Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978
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The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 [1] [2]was a severe nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions to the New England region of the United States, and the New York metropolitan area.
The Blizzard of 1978 formed on February 5, 1978, and broke up on February 8, 1978. Snowfall occurred primarily between the morning of the 6th and the evening of the 7th. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were particularly hard hit by this storm. In all, up to 55 inches (140 cm) fell in some areas.
The Blizzard of 1969, the Great Blizzard of 1888, and The Great Snow of 1717 were storms that were similar in their magnitude as this one.
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[edit] Impact
[edit] Aftermath and recovery
Both Boston and Providence recorded all-time highs for 24-hour and storm snowfall records.[3] Many people were left without heat, water, food, and electricity for over a week after the storm finished. Approximately 10,000 people were forced to temporarily move into emergency shelters. Some 2,500 houses were reported seriously damaged or destroyed and 54 people were killed, many from fallen electric wires. Several people were found dead in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, particularly in the vicinity of the central police station, who may have died trying to seek shelter. A young child in Massachusetts disappeared in the snow just feet from his home's front door, but could not be found until the snow melted. The majority of the interstate system had to be shut down, with some stretches not reopening to traffic until the following week. Air and rail traffic also had to be shut down until the situation cleared up.
Because the snowfall rates were so high, plows could not keep up with removal as fresh amounts fell, causing it to pile up too high to be plowed easily. Plows were further hampered by the number of cars stuck on the roads because of the heavy snow. In Boston, much of the snow had to be hauled and dumped in the harbor. Throughout the region, the high winds caused enormous drifts.
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. Additional troops were flown into Boston to assist. It took six days to clear the roads as cars and trucks buried under the snow needed to be removed before they could be opened. The blizzard brought out a feeling of camaraderie, as it affected everyone equally. Neighbors assisted each other, using sleds to transport elderly persons and helping to deliver groceries for those in need. Governor Ella Grasso ordered all roads in Connecticut closed except for emergency travel, effectively shutting down the state for three days; Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts did the same.
Extensive beach erosion occurred on the east coast of Massachusetts. Especially hard-hit were Cape Cod and Cape Ann, both located on the eastern shore of Massachusetts. Duxbury Beach was hit with 85 mph (137 km/h) gusts. On Cape Cod, the Pamet River broke through to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time during this storm, completely washing away the link between the North and South Pamet Roads. The town chose not to reconstruct the link, though the right-of-way is still open to pedestrians.
Many homes along the New England and Long Island coastlines were destroyed or washed into the ocean. Many roof collapses occurred across New England from the snow (although not that of the Hartford Civic Center, which had collapsed a few weeks earlier in the morning of January 18, 1978[4] during another snowstorm).
The Blizzard of '78 eventually gave birth to a tradition in Southern New England known as the "bread and milk runs". This was because when overreactive people went to the supermarket, all the bread and milk that the markets had were gone in a flash. This occurs even when snowfall predictions can be for only 6 inches (150 mm) at times. Due to this paranoia of the "The Next Big One", some of the injuries incurred because there was a shortage of bread and milk.[1] In one situation, a plane had to carry supplies of milk to Providence College because all the roads in the neighborhood (which is also home to Rhode Island College and La Salle Academy, a Catholic high school) were blocked by the snowfall. After the Blizzard of '78, it became a custom in regions of Massachusetts and Rhode Island that whenever a severe storm approached, such as a hurricane or a blizzard, most Bay Staters and Rhode Islanders jammed supermarkets to buy bread and milk, while the markets tried to keep up with demand.
