In Central New York it’s the Blizzard of ’66, but in New England they talk about the Blizzard of 1978. I was a junior in college at Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island back then. This Friday marks the 32nd anniversary of that blockbuster event no one saw coming.
Lacking the sophisticated forecasting equipment available today, meteorologists predicted the low pressure system forming off the Carolina coast would move north and produce 6 inches of snow. They didn’t foresee the storm would merge with high pressure pulling down from Canada and stall over Martha’s Vineyard for four days. The hurricane-strength monster blew winds of 83 miles per hour with gusts reaching 111. Snow fell at a rate of two to four inches per hour. A series of high tides in the New Moon flooded coastal communities and wiped out 1,700 homes. By the time businesses and schools closed early that first day, roads were impassable. People famously abandoned their cars on the highways around Boston and others died trying to stay warm in their cars as the accumulating snow blocked off tail pipes.
My world was small at that time. Classes at Salve were canceled for more than a week so my friends and I celebrated the huge snowfall with the predictable snowmen, snow angels and snowball fights, and then we got down to the business of digging out cars in the dorm parking lots.
I had a boat of a chocolate brown 1973 Oldsmobile 98 with rear wheel drive, as useless in the snow as every other car on the road in those days, but my pal Sue Bianchi had a precursor to an SUV. There were no transfer cases like the kind make by New Process Gear to switch between two and four-wheel drive so we had to remove the lug nuts from all four wheels and switch them with something else, the detail of which I can’t remember, in order to get all four wheels into gear. It was rugged and super cool and one of the rare vehicles allowed on the roads that paralyzed week, when driving anything besides a four-wheel drive truck could get you a ticket.
With classes called off, campus got kind of boring after a while and when they allowed cars on the roads again I decided to drive home to Worcester to hang out there. That’s when I learned the perils of relying on the National Guard from Tennessee to plow snow. I was cruising along the relatively cleaned up highway when I came around a bend and saw where someone had plowed snow until they stopped. It was a wall of white smack dab across the entire passing lane. Were it not for quick reflexes and space in the lane beside me, I might have hit that wall head on and become another victim of the storm.
Those are my memories of the biggest snow storm of my life. To see some photos, cut and paste the link below. You’ll find photos from Boston television station WCVB.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/slideshow/weather/15085523/detail.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Thebostonchannel%2Flocal+%28TheBostonChannel.com+-+News%29&utm_content=Twitt
Loading ...
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Maureen,
Arvy & I remember,we both were unemployed, living in a small apartment in Elmira and remember walking to the stores in the snow,but we had been together a few months I guess the bloom of new love got us through the winter without being aware of how bad it was .
Ain’t love grand !!!
Will & Arvy
Hi Maureen. I remember that storm and I was only 13. I remember my ride on the school bus up Rt. 26 to West Leyden. It was like driving through a snow tunnel. All you could see on each side of the road was a wall of snow.It was kind of eerie and everyone of the kids on that bus was silent and in awe of what we were seeing. Thank God I wasn’t old enough to drive in it. However, I’m sure my father , Denny,could tell you how it was to snow blow in that weather. Also, the fun side of it was that my father and I both raced sled dogs for a hobby. Nice peaceful trails up North. I will never forget it.
Hi Maureen, I do have a connection to the Blizzard of 78. I was in Jamaica, Feb. school break. My first trip out of USA other than Canada. We were there SAt. to Sat. and on Wed. we met some really fun gals from Boston. They were 4 days late on their trip as they could not get out, due to blizzard. We spent 3 days with them and they were raring to go. I always remember them and how they tried to make up for the days they missed. Watching SU game and finally saw a sunset. ElNino in Fla. and it’s been dark and cold. No snow, no ice but need some sun. Sounds like Syr. has had more sun this week than Fla. Go SU, # 3 in the ranks. Carol
You and I were in the same place at the same time back then, Mo. I remember being stuck at my boyfriend, Tom Grzebien’s, house across the bridge in Narragansett, R.I. and taking a sled to get groceries on foot. It was all fun and magical. The snow was nothing unusual compared to my youthful days in the ‘Cuse. Thanks for jogging my memory. Talk to you soon. xo
Will and Arvy, what a great observation about love and winter. Dr. Phil says relationships are 100 percent attitude. I do enjoy your musings. Thank you.
Yes Babes, it was quite a storm. I was about 21, so I was driving in it, but I had no idea of the destruction all around New England. It was only after looking at the photos in the Boston location this week that I could appreciate what happened. Thanks for your thoughts.
Carol, that’s a great memory of your Boston pals in ’78. Funny how we remember things like that. I’ll bet you hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Yes we are cozy up here in Syracuse, but I’m not so sure of the sunshine thing. I still think Florida in a cloudy spell has more sun than Syracuse in a bright streak. Who cares when the Orange are doing so well?
Yes Dee, we could look at the snow event as a lot of fun back then. Of course, now that we are homeowners, the thought of a blast of winter like that is scary isn’t it? You know what they say about youth.
Looks like a major nor’easter is coming over the Feb 7th weekend, with a foot or more of snow and weather similar to the ’78 storm.
Hi Mo!
Yea, that was a fun week of being snowed in. I remember it taking almost an hour to walk through the snow to get from Conley to Miley Hall for meals. After a few days we figured out it took the same amount of time to walk in the opposite direction to the Tavern! I am still in contact with Steve, and we often talk of how wonderful those days at Salve were, filled with lots of laughs and great friendships that will last a lifetime. I think I might pull down my box of old photos this weekend and see if I have any of the Blizzard of ’78.
Thanks for the memory jog.
Great website!
Hiya Sue! Fancy meeting you here! The Tavern. Crack me up a million times. I haven’t heard that place in way too long. So glad you found this blog. I’d love to see your Blizzard photos if you have any. Hugs, M.