Do you remember the Great Blizzard of 1978?

Maybe you have fond memories of the frequent school closings. Maybe you recall having to shovel yourself out of your house. This particular snow storm was dire for many parts of the country, and is commonly referred to as the largest blizzard in both Ohio and American history. Thousands of people were stranded, power outages were widespread, snow drifts covered cars—even the National Guard was called in.

While the snow was already hitting other states days before, it began falling in northern Ohio on January 26, 1978, accompanied by extreme winds and low pressure.
Corey Balazowich/Flickr
The states that were hit hardest by the massive snow storm included Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and southeastern Wisconsin.
Pictured is the surface map on the morning of January 26, 1978. A subtropical jet stream and a polar jet stream merged and created explosive cyclogenesis. The rain quickly turned to snow.
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Wikipedia
During this time, the third lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the mainland United States occurred as the storm passed over parts of Michigan.

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The snow drifts continued on that Friday (January 27), burying cars, road signs and even some smaller buildings and homes. Gusts of winds even reached up to 80 mph.
cleveland.com/YouTube screenshot
In addition to the massive power outages and damages, more than 50 people in Ohio died in the blizzard.
Thousands of people were stranded in their cars and traffic was at a complete standstill. Several people were lost simply because they were buried beneath the snow in their vehicles.
cleveland.com/YouTube screenshot
A federal emergency was declared, calling in the National Guard for assistance. This was a storm that would never be forgotten.

For more information about this severe snow storm, watch the short video from Cleveland.com below:

 

Do you remember the Great Blizzard of 1978 in Ohio? If so, share your memories, stories and any photos you may have with us!

For more memories of historically extreme winters in Ohio, check out our previous article: In 1994, Ohio Plunged Into An Arctic Freeze That Makes This Year’s Winter Look Downright Mild.

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