Photos: On this day – February 7, 1978 – “The Blizzard of 1978″

Posted Feb 07, 2013

On this day – February 7, 1978 – “The Blizzard of 1978″

The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic and historic nor’easter that brought blizzard conditions to the New England region of the United States, New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. Snowfall occurred primarily between Monday morning, February 6 and the evening of Tuesday, February 7. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were particularly hard hit by this storm.

Boston received a record 27.1 inches of snow; Providence, Rhode Island, also broke a record, with 27.6 inches of snow; Atlantic City broke an all-time storm accumulation with 20.1 inches. Nearly all economic activity was disrupted in the worst-hit areas. The storm killed approximately 100 people in the Northeast and injured around 4,500. The storm also caused over US$520 million (US$1.85 billion in present terms) in damage.

The storm was formed from an extra-tropical cyclone off the coast of South Carolina on February 5. An Arctic cold front and a cold air mass then merged with the storm, creating the perfect ingredients for a large and intense low-pressure system. This storm system made its way up the coast, and approached southern New England late February 6 and early February 7. Since the storm developed during a new moon, an unusually large high tide occurred, and the storm brought a massive amount of water along coastal communities. The huge storm surge resulted in broken sea walls and massive property loss. Strong winds and extremely heavy precipitation brought zero visibility for travelers, and numerous power outages ensued. The precipitation changed to rain on Cape Cod, reducing the total snowfall, but snow continued in the west. By the time the storm ended, thousands of people were stranded and homeless as a result of the storm. The storm’s power was made apparent by its sustained hurricane-force winds of approximately 86 mph (138 km/h) with gusts to 111 mph (179 km/h) and the formation of an eye-like structure in the middle of the storm. While a typical nor’easter brings steady snow for six to twelve hours, the Blizzard of ’78 brought heavy snow for an unprecedented full 33 hours as it was blocked from heading into the North Atlantic by the strong Canadian high pressure area. An atypical vertical development of storm clouds brought unusual thundersnow to southern New England and Long Island. These storms resulted in lightning and thunder accompanying the snowfall as it fell at 4 inches an hour at times. (AP,Wikipedia)

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This message was dug out in the snow on the surface of a lake in Montville, Connecticut, Feb. 8, 1978. It asked for Gov. Ella T. Grasso's help in the state's snow emergency. The author of the message was unknown, but it got across to the governor who saw it as she flew over the lake on a helicopter tour of eastern Connecticut. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
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Traffic snarls around Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence, R.I., on the afternoon of Feb. 6, 1978, the first day of the 1978 blizzard. The 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island for more than a week, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. (AP Photo/The Providence Journal, Richard Benjamin)
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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Interstate 95 looking south at the Rhode Island/Massachusetts border between Attleboro, Mass., and Pawtucket, R.I., is shown in an aerial view taken just after the Feb. 1978 blizzard. Snowplows had cleared the highway in Massachusetts, but the Rhode Island portion of the interstate had not been cleared. The 24-hour storm that began Feb. 6 and pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island for more than a week. (AP Photo/The Providence Journal, Andrew Dickerman)
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Frances McCarthy of Worcester, Mass., is seen wrapped in blankets in her wheelchair as she is evacuated from the Park Hill Manor nursing home in February 1978 by members of the Massachusetts National Guard during the blizzard of 1978. (AP Photo/Worcester Telegram Gazette, File)
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A motorist clears snow from his stuck car in the southbound lane of Interstate 95 outside of Providence, R.I., on Feb. 7, 1978, the day after the 1978 blizzard began. The 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island for more than a week, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. (AP Photo/The Providence Journal, Robert Emerson)
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Cars and trucks stranded and abandoned in deep snow along Route 128 in Dedham, Mass., are seen in this Feb. 9, 1978 file photo, as military and civilian plows begin to dig them out during the blizzard of 1978. (AP Photo/ File)
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Residents of Farragut Road in South Boston, are seen in this February, 1978 file photo, digging their cars out from snowdrifts following a blizzard that struck New England. The super storm buried Boston in 27 inches of snow, causing extensive damage and was responsible for at least 29 deaths. (AP Photo/Boston Globe, File)
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Vehicles are seen stranded and abandoned in the deep snow on the exit for Burncoat Street off Interstate 290 in Worcester, Mass., Feb. 7, 1978, during the now infamous blizzard of 1978. (AP Photo/Worcester Telegram Gazette, file)
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A giant loader dumps a load of snow into the first of a line of waiting trucks as snow removal operations continued in Hartford and throughout Connecticut, Feb. 8, 1978. A monster snowstorm dumped as much as 20 inches on the state Monday and Tuesday. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
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A giant loader shovels a load of snow for waiting trucks as snow removal operations continued in Hartford and throughout Connecticut, Feb. 8, 1978. A monster snowstorm dumped as much as 20 inches on the state Monday and Tuesday. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
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The first vehicle rolls out of a giant cargo plane as U.S. Army troops from Ft. Hood, Texas, arrived at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Ct., Feb. 8, 1978. The Army detachment has been sent to assist in snow removal operations following the blizzard which hit Connecticut early in the week. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
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A front end loader is parked outside the giant U.S. Air Force cargo plane from which it was unloaded at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Ct., as the first plane load of U.S. Army personnel and equipment arrived, Feb. 9, 1978. The Army detachment from Ft. Hood, Texas, will aid in clearing away snow from the blizzard which hit Connecticut earlier in the week. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
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Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, right, and his aides monitor progress of the storm aftermath from his office in the Massachusetts State House in Boston, Feb. 7, 1978. (AP Photo)
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.
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The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing the airport and straining state resources. The "Blizzard of '78" a 24-hour storm that pounded the Northeast, crippled Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, cutting off power, closing airports and straining state resources.