45 years later: remembering the blizzard of '78

[MissMillie]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/apocalyptic-45th-anniversary-of-blizzard-of-78-brings-back-vivid-memories-in-new-england/ar-AA17azTy

BOSTON - It's been 45 years since the benchmark of winter storms hit New England - the Blizzard of '78.

It was the big one, the one not many were prepared for, the one that stranded people at work, at home and in their cars. It brought mountains of snow drifts to neighborhoods and brought some of the worst coastal flooding some communities had ever experienced. It brought the region to a standstill for weeks, but it also brought people together.

There was no internet in 1978, there were no cell phones, no quick way to share developing information or changes to the forecast other than radio and TV. Even so, storm coverage was minimal during that time compared to the continuous coverage of storms today.

After a series of storms earlier that year (12-to-20 inches just a week before), the forecast was widely overlooked for this one. Snow was predicted to start during the very early morning hours of February 6th, but was delayed a few hours, so as many folks got up for the day, they went to work and school anyways.

Then the snow came... and it came fierce.

************************

In my area of Massachusetts it was a snow issue, but people on the coast had to deal with a nightmarish storm surge.

Cars were abandoned on the highways around Boston.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

1. I remember it well

It was my senior year in high school, and we did not have to return to classes for the rest of that school year, since we were moving on to jobs or college. All other classes had to do makeup well into the summer.

[JenniferJuniper]

4. We returned in March,

Didn't go into the summer at all. They eliminated early release days and I think April school vacation, but that was it.

[Paper Roses]

2. I live on the Mass coast. Remember it well.

Snow up to the second story of our house. Hard to shovel a way out. Car buried . Could not go anywhere, everything closed...paralyzed. The day after, everything still at a standstill except for the cross country skiers who were traversing the few streets that could be plowed. The plow drivers were exhausted, It was almost impossible to shovel, the drifts were too high to toss the snow over. I hope we don't see the likes of that again.

[mitch96]

12. Those two winters of '77 and '78 drove me to Florida in '79..never looked back..nt

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Ohio got it as well. Think it was the worst I remember.

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Yep

My cheaply made apartment at Kent State had windows so drafty, we woke up to frost on the INSIDE walls. The wind actually blew frost through the cracks.

[MySideOfTown]

10. Lived in Cincinnati that year

The Ohio River froze over. 20 inches of snow. -20 F. 1979 was not much better. We moved to Arizona in 1980.

[grumpyduck]

5. That was my first winter in MA.

Moved there from CA to go to grad school. Boy, was I excited about my first NE winter... until it didn't stop. One morning my VW Super Bug had a 1/4" shell of ice all over it.

[democrank]

7. That was quite a storm

I still remember tv news reports from Boston about people stranded in their cars, some covering up with floor mats.

[OAITW r.2.0]

9. I, too, remember it well.

I was returning with 3 buds from Sugarloaf....left at 11:00 in the AM and made it to the Maine Shopping Mall in So Portland, Me. 6 hours later, before the car decided that was the end of the road. We dug it out 3 days later and jump started it and finally got it to Saco.

[sprinkleeninow]

11. Gov. Grosso, CT, imposed order no vehicles on major highways or get into big trouble.

Camaro in drive was totally covered.

[pansypoo53219]

13. bet milw too. we had a 5ft snow block in the alley my paternal unit made w plow. made tunnels.