These Arctic and subtropical jet streams merged (with maximum winds of 150 knots) which led the deepening Gulf low-pressure system, which had moved over Alabama and Georgia, to undergo explosive cyclogenesis and move rapidly northward towards West Virginia during the evening of January 25 (with record low pressures were logged across parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic). A powerful Arctic jet stream (containing a wind max of 110 knots) surged straight south through the Northern Great Plains while a powerful subtropical jet (containing a wind max of 130 knots) moved south through Arizona, both during the time a huge upper ridge of high pressure forced the Pacific jet north into Northern Canada. Late on Tuesday, January 24, 1978, surface maps revealed a moisture-laden Gulf low-pressure system developing over the southern United States, while a separate and unrelated low-pressure system was present over the Upper Midwest. The third lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the mainland United States occurred as the storm passed over Mount Clemens, Michigan, where barometer readings fell to 956.0 mb (28.23 inHg) on January 26. ![]() It is often cited as one of the most severe blizzards in US history. The Great Blizzard of 1978 was a historic winter storm that struck the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions of the United States as well as Southern Ontario in Canada from Wednesday, January 25 through Friday, January 27, 1978. Part of the 1977–78 North American winter 9, 1978, in Hampton, N.H., to see if anyone was trapped inside.Surface map on the morning of January 26, 1978Ĭentral United States, Eastern United States, Eastern Canada (AP Photo/file) A National Guardsman checks a stranded car on Feb. move their bulldozers slowly toward downtown Boston as the city began to remove the record snowfall from the streets, seen in this Feb. Army 27th Engineers from Fort Bragg, N.C. There are still challenges today, he noted, citing the recent deadly snowstorm in Buffalo that was very well forecasted but hit right before Christmas. “Now we’re barraged with it, so it’s hard to not be aware of the evolving forecasts.” “Now people are getting the weather forecast on their smartphone, on social media. People back then only saw the forecast in the newspaper, evening news or heard it on the radio. Some drivers back then thought they had a few hours to get home before the heavy snow arrived, but then the heavy snow came down pretty quickly and they got stranded on the highway.Īlso, the public response would be better today because of the numerous communication platforms to help get the word out. “Now, we see signals 5, 6, 7 days ahead of time that there’s going to be a big storm.”Īlso, if the storm happened today, improvements in modeling would help forecasters provide more specific details regarding timing of the heaviest snow, as well as impacts from coastal flooding. “A forecast a couple days in advance was a pretty bold forecast back then,” Nash said. Winter Storm Watches were issued by early Sunday morning with the expectation of near blizzard conditions and substantial snowfall. 6.įorecasts began to ramp up the threat over the weekend. 3, local meteorologists were aware of the potential for a significant winter storm that would hit on Monday, Feb. While the forecast technology wasn’t nearly as advanced as it is today, the blizzard was considered to be well forecasted for the time back then. ![]() Massachusetts estimated losses from the storm at $500 million. The Red Cross provided shelter for more than 39,000 people who were stranded or forced from their homes by the storm. More than 1,700 single-family dwellings were destroyed or suffered major damage. ![]() The Blizzard of ’78 remains the second greatest snowstorm on record for Boston with 27.1 inches of snow, just behind the Blizzard of 2003 when 27.6 inches of snow were measured.Īcross the Northeast, the American Red Cross reported 99 deaths and 4,587 injuries or illnesses attributable to the storm.
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