Blizzard of ’78: Where Were You 35 Years Ago?
More than three decades ago we were blanketed with 27 inches of snow.
Oh sure. You can see the grass, or what passes for grass this time of year. But don't get too comfortable. It's still the dregs of snow season, and on that note, more snow is in the forecast for later this week.
But nothing like the snow we got here 35 years ago, when New Hampshire was hit with the Blizzard of '78, stories still told by those who were there; stories that withstand the test of time.
On Feb. 6, 1978, a record 27 inches of snow blanketed New Hampshire, with the added bonus of hurricane force winds. The storm began the morning of Feb. 6 and lasted through the following evening. It was a storm that was never really predicted to be that large, and yet, from it one good thing came – we learned about emergency preparedness.
For those of us old enough to remember, the memories differ. The motorist stuck in his car for hours on the highway, the family wondering where a loved one was, to communities paralyzed by Mother Nature in a storm no one ever expected.
Perhaps you are a "Blizzard Baby," born somewhere around Nov. 6, 1978?
We'd love to hear your stories from the Blizzard of '78 and see your photos. You can upload your photos directly, and tell us your stories in the comment field below.
Robert Sprague
11:23 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Oh, how I remember...3 pm on Rt 128 in Dedham in my new-fangled four-wheel drive vehicle...picked up 7 people who abandoned their useless cars on my trip north toward home...drove them each to their doorstep. It was frightened actually...to see all those folks trying to move their vehicles...towards the end there was almost no room of Rt 128...all the lines were stalled. And, sometimes we forget...lots of folks died that night...I think 28 people, most of them in their cars.
SoxPats
1:38 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Luckily off work that day at home. Great snow mobiling for days after the storm!
Heard horror stories from co-workers who had to travel 495, 93 and 128.
Diane H
6:57 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
What a crazy time that was! I was a nurse at Salem hosp during the 78 storm...was stranded in Beverly when I was called in..the Beverly police picked me up, drove 1/2 way across the bridge where we were met by the Salem police who brought me to the hospital! Was there for 3 days and staffing was scarce! The National Guard were taking nurses home and bringing more in ...they all got to ride on bench seats in the back of open canvas covered trucks! It was a storm I will never forget and hope that this one doesn't even come close. Will pray that there are NO motorists stranded on the roads and NO deaths from Nemo.....
Paula D
11:44 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
PmD
I left work at 8:30pm and it took me 3 1/2 hours to get home that normally only take 20 to 30 minutes. I took back road and was glad because a lot of people that took 93 was stuck on 93. My biggest problem was could I make it up my driveway. The tail end of my car was at the bottom of driveway and was completely covered with snow and the slush from the snow plows. It took us 3 days to remove the snow from our driveway. (Approximately 90'). I hope I don't have to go thru that again. We have a wonderful neighbor that plows us out and we can hopefully use the snow blower to get the rest done.
Sharon W.
3:37 am on Sunday, February 10, 2013
I was only 12 at the time, living in the township of Sandown, NH. I recall that our kitchen door blew open during the night and our only source of heat (our wood burning stove) was extinguished. We all awoke early to sub-zero temperatures in the house. In a way we were lucky. The whole family was home safe and we had food to last through the disaster.! To me, as soon as the fire was roaring once again in our living room, all was well and we had a major adventure awaiting us outside! We took advantage of the time away from school in a big way! We made a huge fort,sledded all day long one day and "tracked" Big Foot another day! Ah, to be 12 again! So, the Big Blizzard of '78 was more of an adventure for me!