The previous record had been around since 1885! [10], Michigan Governor William Milliken declared a state of emergency and called out the Michigan National Guard to aid stranded motorists and road crews. The next day, getting bored with staying indoors, Tom and Billy dug a cave under the snow. blizzard from a few years ago, but if you thought that was bad? morning on Jan 26, 1978, Towboat trapped in ice In 1978, one of the worst blizzards in recent memory crippled the Atlantic seaboard. When my dad finally managed to get home the snow banks were easily 15 feet high but the driveway was clear. Classes at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana were canceled for the first time in the history of those universities; at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana (where 25 inches of snow fell) for the third time in its history; and, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for the first time since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. We cut him half a load, threw it down the chute and headed to work which took another 2 hours. And its funny what you remember: Neil recalls one beefy utility linemen, later huddled under an office desk with an entire pizza. [7] In addition, the blizzard is the highest-ranking winter storm on the Regional Snowfall Index, with a maximum value of 39.07, and one of only 26 storms to reach Category 5 on the scale. Feb. 27-March 3, 1984: 32.7 inches 3. The Empire State has seen more than its fair share of historic snowy weather. Co. By the next morning there was no way I could even think about getting out of the driveway, and the Gov. NOTE: Unofficial records show a one-day snowfall of 30 inches on Feb. 15, 1837, and multi-day storms totaling 30 inches on Feb. 2-7, 1845 and Feb. 4-6, 1854. it took 2 or 3 drivers holding on to each other to get across the street. Inquiries: Lmonroe@onlyinyourstate.com. Many people were caught in the storm while driving, and many others were trapped in their homes and workplaces, with snow drifts of up to 15 feet (4.6m), in some places blocking the exits. As I hurridly exited the building, in my youth, I heard cries of be carefull out thereit is VERY windy! and soon found out after a few seconds that I needed to run back in the vestibule for shelter. It was actually fun !! The Ohio Turnpike was closed for the first time in. The snow fell so quickly, streets and highways were disappeared. Thirteen individuals died from the cold while trapped inside their vehicles, and another 13 died inside their homes after losing power and heat. The precipitation changed to rain on Cape Cod, reducing the total snowfall, but snow continued in the west. Roy Calvert, Rochester chief of police, prohibited parking on certain streets to enable snow removal. Generally, temperatures will be 20 degrees or lower with a blizzard. Snowmobiles became the only mode of transportation. As the storm headed for Ohio, it was "of unprecedented magnitude", according to the National Weather Service, which categorized it as a rare severe blizzard, the severest grade of winter storm. During the afternoon of the 26th, the Indiana State Police considered all Indiana roads closed.[12]. [2] In Detroit, air pressure fell to 28.34 inches of mercury (960mbar). Of course, if you don't like the low temperatures (we don't blame you! What are some good winter activities in New York? Frozen for well over one month, Lake Erie was covered in massive amounts of powdery white snow. I was pulling a 48 foot van that had a tarp over the top. Roads were closed and airplanes grounded . The storms are omitted from this list because measurements were not made by official weather observers. Rochester NY's source for lost history and new ideas. There's nothing like going snow tubing in New York! The storm produced 45 tornadoes in the Southeast U.S. resulting in 12 fatalities, while later dropping over 2 feet (61 . Do you remember New Yorks worst blizzard? Fourteen people died on I-95 near Boston because snow piled high enough to prevent poisonous exhaust fumes from escaping from their idling vehicles. The Feb. 2Democrat and Chronicle contained a startling reportthat wholesale suppliers said the community was running short of food. Owned and operated 100 acre Dairy Farm, all equiped electrically, milking 50 animals, trying to keep the 750 gallon milk tank running on generator, also some for the house after milking. Daddy dug a tunnel out so that we could take a look around. Parts of the New York State Thruway closed, as did local malls and many other businesses. Work was cancelled and it was announced on the radio and tv. Great Storm of 1975 - Wikipedia Chagrined forecasters admitted they hadn't foreseen the severity of the storm. Bowens request for snow removal. Throughout the region, the high winds caused enormous drifts. yes i remember that was when the roads got plowed in back to back storms , and we had a competent highway dept supt, now for get it. I tried to get the ladys car going but it needed a battery. Governor Ella T. Grasso ordered all roads in Connecticut closed except for emergency travel, for three days;[24][25] Governor Michael Dukakis, of Massachusetts, did the same for his state. Makowski brought in mammoth Army Corps of Engineer earthmovers to clear city streets of the by-then dirty snow. I was a sophomore at URI and came down with appendicitis during the storm. Ten-year-old Peter Gosselin, of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, disappeared in the deep snow just feet from his home's front door and was not found until three weeks later. By day 3 I started to get a little claustrophobic. My boys were 6 and 2 at the timehusband had gone 8 miles away to go to work, because he had OT and didnt want to lose the OTtook him 3 days to get home, National Guard was restricting who could be on the roadseven walkingmy brother-in-law brought milk and bread to us on a snowmobile because cars couldnt start or get out on the roads.