It is officially winter, meaning we are well into blizzard season. Today, when Mother Nature dumps snow that can be measured in feet, not inches, it is a huge inconvenience. In the past, when weather forecasting was limited and communication was slow, a blizzard could be deadly.
Blizzard of 1888. Snow piled up in front of a New York store. Photograph. (Getty Images)
As these colorized photographs of the past show, a blizzard could cripple a town and isolate rural folks for days or weeks. Snow removal was a daunting task before the creation of snowplows and dump trucks. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest, most memorable blizzards of the past.
The Children’s Blizzard
When an unexpected blizzard hit the Great Plains in 1888, it had deadly results. (wunderground.com)
January 12, 1888, started out as a fairly mild day, which led families across the plains states to believe that it was safe for their children to walk the few miles to the one-room country schoolhouses scattered throughout the prairie settlements. But that afternoon, a blizzard struck, catching them all unaware. Temperatures dropped to -40 degrees factored for the wind chill. As the wind picked up and the snow began to blow, many of the schoolteachers, many of them just teenaged girls, sent the students home early. Unfortunately, many of them did not make it home before the full force of the blizzard struck. In all 235 people were killed in the blizzard.
The Great White Hurricane of 1888
Can you imagine removing all that snow with just a shovel? (weatherconcierge.com)
The year 1888 spawned another memorable blizzard. This one hit the East Coast from March 11 to 14, 1888, and brought the cities of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia to a grinding halt. The hurricane-force winds created snowdrifts that were more than fifty feet high. Roads were impassable. Trains couldn’t get through. The winds even knocked out telegraph lines. Even after the snow stopped falling, the city dwellers weren’t in the clear. It took weeks to clear the snow and get the cities moving again. When the snow melted, flooding caused a tremendous amount of damage. In New York City, more than 200 people died in the Great White Hurricane of 1888. Across the East Coast, the death toll exceeded 400.
Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899
This colorized photograph from 1899 shows government officials in Tallahassee, Florida, enjoying a snowball fight on the steps of the state capital. (Tallahassee.com)
The Great Blizzard of 1899 was also called the Great Arctic Outbreak, which is probably a more appropriate name for this weather event, which took place from February 11 to 14. As with any blizzard, snow was a factor in the Great Arctic Outbreak, but the real issue was the cold temperatures and wide swath of the storm. The storm stretched as far north as Saskatchewan and as far south as Cuba. Temperatures plummeted. Many parts of the South saw unprecedented snow and below-freezing temperatures. In the Northeast, this storm produced temperatures that were so low they still hold record lows today. It was -9 in Atlanta, -2 in Tallahassee, -35 in Dayton, -47 in Camp Clark, Nebraska, and -61 in Fort Logan, Montana. For the annual Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans, it was 22 degrees. The parade’s start was delayed because workers had to shovel snow from the parade route.
The Frozen Fury of 1913
Sailors on the Great Lakes struggled against the Frozen Fury or 1913. (canadiangeographic.ca)
Two massive storm systems collided over the Great Lakes from November 7 to 11, 1913. The storm brought mountains of snow and winds of more than 100 miles per hour. Waves topped 35 feet in height. It was a true November gale. The storm hit without warning, leaving ships on the Great Lakes vulnerable. Some ships were smashed against rocks or ran aground. On Lake Superior, one ship was frozen in the water. Ships on Lake Huron caught the brunt of the aggressive storm. In just a six-hour period of time, eight ships sank taking 187 sailors to a frigid death. In total, more than 250 sailors on the Great Lakes perished in the Frozen Fury of 1913.
The Knickerbocker Blizzard
The aftermath of the Knickerbocker Blizzard. (history.com)
A powerful blizzard hit the mid-Atlantic states on January 27 and 28, 1922. In a short amount of time, the storm dumped 28 inches of snow on Washington D.C. At 9 p.m. on the evening of the 28th, the blizzard caused the Knickerbocker Theatre to collapse, trapping theatre goers who braved the storm to see a new silent film, “Get Rich Quick, Wallingford”. Rescue workers had to battle the weather to reach survivors in the rubble. The accident claimed the lives of 98 people and injured an additional 133.
The Blizzard of ‘78
Who remembers the Blizzard of '78? (ymcaofcentrecounty.org)
One of the worse blizzards in U.S. history struck the Midwest and Ohio Valley on February 5 to 7, 1978. Snow and hurricane-force winds crippled much of the area, knocking out power to thousands of people. Without heat and water, more than 10,000 people had to hunker down in shelters. Many areas saw record snowfall amounts. Highways were clogged with abandoned cars. Places like South Bend, Indiana, and Muskegon, Michigan, recorded more than four feet of snow. Drifts exceeded ten feet in many places. Even with modern snow removal equipment, it took a week or longer to dig out from the Blizzard of ’78.
