Remembering The Blizzard of ’78
In 1978, one of the worst blizzards in recent memory crippled the Atlantic seaboard.
Between February 5th and February 7th, 1978, Boston received a record 27” of snow, while Providence, R.I., did Beantown half an inch better, at 27.6”. Atlantic City, N.J. also broke an all-time record with 20” of snow. Some areas reported drifts of up to 15 feet.
How Did The Storm Start?
The storm was created when an extra-tropical cyclone off the coast of South Carolina collided with an arctic cold front. Conditions were worsened by the fact that the storm developed during a new moon, resulting in unusually large high tides. The combination of high tides and extreme weather resulted in broken sea walls and extensive coastal flooding.
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.
The poor visibility and the depth of the snowfall stranded many motorists, who, due to inaccurate forecasting, were not prepared for a blizzard. In Boston alone, more than 3,500 cars were found abandoned, buried in the snow on city streets and highways. Many of their owners did not make it home for several days, while others died from the cold.
Roads throughout the Northeast were impassable for several days after the storm, and it wasn’t unusual to see people getting around on snowshoes or cross country skis. Downed power lines left many without heat or electricity for a week or more, and forced some to move into temporary shelters.
In three days, the storm claimed 100 lives and was responsible for another 4,500 injuries. In addition, the blizzard caused more $520 million in property damage (roughly $1.85 billion in today’s dollars).
Did you live through the Blizzard of ’78? If so, share your stories below.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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I was just a kid, but i remember school was closed and my parents – rural mail carriers both – were home.
That NEVER happened!
Rural Ohio and we had trouble!
Had to use front end loaders to pile the snow! We drove through tunnels with the tops open for months and months!
I was working in Milford CT. That day ,I knew they said snow was coming it was about 3-4 pm I packed up my tools and got on I 95 north, the snow was coming hard I was in a company mini pic up but loaded with tools before long the snow on the interstate was up to bottom of my door it was snowing so hard plows could not keep up there were cars stuck everywhere on the highway with the weight I had I kept moving dodging all the stuck cars it was dark now and snow blowing horizontal and unlike other snow storms it was bitter bitter cold , i managed to make it to I 91 north and there was a woman stuck in a snow bank pleading for help I picked her and we drove to Springfield Ma , how my truck made it I’ll never forget
WOW! So glad to hear you made it through safely!
I was living in Revere, MA and right in the middle of it all. The coast was like a hurricane and many houses were tossed into the ocean. Boston and areas around were shut down. I lived in a 3-story apartment building and the snow drifted up to the 2nd story balcony. We had to dig from top to bottom to get the front door open. My car was buried and it took days and weeks for things to be dug out and return to normal. One special memory was how all the tennants in the apartment building came together to help and socialize and share necessities. Strangers becoming friends.
I was In the Army at that time and it was my Unit from Ft. Bragg, NC that went to Buffalo and helped them to get dug out and made way to Ft. Drum as they were also buried and would assist if helped to get out.
I was living in Pennsylvania about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The wind blew the snow into 12 ft drifts we lost our power for two days, had a wood stove and plenty of wood and food cooked on a grill outside.
I remember it well, I was almost 13 years old and we had three days off from school – had so much fun, snowball fights & sledding every day. The roads were quite covered, the plows simply couldn’t keep up. (The area I speak of was the Hudson Valley, NY.) Your story has more of the grim facts naturally but for a girl who hated school, those three days off were a gift 🙂
I was a sophomore at URI and came down with appendicitis during the storm. It was a wild ride to South County Hospital. My parents had to get a permit from the State Police to travel the roads from Coventry down to South County to see me.
Remember it well here in NYC,bout 18 inches fell up to two ft in long island,one of the worst storms ive seen,the forecasters here nailed it several days before
What I remember, that no one else seems to note, is that there was a 6″ storm a few days before the Big Blizzard. We were still digging out of that when the Big blizzard came along. That made it 2 feet of snow on the ground that everyone was trying to dig out.
Anyone else recall it that way?
I was so happy to make it home to Medford, MA commuting home at rush hour. I was 23 and stranded in my apartment for a week! It was an adventure to say the least. The National Guard had to dig us out.
I lived in Culpeper, VA that year. I remember that the snow was deep enough that we didn’t go to school most of the month of February. My friend and I rode our ponies to the store.