THE NORTHEAST  BLIZZARD OF 1978
The Blizzard of 1978, known to New Englanders as the Blizzard of '78, which generated blizzard conditions across the Northeast, was born February 5, 1978 with the merger of a Canadian high-pressure system and a dense mass of low pressure off the Carolina coast.

By February 7, the storm had tracked north and taken on the cyclonic counter-clockwise flow characteristic of nor’easters. At its peak, storm winds reached speeds of 86 miles per hour with gusts of 111mph. The lowest central pressure was 980 mb, which made the storm comparable to a strong Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

Arriving at the time of a new moon, the storm produced heavy coastal flooding along the New England coast. Beachfront homes were washed away due to strong winds and coastal flooding. More than 1,700 homes suffered major damage or were destroyed and 39,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters.Federal disaster assistance totaled $202 million.

Snow fell at a rate of 4 inches an hour at times during the storm, which lasted for 36 hours. The unusual duration of the 1978 Nor’easter was caused by the Canadian high, which forced the storm to loop east and then back toward the north. Thunder, lightning and hail was seen in the blizzard as it blanketed the Northeast with over three feet of snow. Drifts in New England were reported  to be 15 feet deep.

Traffic came to a standstill as major corridors like I-95 shut down. During the storm several people died on Route 128 around Boston from asphyxiation: snow had blocked the tailpipes of their idling automobiles. In New York City schools were closed and cross-county skiers could be seen sliding up Fifth Avenue.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
The Blizzard of 78 part 1
The Blizzard of 78 part 2
Getting home is the hard part
FEB. 6, 1978 WEATHER MAP.
FEB. 7, 1978 WEATHER MAP
Inlet breakthrough threat "serious"
Snowbound: A kitchen sink caper
It was the nicest blizzard I ever had
A look at blizzards in retrospect
78 Blizzard part 1
78 Blizzard part 2
Storm clean to cost city
Revere Beach Parkway drive
The snows of forgetfulness in the cruel season part 1
The snows of forgetfulness in the cruel season part 2
Storm brought out the best in TV
Even the forecasters were dumbfounded by the might of the blizzard
NEWSPAPER PHOTOS
The great LI blizzard of '78
Eastbound lane of Sunrise Hwy near Bellport exit
Digging out at the Patchogue railroad station
The old heave-ho
After duty chores.
OH YEAH,wish you owned one of these this week
ROLL'EM,a newspaper delivery truck
Sunrise Highway, William Floyd Parkway
Car stalled on Sunrise Hwy
Another car on Sunrise Highway
The scene the morning after
There somewhere
Young man with big job
More digging to do
Eerie snow scenes
Callahan tunnel-no. station
Buried ice cream trucks
Then floods took their turn
Mayflower the second
Solitary boatman tries to get into his flooded home
relentless tide shows no compassion
Minot Lighthouse
People helping people
High tide of salty slush and ice
A boy walks among rubble
Cars and parking meters almost disappeared
The combat was snowbound
The angry sea swirls
homes along Taylor road were ripped from their foundations
OTHER SITES ON THE BLIZZARD OF 78
The Blizzard of '78 Gallery
A Snow Plow Driver Remembers His Close Encounters of the Weird Kind
Welcome to the Simons Family blizzard of 78 website
Blizzard of '78
Blizzard of 78' Addendum
Blizzard paralyzes mass.
A Look Back At The Blizzard Of '78
Blizzard of '78 Letters
Side story-The blizzard of 78
The Blizzard of '78 in Boston
The Blizzard of '78 from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 6, 1978 -

the "Great Blizzard of '78" struck New England. By the time the storm ended late on the 7th, Boston had 27.1 inches of new snow to set an all-time single storm snowfall record. Up to 50 inches fell in northern Rhode Island. A tremendous east-northeasterly gradient was set up as the low (984 millibars) bucked up against an enormous 1052 millibar high to the north. Winds gusted to 92 mph at Chatham, Massachusetts. East facing coastal sections were devastated by 4 successive high tides. The 14 foot tide recorded at Portland, Maine was perhaps the highest this century. 75 people were killed and total damage was 500 million dollars
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Blizzard part 1
Blizzard part 2
Surf chews beaches and tumbles houses part 1
Surf chews beaches and tumbles houses part 2
Orphans of the storm,find Saints,Devils part 1
Orphans of the storm,find Saints,Devils part 2
Orphans of the storm,find Saints,Devils part 3
Northeastweathereye.com
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