The Northeastern United States Blizzard of 1978 stands out as a catastrophic nor’easter that swept through New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the New York metropolitan area, leaving a historic impact.
This powerful storm emerged on Sunday, February 5, 1978, and persisted until February 7.
Boston faced an unprecedented snowfall, registering a record-breaking 27.1 inches (69 cm), while Providence also set a record with 27.6 inches (70 cm).
Atlantic City witnessed its all-time storm accumulation of 20.1 inches (51 cm). In Chester County, two suburban towns near Philadelphia experienced 20.2 inches (51 cm) of snow, and the City of Philadelphia received 16.0 inches (41 cm).
The aftermath was profound, disrupting almost all economic activities in the hardest-hit areas.
The storm’s toll was significant, claiming approximately 100 lives and leaving around 4,500 individuals injured in the Northeast.
Vehicles stranded in the snow in the southbound lanes of Route 128 in Needham, after the Blizzard of 1978. (The National Archives)
Weather forecasting in New England is difficult, and meteorologists had developed a reputation as being inaccurate.
Forecasting techniques and technology had improved dramatically in the 1970s, but the public was still quite skeptical.
Snow failed to arrive in Monday’s pre-dawn hours as predicted, and many locals felt it to be another failed forecast.
Because of this, people had neither time nor incentive to prepare.
The region was already reeling after storms in January 1978 that left nearly two feet of snow in some areas of New England, and had caused the collapse of the roof of the Hartford Civic Center.
Although plowed, Broad St. in Stapleton is mainly a pedestrian thoroughfare. (Staten Island Advance/Robert Parsons)
Massachusetts had a protocol in place for alerting major employers to release employees early during severe storms.
Starting in the early afternoon of February 6, thousands of workers were sent home, yet many others remained caught in the storm’s grip.
The impact was profound, with some individuals stranded for several days. Numerous people found themselves stuck in their vehicles along roads throughout New England.
Tragically, fourteen lives were lost on I-95 near Boston as the snow accumulated, preventing the escape of poisonous exhaust fumes from idling vehicles.
More than 3,500 cars were found abandoned and buried on roads during the cleanup. This number excludes the countless other vehicles buried in driveways, on the sides of streets, and in parking lots.
Other transportation links were disrupted and shut down throughout the region, stranding public-transit commuters in city centers.
Abandon cars along Route 128 near Needham, Massachusetts, during the Blizzard of 1978. (The National Archives)
Rhode Island faced one of its most severe blizzards in history, taking both residents and the state government by surprise.
Despite Governor J. Joseph Garrahy’s directive for an emergency evacuation of all public buildings just before noon on February 6, a significant number of people were unable to comply promptly.
The impact was particularly severe in Providence County, Rhode Island, with towns like Lincoln, Smithfield, Woonsocket, and North Smithfield reporting snow totals exceeding 40 inches (100 cm).
Vehicles are seen stranded and abandoned in the deep snow on the exit for Burncoat Street off Interstate 290 in Worcester, Mass., Feb. 7, 1978, during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978. (AP Photo/Worcester Telegram Gazette)
In New York City, it was one of the rare times that a snowstorm closed the schools; the New York City Board of Education closed schools for snow again only once in the next 18 years, on April 7, 1982.
Most suburban districts in the area close for snow several times each winter, but they rarely do in the city itself because of relatively easy access to subways, whose ability to run is not appreciably affected by moderate snowstorms.
The storm trapped many individuals while driving, while others found themselves stranded in their homes and workplaces. Snow drifts, reaching up to 15 feet (4.6 m) in some places, blocked exits, posing significant challenges.
Notably, those who fell ill or sustained injuries during the storm had to be transported to hospitals by snowmobile. Other people left their homes and went for help by cross-country skis and sleds.
Springfield firefighters dig out a hydrant on Feb. 7, 1978. (The Republican)
Two members of the U.S. Army 27th Engineers from Fort Bragg, N.C. move their bulldozers slowly toward downtown Boston as the city began to remove the record snowfall from the streets, Feb. 11, 1978. (AP)
A car rest on top of the Indian Orchard exit of I-291 east in Springfield on Feb. 7, 1978. (The Republican)
Bonnie Alexandre, of Boston’s Brighton district, attaches a sign to the antenna of her car in Boston in this Feb. 8, 1978 file photo. Alexandre placed the sign to warn snow plows that there is a car under that drift. (AP)
Roy Sodersjerna of Higham, Mass. suns himself on the hood of his car which is stuck in snow on Massachusetts Route 128 in Dedham on Feb. 9, 1978. Sodersjerna, who waits for plows and tow trucks to dig him out, has been living at a Red Cross shelter nearby since being trapped in the storm three days earlier. (AP)
Cars and trucks are stuck and can only wait as Army and civilian plows and tow trucks approach from bridge Thursday Feb. 9, 1978 on Route 128, Dedham, Mass. (AP)
A pile of snow in a parking lot frames a view of downtown Springfield during the Blizzard of 1978. (The Republican)
Residents clear snow on Congress Street in Springfield during the Blizzard of 1978. (The Republican)
Snow plows clear the intersection of Dwight and Carew Streets in Springfield on Feb. 7, 1978 during the Blizzard of 1978. (The Republican)
Weary shovelers struggle to free two buses that blocked an entrance to the Staten Island Expressway for two hours, a common sight all along the highway. (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
Men struggle to free an ambulance carrying a heart patient that is stuck on Bard Ave., West Brighton. (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
Cars are barely visible on Townsend Ave., Clifton. (Staten Island Advance/Barry Schwartz)
Residents of Home Place., Graniteville, begin the arduous task of cleaning up from the record snow. (Staten Island Advance/Robert Parsons)
Frigid temperatures turned many flooded streets into sheets – or chunks – of ice. These cars stuck under the Staten Island Rapid Transit overpass on Amboy Road, Bay Terrace. (Staten Island Advance/Robert Parsons)
February 9, 1978, some of these people had a long wait for the bus on Victory Boulevard. in Tompkinsville, only to have it get stuck in the snow around the corner after they boarded. (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
There’s a lot of space to park in the municipal parking lot in St. George, but you had to fight the snow to find the spots. (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
At noon on February 8, 1978, business at the St. George Ferry Terminal was hardly “as usual” thanks to Ol’ Man Winter. (Staten Island Advance photo)
Autos have made ruts in the ice on this section of Olympia Boulevard. (Staten Island Advance/Frank J. Johns)
Passengers board the S-6 bus on Bay St., near the ferry, during a blizzard on February 6-7, 1978. (Staten Island Advance photo)
A Sanitation snow plow is welcome relief to residents on Naughton Ave., Ocean Breeze. (Staten Island Advance/Robert Parsons)
A Volkswagen “bug” splashes through the water at Victory Blvd. and Jewett Ave. (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
On February 6, 1978, skis were a good way to get around, as this couple demonstrates on Kingsley Street in West Brighton. (Staten Island Advance/ Tony Carannante)
Parking was difficult on Richmond Terrace in front of the 120th Precinct in St. George (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
Mounds of snow along Victory Boulevard in Tompkinsville (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)
This resident of Miami County, Ohio finds an innovative way to travel. (Wright State University Archives)
Blizzard conditions arrived in Dayton early in the morning on Jan 26, 1978. (Wright State University Archives)
(Photo credit: Staten Island Advance / Wikimedia Commons / Pinterest/ Flickr).