'Apocalyptic!' 45th anniversary of Blizzard of '78 brings back vivid memories in New England
BOSTON - It's been 45 years since the benchmark of winter storms hit New England - the Blizzard of '78.
It was the big one, the one not many were prepared for, the one that stranded people at work, at home and in their cars. It brought mountains of snow drifts to neighborhoods and brought some of the worst coastal flooding some communities had ever experienced. It brought the region to a standstill for weeks, but it also brought people together.
There was no internet in 1978, there were no cell phones, no quick way to share developing information or changes to the forecast other than radio and TV. Even so, storm coverage was minimal during that time compared to the continuous coverage of storms today.
After a series of storms earlier that year (12-to-20 inches just a week before), the forecast was widely overlooked for this one. Snow was predicted to start during the very early morning hours of February 6th, but was delayed a few hours, so as many folks got up for the day, they went to work and school anyways.
Then the snow came... and it came fierce.
It snowed for 37 hours with rates up to 4 inches an hour at times. People attempted to leave work, and or school and many got stranded on the highway or had to walk back home in heavy snow and strong winds.
The main band of snow crushed eastern Massachusetts in the Route 128 and I-95 corridor from Cape Ann to Providence, including Boston.
Snow piled up 25-to-45 inches with even higher drifts thanks to winds that gusted to 79 mph at Boston and up to 93 mph at Chatham. Boston had 27.1 inches of snow which, at the time, was a record.
While Cape Cod had lesser snow amounts, the intense wind and fetch over the water for the duration of the storm and 3 to 4 tide cycles brought significant flooding to the coast. The tides were the highest of the month as they coincided with a new moon, so ocean water had pushed into coastal neighborhoods washing out roads and houses in some communities. First responders were traveling in boats to help people who were trapped.
While we have had plenty of snowstorms, nor'easters and blizzards since then, this one is the one that we always look back to as how bad could it be. Some would say we've had worse, but the impact in 1978 was widespread and lasted weeks in some areas.
Thankfully, technology has greatly increased and so have our forecasting capabilities. We also can communicate change and warnings in almost an instant through social media, TV and the internet. With better long-range forecasts, our public works have a longer period of time to prepare for these big events. And when a storm hits, our infrastructure and volume of public works employees and machines have increased since then.
We learned a lot of lessons that storm, but one thing we also learned is that the human spirit was truly kind. It brought out the best in New Englanders from first responders to neighbors helping each other get through the storm. Most people alive during that time have a story to tell and vivid memories of that event.
Here are some of the memories shared with us this week:
"I was in third grade in Sudbury and delighted to have two weeks off school. I remember Gov. Dukakis in his famous sweater, walking/sledding/skiing to the store only to find empty shelves, enormous snow mountains great for sledding, snow forts and the camaraderie of good neighbors." - Mike Arnum
"First time I saw the Atlantic coming up B Street in Hull, I hollered "Ma, the water's coming up the street." She said "stop being dramatic." The town was fully under water. Our basement was flooded for days." - Seth Gitell
"Left work day storm came in. Going up ramp to get onto 128 car in front started sliding. Passed it on ramp or my van gets stuck. Made it home to Waltham. Next day walked to bridge over 128. Snow covered abandoned cars scattered as far as eye could see." - Tom Crutcher
"Spent most of it ringing the register at the only convenience store open in a mile or 2 radius" - Bruce Adams
"I was a child. I remember the snowdrifts higher than the car and the street getting plowed 2 weeks later. we had a snow packed path going down the street and pulled the sled up to the stop and shop with lists from all the neighbors. It was memorable." - Keith Collins
"I was at school when it started....We had so much fun! No cars on the road meant we could sled down the street all day!" - Mary Thompson Galindo
"I was 9 years old and it was the best two weeks of my childhood!" - Trish Shea
"We were at the Beanpot! Got back to our car but the lot was unplowed so we were stuck. Stayed at the BU astronomy club office for two nights, then a friend's apartment for the rest of the week until we could drive home. Apocalyptic!" - Steven Jong