...THE GREAT NORTHEAST BLIZZARD OF 1978 REMEMBERED

30 YEARS LATER IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...

THE GREAT NORTHEAST BLIZZARD OF FEBRUARY 5‑7, 1978 OCCURRED 25 YEARS

AGO THIS WEEK. THIS HISTORIC NOR'EASTER WAS DESCRIBED BY THE LOCAL MEDIA

AS "THE WEEK THE STATE STOOD STILL: FEBRUARY 6‑13 1978" IN RHODE ISLAND AND

"AWESOME" AFTER MASSACHUSETTS STATE GOVERNOR MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS

RETURNED FROM HIS HELICOPTER SURVEY.

ONLY A FEW SNOWSTORMS OVER THE PAST CENTURY MIGHT COMPARE TO THE

FEBRUARY 1978 GREAT NORTHEAST BLIZZARD. SOME NOTES AND STATISTICS

REGARDING THE GREAT NORTHEAST BLIZZARD'S EFFECTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

...Slide Show Presentation on the Great Storm...

DATES OF OCCURRENCE: FEBRUARY 5‑7, 1978

STORM TRACK: THE STORM FORMED AS A WEAK EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE OFF THE

SOUTH CAROLINA COAST SUNDAY AFTERNOON FEBRUARY 5TH. MEANWHILE A

VIGOROUS UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED ARCTIC COLD FRONT WERE MOVING

ACROSS THE APPALACHIANS. THESE SYSTEMS "PHASED" TOGETHER OFF THE VIRGINIA

CAPES PROVIDING THE INGREDIENTS FOR A RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM

SUNDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 5TH INTO MONDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 6TH. THIS LOW

PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWED AS IT INTENSIFIED AND APPROACHED THE SOUTHERN NEW

ENGLAND COASTAL WATERS MONDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 6TH AND TUESDAY MORNING

FEBRUARY 7TH.

THE COMBINATION OF STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AND A SLOW MOVING STORM SYSTEM

ALONG WITH ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH TIDES BROUGHT IN A LARGE FETCH OF WATER

ALONG COASTAL COMMUNITIES. THIS CAUSED SERIOUS COASTAL FLOODING AND BEACH

EROSION PROBLEMS RESULTING IN BROKEN SEAWALLS AND MASSIVE PROPERTY LOSS.

THE STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION ALSO REDUCED VISIBILITIES

TO NEAR ZERO AND CAUSED TRAVEL TO BECOME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. MAJOR

POWER OUTAGES WERE ALSO THE RESULT OF THE STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY

PRECIPITATION. EVENTUALLY THE PRECIPITATION CHANGED TO RAIN ON

CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS REDUCING SNOW TOTALS AS THE STORM'S

PROXIMITY AND STRENGTH BROUGHT WARMER AIR INTO COASTAL SECTIONS.

THE STORM FINALLY MOVED NORTHEAST INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES

TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY BUT ITS EFFECTS WERE FELT LONG AFTER ITS

DEPARTURE. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE EITHER STRANDED OR HOMELESS AS

A RESULT OF THIS STORM.

STORM STATISTICS: PRESIDENT CARTER DECLARED PORTIONS OF RHODE ISLAND

AND COASTAL MASSACHUSETTS FEDERAL DISASTER AREAS. THE NATIONAL GUARD

WAS BROUGHT IN TO HELP WITH THE CLEANUP.

DEATHS AND INJURIES REPORTED BY THE AMERICAN RED CROSS:

MASSACHUSETTS: 73 DEATHS AND 4324 INJURIES/ILLNESSES

RHODE ISLAND : 26 DEATHS AND 232 INJURIES/ILLNESSES

VEHICLES STRANDED:3000 CARS AND 500 TRUCKS ON RTE. 128 IN MASSACHUSETTS.

DAMAGE:

$500 MILLION IN MASSACHUSETTS

$15 MILLION IN RHODE ISLAND

$14 MILLION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

DURATION: APPROXIMATELY 32 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES IN BOSTON.

STORM'S SNOW TOTAL: GENERALLY ONE TO THREE FEET WITH SOMEWHAT LOWER

TOTALS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS COAST. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS

WERE ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS AND INTERIOR RHODE ISLAND.

BOSTON 27.1 INCHES ‑ ALL TIME RECORD SINCE 1871.

PROVIDENCE 27.6 INCHES ‑ ALL TIME RECORD SINCE 1905.

PEAK WIND GUSTS ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE:

BOSTON 79 MPH

CHATHAM 93 MPH

TIDES: MORE THAN 16 FEET ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS

COMPARISON IN BOSTON: MORE RECENTLY THE APRIL FOOL'S DAY BLIZZARD OF 1997

DUMPED 25.4 INCHES OF SNOW IN BOSTON IN 24 HOURS. THIS IS NOW THE GREATEST

24 HOUR SNOW TOTAL ON RECORD IN BOSTON. HOWEVER THE STORM TOTAL OF 25.4

INCHES WAS SECOND PLACE TO THE GREAT NORTHEAST BLIZZARD. THE HIGHEST WIND

GUST IN COMPARISON WAS 53 MPH. THE WEIGHT OF THE SNOW DID CAUSE MAJOR

POWER OUTAGES AND MADE TRAVEL DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. HOWEVER COASTAL

FLOODING WAS MINOR. IT WAS SUCH AN UNUSUAL BLIZZARD BECAUSE IT DUMPED

UNUSUALLY HIGH SNOW TOTALS FOR SO LATE IN THE WINTER SEASON.

THE SNOW TOTALS FOR THE APRIL FOOL'S BLIZZARD IN WORCESTER AND PROVIDENCE

WERE 33 INCHES AND 18 INCHES RESPECTIVELY. WORCESTER'S SNOW TOTAL BROKE THE

RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST SINGLE STORM TOTAL SINCE RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN 1892.

PROVIDENCE'S SNOW TOTAL WAS THE FOURTH GREATEST SINCE RECORDS HAVE BEEN

KEPT IN 1905.

By Neal Strauss