The Blizzard of 1978 was a severe Nor'easter that affected the New England area of the United States, and to a lesser but still significant extent the New York metropolitan area. A storm that occurred in the Great Lakes region during 1978 is called the Great Blizzard of 1978, though the two are not the same. Noreaster is a colloquial term for a macro scale storm whose winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the northeastern United States. ... The Flag of Plymouth Colony, also know as the First Flag of New England First Flag of New England, 1686-c. ... State nickname: The Empire State Official languages English Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Clinton (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 13. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... The Great Blizzard of 1978 struck parts of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes on January 26, 1978. ...

The Blizzard of 1978 formed on February 5, 1978, and broke up on February 8, 1978. The snowfall occurred primarily between the morning of 6th and the evening of 7th. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were particularly hard hit by this storm. In all, up to 55 inches of snow fell in some areas. February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... State nickname: The Constitution State Official languages English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Governor M. Jodi Rell (R) Senators Chris Dodd (D) Joe Lieberman (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 48th 14,371 km² 12. ... State nickname: The Ocean State, Little Rhody Official languages None Capital Providence Largest city Providence Governor Donald Carcieri (R) Senators Jack Reed (D) Lincoln Chafee (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 50th 4,005 km² 32. ... State nickname: Bay State Official languages English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney (R) Senators Edward Kennedy (D), John Kerry (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 44th 27,360 km² 25. ...

At the time, there was no comparable storm in the memory of the people of New England, though the Blizzard of 1888 and the Great Snow of 1717 were named as storms that were similar in their magnitude. New York City The Blizzard of 1888 (March 11, 1888 – March 14, 1888) paralyzed the Northeastern United States. ...

Storm Formation

The Blizzard of 1978 formed after three air masses merged into one. One air mass had formed over western Pennsylvania, another over northern Georgia, and the third over the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina. State nickname: The Keystone State Official languages None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Senators Arlen Specter (R) Rick Santorum (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 33rd 119,283 km² 2. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State; Old North State Official languages English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Senators Elizabeth Dole (R) Richard Burr (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 9. ...

These three air masses combined and intensified primarily off the coast of New Jersey. Unlike most storms that hit New England after forming off the New Jersey shore and moving northward, the blizzard did not lose strength after passing over Long Island, causing it to hit New England at full strength. State nickname: The Garden State Official languages None defined, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Acting, Outgoing Jon Corzine (D) (Governor-Elect) Senators Jon Corzine (D) (Outgoing) Bob Menendez (D) (named as Corzines replacement) Frank Lautenberg (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 47th 22... This article is about Long Island in New York State. ...

The storm occurred at the same time a high pressure area was stationary over eastern Canada. Because of this high pressure area, the blizzard was effectively trapped over New England.

Storm Strength

The storm's incredible strength was made apparent by the sustained near-hurricane level winds of approximately 65 mph and the formation of an eyelike structure located in the middle of the storm. While a typical Nor'easter brings steady snow for six to twelve hours, this storm brought snow for a full 36 hours while it was blocked from the North Atlantic by the Canadian high pressure area. This article is about weather phenomena. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...

An atypical vertical development of the 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 a rate of 4 inches an hour at times. Cumulus of fair weather A cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. ... Thundersnow is a particularly rare meteorological phenomenon that includes the typical behavior of a thunderstorm but with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain. ...

Conditions

One of the major problems with the Blizzard of 1978 was the lack of knowledge about the storm's severity. Because weather forecasting in New England is difficult, meteorologists had developed a reputation as being inaccurate. In areas where the storm had been well reported in advance, some people chose to ignore the reports. Forecasting techniques and technology had improved dramatically in the 1970s, but the public was still quite skeptical. Because of this, people did not have enough time or will to prepare properly for the blizzard. Weatherman redirects here. ...

Many people were stranded in their cars along roads and highways throughout the New England region. Several people perished on Interstate 93/Route 128 as snow piled high enough to prevent the exhaust from escaping from their idling vehicles (this section of highway is now officially I-93/US 1...the "Exit 64N" in the famous pictures of this incident is now signed as "Exit 2B"). Over 3,500 cars were found abandoned and buried in the middle of roads during the clean-up effort. This figure does not include the countless other vehicles buried in driveways, on the sides of streets, and in parking lots. A typical rural county road in Indiana, USA, where traffic drives on the right. ... Mitchell Freeway in Perth, Western Australia For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ... Interstate 93 is an interstate highway in the New England section of the United States. ... Route 128 is a circumferential or ring highway in eastern Massachusetts with Boston at its center and surrounded by the concentric Interstate 495. ... United States Highway 1 is a United States highway which parallels the east coast of the United States. ...

In New York City, it was one of the rare times that a snowstorm closed the schools; in fact, the New York City school district would not close again due to snow until the Blizzard of 1996, 18 years later. While most suburban districts in the area close for snow several times each winter, they rarely do in the city itself because of relatively easy access to underground subways whose ability to run is not appreciably affected by moderate snowstorms. The construction of the Empire State Building, 1930. ... The construction of the Empire State Building, 1930. ... The Blizzard of 1996 was a noreaster that paralyzed the U.S. East Coast with up to four feet (1. ...

While many people had been caught in the storm while driving, most others were trapped in their homes or offices with snow drifts of up to 15 feet in some places blocking the exits. In many cases, those who had become ill or had been injured during the storm had to be taken to hospitals via snowmobile. Other people were able to leave their homes and travel for assistance via cross-country skis and sleds. One unofficial report stated that 4% of the students, staff, and faculty at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, incurred some sort of injury requiring medical attention as a result of the blizzard. A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park, note the snowdust in the air (NPS Photo) A snowmobile (or snow scooter, often referred to by enthusiasts as a sled and in the Canadian north and Alaska as a snowmachine) is a land vehicle propelled by one or two rubber tracks, with... Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ... A sled, sledge or sleigh is a vehicle with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling. ... Brown University is an Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island. ... Nickname: Beehive of Industry Motto: {{{motto}}} Official website: http://www. ...

There was also the issue of flooding along coastal areas. The fierce winds from the storm combined with the precipitation forced the water up over the land along the Atlantic, Long Island Sound, Cape Cod Bay, and other bodies of water. New York City waterways: 1. ... Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. ...

Aftermath and Recovery

Many people were left without heat, water, food, and electricity for over a week after it finished. Approximately 10,000 people were forced to temporarily move into emergency shelters. Some 2,500 houses were reported seriously damaged or destroyed and 17 people were killed. The majority of the interstate system had to be shut down, with some stretches not reopening to traffic until the next week. Air and rail traffic also had to be shut down until the situation cleared up. Electric power is the amount of work done by an electric current in a unit time. ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ... Interstate Highways in the lower 48 states. ...

Because the snowfall rates were so high, plows could not keep up with removal as fresh amounts fell, causing it to pile up too high to be plowed easily. Plows were further hampered by the amount of cars stuck on the roads because of the heavy snow. In Boston, much of the snow had to be hauled and dumped in the harbor. A small sidewalk clearing plow in Ottawa, Canada A snowplow (or snow plow, US Engish; in UK English, snowplough or snow plough) is a vehicle, or a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, for removing snow and sometimes ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. ...

A state of emergency was declared and the United States National Guard was called out to help clear the roads. It took almost a week to clear the roads as buried cars and trucks needed to be removed before the roads could be cleaned; some side streets, such as Dunster Road in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood were so piled with snow plowed from bigger streets that they were not cleared until the snow melted months later. A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, may work to alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or may order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. ... Seal of the National Guard Bureau Seal of the Army National Guard Seal of the Air National Guard // Background The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. ... Boston is a town and small port c. ... Jamaica Plain, more commonly known as JP, is an historic neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. ...

Extensive beach erosion occurred on the east coast of Massachusetts. Especially hard-hit were Cape Cod and Cape Ann, both located on the eastern shore of Massachusetts. On Cape Cod, the Pamet River broke through to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time during this storm, completely washing away the link between the North and South Pamet Roads. The town chose not to re-construct the link, though the right-of-way is still open to pedestrians. Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and other particles) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case of bioerosion). ... Cape Cod and the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastline Cape Cod and Cape Cod Bay from space, April 1997. ... Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula located in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Many homes along the New England and Long Island coastlines were destroyed or washed into the ocean.