PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1030 AM EST FRI JAN 24 1997...

...TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLIZZARD APPROACHES...

THE STORY OF THE BLIZZARD OF '77 ACTUALLY BEGAN EARLY IN THE WINTER 
OF 1976-1977. THE WEATHER WAS UNUSUALLY HARSH LEADING UP TO THE 
BLIZZARD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR BOTH NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WAS 
ABOUT SIX DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. JANUARY AVERAGED TEN DEGREES BELOW 
NORMAL. SEVERE GAS SHORTAGES WERE ALREADY UNDERWAY. INDUSTRIES AND 
SCHOOLS WERE FORCED TO CURTAIL ACTIVITIES AND IN SOME CASES CLOSE.

IN ADDITION TO THE EXTREME COLD, SNOWFALL IN NOVEMBER TOTALLED 31.3 
INCHES, IN DECEMBER 60.7 INCHES AND THROUGH THE 27TH OF JANUARY 59.1 
INCHES. THERE WAS A PERSISTENT SNOWCOVER FROM NOVEMBER 29TH...
UNUSUAL FOR A WESTERN NEW YORK WINTER. THE NATIONAL GUARD HAD ALREADY 
BEEN CALLED TO THE REGION TO HELP CLEAR THE SNOW-CLOGGED CITY 
STREETS. 

ON THE 27TH OF JANUARY, LOW PRESSURE CROSSED LAKE ERIE AND MOVED TO 
JAMES BAY. IT THEN BECAME STALLED EAST OF JAMES BAY. THE STORM THEN 
ACTUALLY MOVED BACK WEST OVER JAMES BAY BEFORE FINALLY MOVING EAST TO 
THE CANADIAN MARITIMES.
 
THE STORM BEGAN ON THE 28TH OF JANUARY AS SNOW STARTED FALLING AT 
5AM. AS WINDS FRESHENED FROM THE SOUTH AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT 
ABOUT TWO INCHES OF NEW POWDER HAD ACCUMULATED ON TOP OF THE 33 INCH 
SNOWPACK AND DRIFTS FROM PREVIOUS STORMS DATING BACK BEFORE 
CHRISTMAS.

DURING THE MORNING, THE TEMPERATURE ROSE RAPIDLY FROM FIVE DEGREES AT 
MIDNIGHT TO 26 DEGREES AT 11 AM. AT 1135AM, THE FRONT PASSED THROUGH 
THE BUFFALO AIRPORT. IN A SHORT TIME, THE VISIBILITY DROPPED FROM 3/4 
MILE TO ZERO AND THE WIND SHIFTED AND INCREASED TO SOUTHWEST AT 29 
MPH WITH GUSTS TO 49 MPH. THE TEMPERATURE FELL 26 DEGREES TO ZERO IN 
JUST OVER FOUR HOURS. THE BLIZZARD REACHED ITS WORST SEVERITY DURING 
THE LATE AFTERNOON AS WINDS AT THE BUFFALO AIRPORT AVERAGED 46 MPH 
AND GUSTED TO 69 MPH. GUSTS OF 75 MPH WERE RECORDED AT THE NIAGARA 
FALLS AIRPORT. WIND CHILLS REACHED FIFTY TO SIXTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

THOUSANDS WERE STRANDED IN OFFICE BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS, POLICE 
STATIONS, FIRE HALLS, AND FACTORIES. CARS WERE STALLED EVERYWHERE AND 
ROADS BECAME IMPASSABLE. WHEN A FIRE BROKE OUT ON WHITNEY PLACE, FIRE 
FIGHTING EQUIPMENT WAS UNABLE TO GET THROUGH. SIX HOMES WERE 
COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND FIFTY PEOPLE WERE LEFT HOMELESS. NEARLY ALL 
TRANSPORTATION IN AND OUT OF BUFFALO STOPPED. 

IN ADDITION TO ERIE COUNTY, STATES OF EMERGENCY WERE DECLARED IN 
NIAGARA, ORLEANS AND GENESEE COUNTIES. ALL ROADS WERE CLOSED IN 
WYOMING AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES AS WELL.

BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS PREVAILED ON AND OFF FOR THE 
NEXT THREE DAYS, ENDING AROUND MIDDAY ON FEBRUARY 1ST. DAILY PEAK 
GUSTS OF 51, 52, 58, AND 46 MPH WERE RECORDED FROM THE 29TH THROUGH 
THE 1ST.

ON SATURDAY THE 29TH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS PREVAILED. FOR THE FIRST 
TIME IN 143 YEARS, THE BUFFALO COURIER EXPRESS COULD NOT PUBLISH ITS 
MORNING PAPER. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED A DECLARATION OF 
EMERGENCY WHICH ALLOWED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO COME IN AND PROVIDE 
WHATEVER WAS NEEDED TO RESTORE NORMALCY TO THE REGION. BY THE 30TH, 
FEDERAL OFFICIALS HAD TAKEN OVER SNOW REMOVAL OPERATIONS AND BEFORE 
THE END OF THE STORM OVER 500 NATIONAL GUARDSMEN WERE HELPING IN THE 
DISASTER. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT SNOW REMOVAL COSTS EXCEEDED 20 
MILLION DOLLARS.

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A massive snow drift that was typical of the Blizzard of 1977 traps vehicles inside the tunnel
under the Buffalo Airport runway at Aero Dr. and Amherst Villa Rd. (Photo courtesy Gary Kogut, NFTA.)

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SNOWMOBILERS AND THOSE WITH FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BECAME INVALUABLE AS 
THEY DELIVERED EMERGENCY FOOD AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES. SADLY, 29 DEATHS 
WERE BLAMED ON THE STORM--MANY FOUND FROZEN IN THEIR HALF BURIED CARS 
DURING THE FOUR DAY ORDEAL. IN ADDITION, LOOTING OF BUSINESSES AND 
STRANDED CARS ALSO TOOK PLACE BEGINNING ON THE 29TH WITH NEARLY ONE 
HUNDRED ARRESTED.

WHEN THE SUN FINALLY CAME OUT FOR GOOD ON THE 1ST OF FEBRUARY, ITS 
COLD LIGHT REVEALED A SCENE OF INCREDIBLE DESOLATION IN THE BUFFALO 
AREA AND OVER THE SEVEN WESTERN COUNTY AREA. THE CITY AS WELL AS MOST 
OTHER COMMUNITIES BANNED TRAFFIC FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE ARMY WAS 
CALLED IN FROM FORT BRAGG, NC TO AUGMENT THE NATIONAL GUARDSMEN. SOME 
OF THE EASTERN SUBURBS OF BUFFALO, PARTICULARLY LANCASTER, WERE 
BURIED TO THE ROOFS OF HOMES IN SOME CASES. 

THE STORMS TOLL WAS FELT BY ALL. FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIES WERE CLOSED 
FOR OVER A WEEK. RETAILERS REPORTED MILLIONS IN LOST SALES AS STORES 
REMAINED CLOSED. AT THE BUFFALO ZOO, OVER 20 ANIMALS PERISHED IN THE 
STORM AND DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED AT NEARLY A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
FOUR BUFFALO BRAVES PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL GAMES WERE POSTPONED AS 
WELL AS TWO BUFFALO SABRES HOCKEY GAMES. MAIL DELIVERY WAS SUSPENDED 
FOR NEARLY A WEEK ALSO.

PRESIDENT CARTER DECLARED SEVEN WESTERN COUNTIES FEDERAL DISASTER 
AREAS -- THE FIRST TIME EVER FOR A SNOWSTORM IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE SNOW AT BUFFALO TOTALLED ABOUT 12 INCHES FROM JANUARY 28TH TO 
FEBRUARY 1ST BUT MUCH OF THIS IS BELIEVED TO BE FROM EXISTING SNOW 
LYING ON THE FROZEN SURFACE OF LAKE ERIE BEING BLOWN INTO THE BUFFALO 
AREA AND REDEPOSITED.

LEVAN