Blizzard of 1978
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- The Blizzard of 1978 happened 30 years ago next week, and residents of the South Shore of Boston and Southeastern Massachusetts remember it as if it were yesterday. The Patriot Ledger and The Enterprise asked people, from fire chiefs to commuters caught in the storm's fury, what stories they still tell about it. The storm began on Feb. 6, 1978 and just wouldn't quit.
What fantastic footage of Revere! One of the best days of my life was the day the sun finally came out. The morning after it stopped I had to walk out of Waltham where I worked to get to an intersection at the end of the trolley in Belmont. Nothing moving but snow flying up from behind one 8-foot bank. Over the bank we slide down into a tiny commuter's restaurant. The place was wall-to-wall cops. They couldn't go anywhere either and well, they had donuts, and you know a cop looks at a donut; with love in their eyes. Finally got a ride to Harvard Square from a guy in an old station wagon with no glass in his windows, just plastic sheeting taped over them. I lived in Cambridge about 2 blocks from Harvard Square at the time. and there it was just one huge party. There was a 26' snow pile in Harvard Square with about 50 people having an incredible snowball fight for "King of the Mountain". The National Guard came by in half-tracks which were the only vehicles that could get around and got a big cheer. Nothing moving but snow flying up from behind one 8-foot bank. The real problem came when I tried to get up my driveway. The drive was about 40' long and 5' deep in snow. I finally had to "swim" up it in a breaststroke using my open coat to keep me from sinking down with each stroke. By the time I got about 3/4 of the way up I was getting so tired I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it, but all my yelling finally paid off and my father looked out the door and saw me. He threw me a life ring from our boat that was being stored in the basement and he and my brother pulled me in. After we got the driveway clear I went exploring and had one of the best days of my life. Later I went down the street and helped out neighbor hook up his Newfoundland to a sled so he could get to work. He was an emergency room doctor and knew they would need him. A BIG strong young rambunctious dog tied to a sled made for quite a ride. It was a blast. Well that is more than enough of my story, but thanks for posting this, it sure brought the memories back and I have a big smile on right now.
We were 14 year old boys when the storm hit and I tell ya it was the greatest 5 days of snowbound fun any 14 year old could have!
I think the statue of limitations is covering me for this story as we broke into a certain skating rink and skated for days playing neighborhood pick up hockey games for days, then we turned to Central Junior High in Weymouth and jumped off the roof doing back flips into the snow banks! and on and on the fun never stopped. Wow! The Blizzard of 78 was so much fun!
HEY...Lol, The kids were having a BLAST!! They were LOVIN it!!! I was in Brockton, and I was out walking around in the middle of it. A friend of mine that I knew from High school was in the national gaurd, he was driving a gaurd truck and stopped to pick me up and drove me to a friends house where I stayed during the rest of the storm. I was walking on snowmobile tracks. I'm in Nashville, TN now and if they got this, HANG IT UP!!!
Anyone who lived through this will never forget it...It was unlike any other blizzard...before or since. I lived in NE Ct at the time and we ended up with close to 4 ft of snow...with wind drifts as high as 10 feet. My mother in law lived next ddor to us...and it still took us over 20 min to walk through her yard to her door.
My sister in law went into olabor and was brought to the highway by snowmobile...the National Guard was waiting there to take her to the hospital. They had to drive on the grassy strip that separates the highway lanes...because hundreds of cars were trapped and abandoned on the highway.
Where ever you were when the storm hit...is where you stayed until it was over...days later. Bars, stores, work, etc...It was surreal in many ways...but it was also awesome. To see how entire neighborhoods came together to help each other. So many people lost power, ran out of water and food...but we all helped each other. Strangers stayed at our house for days because we had a wood stove...
What an unbelievable experience... my mom and I were snowed in to our home and had to jump from the 2nd floor windows, to get help... 2 days later. The destruction and impact to my home town was stunning! I'll never forget going to see the damage over the next weeks. Houses gone all together or more incredible, half a house gone and the other half left totally in tact, dishes on the table, plants on the mantle. I'll never forget the images from this storm.
Nice vid. Love the recorded comments. The harbor master is great. I also love the guy from Middleboro who said the storm wasn’t predicted. I’m a meteorologist. Born and raised in SE Mass. lived through 78. He’s absolutely right. Yes, a few meteorologists called it. I believe Harvey Leonard did. Kudos to him. But most mets didn’t. To this day, and I was only a kid at the time, I still remember Don Kent the evening before forecasting flurries. No, I’m not trying to throw Kent under the bus. He’s one of the best and not here to defend himself. And Lord knows, forecasting then wasn’t what it is today. So, I don’t say this as criticism of Don Kent. Love him. He was fabulous. All I’m saying is... let’s not pretend that this storm was expected. It wasn’t. The meteorologists who got it right, like Harvey Leonard, were few and far between. Most expected the storm to pass out to sea with little impact. That was why so many were caught on 128. That’s why this is the storm to end all storms in southern New England. It wasn’t just epic, but it hit largely without warning. Perhaps some readers/viewers will think there WAS warning. Kudos to you. You are a discerning viewer; you were paying attention to the exceptional forecasts of Harvey Leonard or the like. But for most of us who lived through it, no, it most definitely was NOT predicted.
I lived in Taunton then, and we thought not to much would happen , Surprise! Grew up with Don Kent , but this was " the perfect storm" things just happen in southern New England like that.
I lived in Bridgwater at that time. I remember when Mr.Kent was only predicting flurries...Yeah, 38" of flurries! My dad worked for my uncles in Plympton, plowing snow on Rte's 3, 44, & 58. Didnt see my dad for over 7 days.
I was on a ferry sent home from work early bc of the storm.. turned out to be the last ferry -which didn't come back into service til 8 days later! The ferry almost sank about 4 times. Very scarey...
I was there! Millville Mass as a kid. We played in the snow for days and days!
I was 14 y.o. and a resident of Everett. It was a BLAST...we had over two weeks off school, and did a lot of sledding!!! I remember the 10' snow drifts!! We had to walk anywhere we needed to go...but I always loved walking in the snow.
I remember this ...but as a child.
Thanks for posting.
If they only could have harnessed all of the hot air in Mike Dukakas, the snow could have been melted away to nothing in a matter of hours. ...True fact!!
I was 6, living in Brockton. When we lost power, I remember my mother kept our milk cold by putting it in a snow bank outside the back door, lol
My mom did the same thing. I was 10yo at the time, living in Bridgewater.
I was in the fourth grade, living in Hull. I will always remember how freaked out all the adults were
I remember like it was yesterday :-(
i lived in jamestown, ri and worked in newport at the time. i was 19 and had a front wheel drive car that didn't stop me from going to work everyday. when i saw on tv the next few days was shocking. my grandparents said they never saw anything so bad since the hurricane of '38. i'm old now and live in tampa.
I was laid off from my job and I played in this storm all day. In the end we got 60 inches. We kept the driveway cleared and drove that night. You people are lightweights.
I lived in Webster MA on the lake what blast we had. Could only get around by snow ❄️ mobiles. Opened the garage door to a wall of snow.
I was in 6 grade, and stuck in school and didn't get home until around 8:00 clock at night we had lost power at home and my mother had the house lit with candles. But being a kid I love all the snow.
Looking at this, I realize that as a 14 year old freshman at NHS I didn't have a clue. I remember it as fun, and somehow my Dad and I set out in the dodge dart and made it to Scituate. I remember it being bad, but looking at it now, it was absolute devastation! I remember that week as being one of the most fun times of my life. I returned to get Married at the lighthouse in 06, and moved back in 2009, a new empty nester, and my husband heard the story, but this footage tells it better.
I flew into Louisville Ky in late February from southwest Florida and Louisville was just coming back to life after 3 awful weeks from 28 inches of snow dumping on it. No one could barely move even after 3 weeks! It was truly THE STORM OF THE CENTURY!
WOW I was Six years old and still remember my father putting me over his shoulers to walk to ther store for BEER !!!
yeah, but .... what a blast it was !!! My family was living in Scituate and I was in the Back Bay of Boston ... such memories ... In down town Boston we were walking ABOVE the parking meters the snow was so high.
i was living in n andover. like it was said tobogans to the liquer store. think it was the only store open.
blizzard 78 baby
...I remember this,had to leave work,Derby,Ct, & walked,it took me 6 hrs to get through 10 ft, drifts to next town of Ansonia-Ct. state was closed down Joey Gondola 22 years old of Connecticut,could hardly walk in snow-was brutal
I'm sitting here waiting on it now!
I remember it well! I was sledding off the roof of our house in Dover, MA. Never knew how bad the damage was in Scituate. Man. That year, there was so much snow, it took forever to melt. Was it really 30 years ago already?
I WAS IN NEWPORT RHODE ISLAND.....16 YEARS OLD....IT WAS INSANE.....
i remember in 1978, in Columbus we had a program called schools without schools we had to school work while school was closed
my mom had to get food for her family of 6 with a sled.
Actually the "Storm of the Century" was a storm that took place in 1993.
my 4 aunts my mom and my uncle all experienced that and they said it was so bad they had to live in many differnt houses
wow
I was trapped in a dead end street. National guards had to dig us out.
I am glad I was born in :7/23/2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my mom typed this.