New York-Southern Ontario region, winds of up to 70 mph eventually created drifts that swallowed houses. . It was terrifying. The snow fell too quickly for plow trucks to keep up. My husband (at the time) and I both had snowmobiles and went to the nearest Alamacs market and waited for the trailor trucks to come in the bread and milk and we delivered it to the people in need for 23 hrs straight. Remember it well!! Our home was totally snowed in from every angle. At that red light we watched the temperature drop almost 40 degrees before the light turned green; the roads were VERY wet from the 24 hour rain we had before this so everything turned to ice almost immediately; it took us almost an hour to go the remaining five blocks to our home. The Watertown area was hit with 60 inches of snow, leaving over a thousand people stranded. Bill was still stranded at RTC. Snow fell for 63 hours straight, making this the worst snowstorm and deepest snow pack ever seen in Rochester. What about more current extreme weather conditions? No one was to be out on the roads unless they had to be. We both had strep throat and could not get out for 3 days sad thing is we lived 4 blocks from the hospital. One of the major problems with the Blizzard of 1978 was the lack of foreknowledge about the storm's severity. There's nothing like going snow tubing in New York! From January 26 to 27, the entire Ohio Turnpike was shut down for the first time ever. [3] These Arctic and subtropical jet streams merged (with maximum winds of 150 knots) which led the deepening Gulf low-pressure system, which had moved over Alabama and Georgia, to undergo explosive cyclogenesis and move rapidly northward towards West Virginia during the evening of January 25 (with record low pressures were logged across parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic). Some residents reportedly had heart attacks while attempting to shovel snow. They were able to eat at restaurants that were open. Thank you! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I was living in Revere, MA and right in the middle of it all. C. R. Snider, National Weather Service Meteorologist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said on January 30, 1978: The most extensive and very nearly the most severe blizzard in Michigan history raged January 26, 1978 and into part of Friday January 27. For the storm which affected the northeastern United States that year, see. This mother of all one-day storms forced cancellation of most train service, blocked roads, closed schools, shuttered stores and left coal companies hustling to meet a spike in demand. Daddy dug a tunnel out so that we could take a look around. Here's your Rochester weather forecast for today and 5 days out. Light a hearth fire and grab a blanket -- and by all means feel free to share your own snowbound stories. It was around 1:30 p.m. that the employees were summoned to leave for home as it was predicted that a large snow storm was coming in with winds in excess of 70 miles an hour. It was nice afterwards with everybody out on skis and snow mobiles. The cooperative observer station at the Bennetts Bridge power plant, near Altmar, NY, established an official all-time New York State monthly snowfall record with 192" of snowfall in January 1978.[16]. We expect snow here, he said. Strangers becoming friends. It blew snow under the doors so we hung blankets over them. Many trees that survived the daytime snow event did not survive the nighttime conditions. When conditions finally calmed down enough to leave; one by one we exited the building. [14] The storm did much damage to the Ohio valley and the Great Lakes. Wind gusts of 100mph (160km/h) were recorded in Plum Island and 110mph (180km/h) at First Cliff in Scituate, Massachusetts. The ground blizzard of 1977 occurred in western New York and southern Ontario between January 28 and February 1, 1977. Back then, my brother-in-law, Neil Downey, worked for the local power company, then called Niagara Mohawk. I was cold and hard work but I enjoyed helping people and making new friends for we all were in the same predicament at the same time. Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978, "Pressure Records: The October 2627, 2010 Significant Extratropical Cyclone", "National Overview - October 2012. Yes, I remember the Blizzard of 78 because just two weeks prior I have my 4th Daughter and it also snowed the day she was born, January 20th, the called her the Snow Queen.I will never forget those storms. Roads throughout the Northeast were impassable for several days after the storm, and it wasnt unusual to see people getting around on snowshoes or cross country skis. My brother-in-law brought us extra milk for the kids on his snowmobile. Chagrined forecasters admitted they hadn't foreseen the severity of the storm. As you can imagine, it made quite an impression. 3. February 28 - March 2, 1900. The undertaker put him on ice until spring came.. Powdery flakes pummeled the city so fast the snow plows (and these folks are the most experienced snow movers in the nation) couldnt keep up. As I headed towards the front hallway of the store, I noted it to be crowded with many employees. Co. By the next morning there was no way I could even think about getting out of the driveway, and the Gov. That prevents storms from picking up the lake's moisture and producing lake-effect snow. DEEP SNOW Elizabeth Alderfer, Rochester, submitted this photo showing above right - the front of Torin, now Lau Industries, 510 N. Indiana 25, taken in January 1978 after the blizzard. Upon arriving after a 45-minute walk in waist-deep snow from his home 10 city blocks away, he had to dig down "a foot" to put the key in the front door. The snow was still around, where it was piled when they plowed the streets, until after Easter that year. Still, this is a no-nonsense crowd. Owned and operated 100 acre Dairy Farm, all equiped electrically, milking 50 animals, trying to keep the 750 gallon milk tank running on generator, also some for the house after milking. I was picked up by my boss who lived one town over and I had to walk a half mile to meet up with him. "Blizzard of '99" screamed the headline atop the next day's Democrat and Chronicle. 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. I remember the giant piles of snow, so large that we dug tunnels through them. As I hurridly exited the building, in my youth, I heard cries of be carefull out thereit is VERY windy! and soon found out after a few seconds that I needed to run back in the vestibule for shelter. Other notable happenings? Plows were further hampered by the number of cars stuck on the roads. )[15] The Peter Stuyvesant,[16] a former Hudson River Day Line boat turned into a floating restaurant, was sunk in Boston Harbor. Meteorologists appalled by Nemo, In FBI files, clues about photographers work as an informant, Bush family emails hacked: can happen to anyone, expert says.