Remembering the blizzard of '78 (where were you when the blizzard hit?)

The Boston Globe ^ | 02/06/03 | B. J. Roche

[NewHampshireDuo]

The images linger: snowbound interstates clogged with abandoned vehicles -- 3,500 on an eight-mile stretch of Route 128 alone; parked cars that became towering snowdrifts along Boston streets best navigated on skis; people tugging grocery-laden sleds on unplowed major thoroughfares; Governor Michael S. Dukakis on television, clad in a reassuring pullover sweater.

[flutters]

Is he predicting it soon?

He hasn't specified a date, but he has been talking about it all week. He says all the conditions are exactly the same as the blizzard of '78 and if 3 fronts come together then we'll see similiar conditions.

He's one of those guys that lives for the weather. He's a great guy to watch. : ) I don't normally get to excited over weathermen but his passion and love of weather definately rubs off.

BTW, I'm in Columbus, Ohio and the meterologist I'm talking about is Jym Ganahl with News Channel 4. I'll keep you updated.

[genefromjersey]

I think I read about it in the same magazine !

[flutters]

BLIZZARD PARALYZES NEW YORK CITY AND NEW ENGLAND.

Well, the January 1978 snow storm started slowly, but as the day moved along, things deteriorated rapidly. Gusty winds, low visibility, blowing and drifting snow added to the complications. Buses, cars, and airplanes were grinded to a halt. Schools and businesses had to be closed. People had to rush out to the store to get essential food and supplies while wondering when the snow was going to end. Those who had to travel far were left stranded in many roads that were unable to be plowed. Emergency personnel were strapped down with emergencies as the snow continued to pile up.

Snow drifts had piled up over 3 feet while snow amounts had ranged from 12 to 18 inches. New York City had been hit with approximately 17 inches of the white stuff. There were also a few snowstorms after that particular one in 1978 which left many residents worried about the future, and having to educated and protect themselves in future snowstorms and blizzards in years ahead. In terms of history, the Blizzard of 1978 was the first storm of the modern age to affect the New York City area.

Meanwhile, in New England, things were much worse. The storm pounded the region for two days with over two feet of snow. It claimed 54 lives, destroyed about 2,000 homes, and drove approximately 10,000 people into storm shelters. A total of $1 billion dollars in damage was left behind by the storm. In a very symbolic picture of what the storm did in New England, one just had to look on Route 128 where 3,500 cars and trucks stranded with their owners after the blinding snow simply overwhelmed them. There were snow drifts of up to 15 feet in some areas of New England. This added to snow that was already on the ground at the time from a previous storm.

Massachussetts was especially hard hit. A State of Emergency was declared and Army and National Guard troops were brought in to assist in the clean-up operation. Driving was forbidden for almost a week so people had to find other ways to get around. In addition, supplies and food were low. People were in desperate need of necessities. However, the spirit of the residents of the Northeast was not damaged. People helped each other dig out. Everybody pulled together to overcome the devastation caused by the disaster.

[Redleg Duke]

In balmy Wisconsin.

[Tax-chick]

I lived in Newport, RI in 1978. Dad was at War College. We were in school until the 4th of July, all of us bumped out of our quarters and huddled in rooms at the base until school was out ... another reason I homeschool!

The blizzard was fun, snow up to our upstairs windows. Dad was stuck at the college, rest of us spent 3 days in the kitchen with the oven on for heat, playing Monopoly. Finally an entrepreneurial soul tapped on the upstairs window and said, "How much will you pay me to dig out your front door?"

[ssterns]

The storm hit the day before my 18th birthday, which at the time was a major milestone because it meant I was legal to drink. Of course, you couldn't drive anywhere with all the roads closed. I was living in the Hartford area, and a couple of buddies of mine and I walked a couple of miles down the middle of I-84 to a pub to celebrate my big day. I also made a bundle clearing driveways in the neighborhood. A great storm. I still keep hoping for a bizzard like that again (not the damage or death, mind you, but the pristine quite and smooth whiteness of the landscape).

Cheers.

[NewYorker]

I crossed the street, and could get no further, the wind was so strong. I had forgotten about how fierce the wind was during that blizzard until today.

The consulting firm I worked for was closed for the rest of the week but I went in planning to get some work done - all we did was talk about the storm. The following week the CEO announced that everyone who had made the effort to come in was being rewarded with a $100 bonus! Big money back then!

[SamAdams76]

How did I ever miss this thread?

I was just about to start a thread about the massive snowstorm about to move up the eastern seaboard today and was doing a search when this thread popped up.

I was at the epicenter of the Blizzard of 1978. Revere, Massachusetts, a gritty working-class town just north of Logan Airport that I grew up in. Nearly 1/5 of the city was under water during that storm. The astronomically high tides demolished the seawalls and waves were actually breaking in the middle of the streets in some neighborhoods. Several thousand people were made homeless and schools were closed for four weeks (I was in high school then) as they were used for shelters. Fortunately I lived on high ground but just a few blocks away, houses were flooded out with seawater.

The morning of the storm, it was gray and chilly. I headed off to school as fine granules of snow swirled on the streets. We had just gotten a 20-inch snowfall about three weeks before so despite some rain in between, there were still very high snowdrifts along the sidewalks, forcing me to walk in the street instead of the sidewalks. That morning, the local mets were still undecided. All knew there was a massive snowstorm to our south but a few thought that the storm would push out to sea and spare us the brunt.

Once in school, there was a buzz of excitement as the weather forecasts began to worsen. Ironically, the temperature outside began to rise. I could see one of those electronic bank thermometers from the classroom window and it was 41 degrees at about 10:30 that morning. But by noontime, it was down to 34 and you could see that the wind was really picking up.

About 12:30, the principal came over the loudspeaker with an urgent message that we were to go home immediately. He said to go directly home and that the weather was expected to get very dangerous very quickly.

He wasn't kidding. Walking home (I never took the bus because it was a total zoo) the winds were so strong that I had to sometimes turn around and walk backwards so that I would not blow over. Still, it hadn't started to snow yet. In fact, it looked like the snow was going to miss us. I remember listening to the radio (no all-news TV stations in those days and no internet) about how traffic was being shut down along Rte 128 on account of heavy snow, yet in Revere, it was just cloudy and very, very windy. Finally, just before dark, the "wall of snow" hit us. It continued all the night and all the next day. They say only 27 inches fell at nearby Logan Airport but I find that had to believe. The snow was literally over my waist and I was almost six feet tall at that time. It took two full days of back-breaking shoveling just to get the sidewalk and cars cleared in front of the house. Even then, the side streets weren't plowed for a full week. They had to bring in special equipment to plow because normal snowplows couldn't get the job done. They had to lift the snow up and dump it over the sidewalks (which remained impassible for weeks).

Anyway, I could go on and on with how incredible that time was. But one of my strongest memories was walking down Revere Street (the main drag leading to Revere Beach) and seeing the snowbanks 10-15 feet high with no traffic whatsoever except for National Guard vehicles and heavy equipment used for snow removal. As you walked towards Revere Beach, the snow suddenly disappeared and all you saw was frozen seawater. Hundreds of residents had flooded basements that had turned to solid ice. Many houses were destroyed completely. The cleanup went on for months.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

I don't remember much of the blizzard, but our local meteorologist is predicting a blizzard similiar to that of '78. He thinks the conditions are very much like what was seen just before the '78 blizzard. I hope he's wrong!

Pinging this comment to bump up the thread. Looks like he was right! I'm just east of the Connecticut River, in Connecticut, and I'm in the '2 feet plus' band according to WTNH-8 in New Haven. I have a 550 foot dirt driveway, and a Jeep Wrangler, but I'm taking no chances, so I moved it out near the road. It'll mean hiking out there in snow over my knees, but at least I won't get stuck. I need to hire someone to plow the driveway. Believe it or not, I've lived in this house for four years now, and have managed to get away with not plowing my driveway once. Looks like that will end.

[SamAdams76]

That would have been the January 20th storm that dropped 20 inches in Boston. However, much of that was washed away by a drenching rainstorm a week lager. So when the Feb 6-7 blizzard hit, only a few snow piles were remaining from that storm. It really would have been something if we got those two storms back-to-back.

[VermiciousKnid]

I was in Queens, NYC, and lived in a neighborhood apparently forgotten by the City’s Sanitation Dept. Not a single snowplow disturbed our magnificent, steeply-hilled streets. We kids would pick the biggest hills, and tramp up and down the street, stomping the snow to pack it. This allowed for extremely fast sledding, and we sledded all day long for days afterwards. The schools were open, believe it or not, but since nobody could GET to school, we ended up playing in the snow instead.

I also remember a lot of ice earlier that year (like February of 78). Walking to school was a bit of a hazard because you could hear the tree branches squealing and squeaking with the weight of the ice. It was a cold, cold winter.

Regards,

[Hepsabeth]

Ah yes, I remember it well... gov closed the state and handed out $100 fines to anyone caught on the roads. I weaseled my way out of a fine, but the guy behind me, a coworked didn’t...

My dad worked for the phone company so he was allowed to drive. Once we (finally) got plowed out, he went and got groceries and supplies for everyone on the street who needed them.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Wow - I guess old threads never die. I looked quickly through it and I don’t see that I posted what I was doing. I hadn’t met Mrs. NHD yet (she was in the southwest as may be gathered from her post back then) but I was working in Worcester and lived in southern NH. Work let out early because of the impending storm (about 3:30 I believe). I was lucky as I headed north and got ahead of it. Those who went east, west or south were mostly doomed to spending at least one night in the car and possibly more in a shelter.

When I got up the next AM, the roads were all plowed. I had a plane at the time so I went to the airport (Manchester), shovelled out around the thing and took off to get an aerial perspective. What a mess on the coast and all of Mass. Landed, went back home and relaxed for several days before I could get back into MA.

[SamAdams76]

Revere, MA was probably the hardest hit by the storm in New England. I remember being dismissed from school early (I was in 10th grade) and walking backwards home because the winds were so strong. The “wall of snow” hit around dusk. It was about two weeks before things got back to normal.