Jump to content

Blizzard of 1977

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 205.222.248.64 (talk) at 13:03, 20 October 2009 (→Winter of 1976-1977). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Snow drifts made travel difficult in parts of New York (February 7, 1977).
A house almost completely buried in snow in Tonawanda, New York (January 30, 1977)

The Blizzard of ’77 was a deadly blizzard that hit Buffalo, New York and the area around it in New York and Ontario (and to a lesser extent, surrounding regions) from January 28 to February 1, 1977. Daily peak gusts of 69, 51, 52, 58 and 46 miles per hour (111, 82, 84, 93, and 74 km/h) were recorded during this period at the Buffalo National Weather Service office (National Weather Service Buffalo Office 2006a).

In the hardest struck areas snowmobiles became the only viable method of transportation. In Western New York and Southern Ontario, snow built up on frozen Lake Erie and the snow cover on the ground over land at the start of the blizzard provided ample material for the high winds to blow around into huge drifts. The combination of bitter cold, high winds, and blowing snow paralyzed the areas most strongly affected by the storm. Lake Ontario was not frozen, which meant that northern New York did not have to deal with previously accumulated snow blowing off the lake’s surface. This did allow for considerable lake effect snow to occur, that when coupled with the existing snow cover and wind also created paralysis.

Winter of 1976-1977

During the months leading up to the blizzard, weather conditions occurred that allowed the blizzard to have the impacts that it did. In fall 1976 through January 1977, a high-amplitude planetary wave pattern set up (Wagner 1978), that was very persistent from October through January and involved a ridge over western North America and a trough over eastern North America (Wagner 1977a). In January 1977, this pattern persisted with the strong ridge over western North America being more than two standard deviations from the mean, while the strong trough centered over eastern North America was 3+ standard deviations from the mean (Wagner 1977a). A strong blocking high developed over the Arctic Ocean during January and this moved the polar vortex to southern Canada, south from where it normally is located (Wagner 1977b). Strong northwest flow between the ridge over western North America and the trough over eastern North America resulted in strong northwest flow in between, which ushered in Arctic air to the central and eastern United States (Wagner 1977b). The circulation helped cause record cold for the winter over many portions of the eastern United States with the Ohio Valley averaging more than 8 degrees Fahrenheit below normal (Wagner 1978). The severe winter was not limited to the Northeastern United States with snow observed in Miami, Florida on January 20 and snow mixed with rain in the Bahamas (Schwartz 1977).

pee pee and then ty farted

In Southern Ontario

Parts of the Canadian province of Ontario lying near the northern border of Lake Erie were also struck hard by the Blizzard of 1977. Due to the geographical proximity to Western New York and as a result of sharing a location on the edge of frozen and snow-covered Lake Erie, parts of Southern Ontario experienced similar conditions to Western New York during the blizzard. However, reports seem to indicate the worst conditions were more limited to close to the lakeshore than in Western New York. For example, compare reports in Rossi (1999, p. 121) that conditions were much better 1 to 2 miles (2 to 3 km) inland and reports in Rossi (1999, p. 187) from a military commander noting an airborne view made it clear that the worst was right along the shore with reports in Western New York such as those of snow near street light level in well-inland Lancaster (Bahr 1980, p. 148). .

As in Western New York, the storm struck suddenly during the day Friday with zero visibility (e.g. Rossi 1999, pp. 12, 50) and blowing and drifting snow making roads impassable as well as stranding many vehicles (Rossi 1999). Looting of radios from abandoned cars as well as looting of pop from a truck was reported (Rossi 1999, p. 63). Friday night 250 people were stranded in the International Nickel Company plant in Port Colborne (Rossi 1999, p. 178). Although schools closed when informed of the impending storm, the rapid onset of the storm resulted in about 1,000 students being stranded overnight Friday, January 28, in Port Colborne and Wainfleet schools (about 2,000 students were stranded in the Niagara Region altogether) (Rossi 1999, p. 80). By Saturday night (January 29) at 6 p.m., 800 students were still trapped, with 600 of them in Wainfleet and Port Colborne (Rossi 1999, p. 80). On Sunday, the remaining students were taken from the schools with the help of the militia, although some students were housed in nearby houses (Rossi 1999, 80-81). In some areas, buses had become stranded trying to take children home from school Friday and so bus drivers took the children to nearby houses (Rossi 1999, p. 128).

Snowmobiles were widely used to deliver aid and transport those needing transportation. Niagara Regional Police Service enlisted the help of 60 snowmobiles and 15 four wheel drive vehicles that they used for regular police calls as well as to deliver food and medication (Rossi 1999, p. 45). Snowmobiles were also used to transport doctors and nurses (Rossi 1999, p. 47) and Ontario Hydro workers (Rossi 1999, p. 140). In Fort Erie, snowmobiles were being dispatched from all six fire halls to provide aid (Rossi 1999, p. 176). Citizens Band (CB) radio operators were used by the Niagara Regional Police for communication (Rossi 1999, p. 47). The radio station CHOW facilitated communication through allowing people to call in and airing needs on the radio (Rossi 1999, p. 129), a role confirmed via a plaque from the Port Colborne Chamber of Commerce and scrolls from the Welland Chamber of Commerce (Rossi 1999, p. 131).

The Canadian Forces assisted in the situation under police direction (Rossi 1999, p. 46). For example, the Mayor of Port Colborne requested military assistance from the Emergency Measures Organization in St. Catharines that resulted in an Army Reserve Battalion being sent and militia assisting in searching for stranded motorists (Rossi 1999, 148-149). In a deployment headquartered at the Regional Police Station in Niagara Falls and stationed at the Lake Street Armory in St. Catharines and the Niagara Falls Armory in Niagara Falls, 156 reserves militia and 9 regular force soldiers helped in disaster relief (Rossi 1999, 183-184). Regional authorities requested military assistance on Saturday afternoon (January 29) and the first unit was called at 3:30 p.m., with 130 employed in the operation by Sunday (January 30) morning (Rossi 1999, 183-184). Their initial priorities were to “preserve life, clear main arteries into the communities of Port Colborne and Fort Erie, and try to open No. 3 Highway between Port Colborne and Fort Erie” (Rossi 1999, p. 185). The military was also involved in the London, Ontario-area with reserves plus a 900-man infantry battalion (Rossi 1999, p. 186), but conditions there were not as serious with four wheel drive vehicles being generally sufficient for transportation (Rossi 1999, p. 187).

Areas affected by the blizzard included St. Catharines, Welland, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, and the Wainfleet area (Rossi 1999, p. 147), while Toronto and Hamilton were not hit badly by the storm (Rossi 1999, p. 148). The Port Colborne area was strongly affected (e.g. Rossi p. 51), while Wainfleet was very hard hit, and in particular the Long Beach area and the Lowbanks area were very strongly affected by the storm (Rossi 1999, pp. 52, 126). As earlier noted, the most extreme conditions were right along the lakeshore (Rossi 1999, pp. 120, 187) with much better conditions one to two miles (2 to 3 km) inland (Rossi 1999, p. 120). In Wainfleet, one resident reported that early in the storm the wind broke a window facing the lake and snow rapidly began drifting in the house, which caused significant damage (Rossi 1999, pp. 9, 11). In the Lowbanks area, a resident reported that the storm smashed in windows and collapsed doors; they had lost power and heat and were burning furniture in the fireplace to keep warm (Rossi 1999, p. 126). Ontario Hydro noted that some power outages lasted 72 hours while it took an average of 24 hours to get power restored for some larger customers (Rossi 1999, p. 141). The depth of drifts in the hardest hit areas was extreme. Snowmobilers reported snowmobiling over vehicles as well as onto the roof of a house without knowing it (Rossi 1999, pp. 63, 58) and snowmobiling over the top of a school bus without being able to see its roof (Rossi 1999, p. 174). In the Long Beach area of Wainfleet, snow reached the power lines with people stepping over and rolling under them and only the chimneys of houses were visible above the snow (Rossi 1999, p. 52). Along the lakeshore in Wainfleet the mayor reported drifts up to 45 feet (14 m) high (Rossi 1999, p. 154), and in Lowbanks a military officer reported drifts of 30 to 40 feet (10 to 12 m) with only the steeple of a church visible (Rossi 1999, p. 184). One drift estimated at 40 feet (12 m) remained until June 1 (Rossi 1999, p. 110), while snow banks reportedly lasted until the first week of June in the Cedar Bay area (Rossi 1999, p. 53).

The extreme depths of snow resulted in farmers in Wainfleet dumping milk since it could not be transported out, and they also had trouble getting food to their animals (Rossi 1999, p. 153). The snow was difficult to plow, at least in some cases. One road, near the lakeshore, could not be opened with a big front end loader or a large bulldozer; instead, a small bulldozer with a bucket took 2.5 days to clear about 300 yards (270 m) of road (Rossi 1999, p. 111). One resident noted that they were snowed in for 19 days, before being plowed out on February 14 (Rossi 1999, p. 122). One effect of the prolonged confinement at home many people experienced in the fall of that year — a marked increase in births at local hospitals (almost 18% in Regional Niagara in Canada) (Rossi 1999, p. 219) .

In northern New York

Portions of northern New York state, particularly Jefferson and Lewis Counties, were hard hit by the blizzard of 1977. At 3:10 p.m. on Friday, January 28, Watertown reported zero visibility and wind gusting to 28 miles per hour (45 km/h) (USACE 1977, p. 5) as the cold front that had earlier moved through Southern Ontario and Western New York advanced through northern New York. The Watertown region got 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) with the cold front, but unfrozen Lake Ontario (in contrast to frozen Lake Erie) along with atmospheric conditions favorable for lake effect snow allowed lake effect snow bands to form that resulted in storm totals of 66 inches (168 cm) in Watertown, 72.5 inches (182 cm) in Mansville, 93 (236 cm) inches in Ft. Drum, and more than 100 inches (more than 250 cm) in areas southeast of Watertown (Dewey 1977). The snow, along with the winds, resulted in drifts of 15-30 feet (5 to 10 m) and the stranding of more than 1000 motorists (Dewey 1977).

After beginning with the cold front passage at 3:10 p.m. on Friday, January 28, at Watertown, the blizzard’s winds peaked at 49 miles per hour (79 km/h) at 7 p.m. (USACE 1977, p. 5). That night about 150 people were stranded at the Chesebrough-Pond factory in Watertown (Rossi 1999, p. 321). Three radio announcers at AM radio station 1410 WOTT in Watertown were stranded without food at the station and each of them worked 8-hour shifts to keep the station on 24 hours per day, playing music and taking hundreds of calls from North Country residents in need of services such as fuel, food, or just reassurance. Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies brought the announcers provisions via snowmobile on day 5 of their entrapment. Oddly enough, though the snow was piled up over the roof of the studios on Gifford Road, the morning announcer's car, a VW Bug parked next to the building, was totally clear of snow, thanks to prevailing winds, though it took him over 5 hours to travel the 8 miles to his home in Brownville, as only one lane was clear on several of the roads he traveled. During the storm a Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams (REACT) CB team set up at the plant to coordinate help for those needing things such as medical assistance (Rossi 1999, 322-323). The Red Cross also set up at the factory (Rossi 1999, p. 323) and snowmobiles and four wheel drive vehicles were dispatched (Rossi 1999, p. 324). After a lull at Watertown, the storm restarted at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 29, and lasted until 10 p.m. This portion of the storm included gusts to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and heavy snow (USACE 1977, p. 5). The storm then abated at Watertown, but at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 30, visibility returned to zero. By midnight Sunday, 34 inches (86 cm) of new snow had fallen since Friday, January 28, at 7 a.m. (USACE 1977, p. 5). The blizzard continued throughout Monday, January 31, with 17 additional inches (43 cm) of new snow before the snow stopped around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, February 1 (USACE 1977, p. 5).

Due to the lower wind speeds than those that occurred in Western New York, in northern New York the snow was not as hard packed according to Ben Kolker of the NWS office in Buffalo (Rossi 1999, p. 287). However, northern New York did have significant snowfall along with significant drifting. On Tuesday, February 1, Jefferson and Lewis Counties were among the counties added to the initial federal emergency declaration (USACE 1977, p. 7), and on Saturday, February 5, were among the counties declared major disaster areas (USACE 1977, p. 8). The New York District of the USACE assisted with snow clearing by having contractors clear a total of 450 miles (720 km) of roadway in Jefferson and Lewis Counties (USACE 1977, p. 27). U. S. Marines were at Camp Drum (near Watertown) for cold weather training and some of these assisted in Jefferson and Lewis Counties with 14, 25-ton, Amtrack vehicles (USACE 1977, p. 14). The National Guard assisted with track vehicles, and U. S. Army troops from Camp Drum also helped with disaster relief (USACE 1977, p. 14).

Since food and supplies were in short supply in the area by the end of the storm, on Wednesday, February 1, the travel ban was lifted from 7 a.m. until noon in order that 1,900 stranded travelers could leave the area (USACE 1977, pp. 5, B-6). Agricultural interests were adversely affected by the storm, with the dairy industry hardest hit due to farmers’ inability to get milk to market (USACE 1977, pp. 6, 25). In Jefferson County alone, about 85% of dairy farmers were forced to dump milk because tank trucks could not reach farms. This contributed to $8 million in agricultural losses (USACE 1977, p. 25). Other problems included barns collapsing from the snow (seven in Jefferson County), feed and grain shortages, disposal of manure, and farmers being unable to reach barns to feed cattle (USACE 1977, p. 25-26). Five deaths were reported in northern New York as a result of the storm, all due to heart attacks (four occurring while shoveling snow and another in his car) (USACE 1977, p. 6).

On February 9, about a week after the storm ended, the average snow depth in the Black River basin (about 2,000 square miles (5000 km²) which include Jefferson, Lewis, and other counties) was 40.4 inches (102.5 cm), having a liquid equivalent of 8.06 inches (205 mm) that raised flooding concerns (USACE 1977, p. D-8 which reproduces an article from the Watertown Daily News newspaper of February 9 1977). One location about 20 miles southeast of Watertown, Sears Pond, recorded a snow depth of 77.3 inches (196.0 cm) with a liquid equivalent of 19.23 inches (488 mm) (USACE 1977, p. D-8 which reproduces an article from the Watertown Daily News of February 9 1977).

See also

References

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blizzard_of_1977&oldid=320994487"