Monday, January 27, 2014

The Blizzard of 1978 - Replaced by January 2014

Blizzard of 78 Replaced by Angie Ouellette-Tower for godsgrowinggarden.com photo 2014-01-06_zpsd81356d3.jpg


The Blizzard of 1978 Replaced by January 2014


For my entire life everyone has always compared any winter storm to the record breaker that we had in 1978.  Now, January 2014 has surpassed the snow amounts that we received in January 1978!  Thirty-six years ago we had 30.8 inches of snow and so far this January we have had 38.5 inches with a few more January days to go!!  That means I will have to change my way of thinking and in future years I'll have to say "Remember 14" or "Nothing can compare to the Winter of Twenty-Fourteen" - Somehow that just doesn't sound right.

The difference between this January and the storm that we received in 1978 was time.  Almost all of the snow in 1978 was from only one storm!!  This year we have had many storms and even a few very warm days that we called "The January Thaw."  Snowfall being stretched over almost 30 days doesn't seem that bad compared to 30 inches in a matter of 72 hours!

My parents, sister & I were just recently recalling that epic storm in '78.  I was only 7 years old but I remember it like it was yesterday.  That winter we were living in my grandparents home so that my mom could care for her father (my grandfather) who was very ill.  My childhood home was in a small town about 30 minutes away from the city that my grandparents lived in. 


On weekends my dad would travel home to checkup on things, pick up the mail, make sure nothing was amiss and that's when the storm hit.  We were miles apart:  my dad home alone and my poor mom stranded in the city with two young and wild girls (myself and my little sister).

That next day after the storm was shocking!  Not only did we receive more than 2 feet of snow but we also had extreme winds which created mammoth drifts.  In the city we tried to open both the front & back door and we were totally trapped inside!  The snow had drifted halfway up the door and since the doors opened out we were unable to shovel an escape.  After a day or so the neighbors came by and shoveled us out - these fantastic neighbors also provided us (and others that were trapped) with a snowmobile grocery service dropping off needed supplies to our windows.

At home, my dad was able to emerge from the storm through the front door because we had a porch.  Back then we only had one camera and thankfully he ventured outside and took these three fantastic pictures of the side and back yard and one claustrophobic view from the basement door inside (I will explain each picture below - ENJOY!).



PICTURE#1 - (Below) View from the back yard.  The blue arrow is pointing at the buried back steps and shows that the back door is blocked at the bottom of the door.  The large red arrow shows an amazing drift that is covering the stairway going down to a basement door - there are about 15 steps going down - so it's a full staircase!!    

Blizzard of 78 Replaced by Angie Ouellette-Tower for godsgrowinggarden.com photo IMG_0023_zps84695897.jpg
PICTURE#2 - (below) View from the front looking to the left and onto the road.  That red arrow is pointing to the giant pile of snow from the snow plows that cleared the roads - I'm not sure exactly how high they were but they must have been over 6 feet high (I'll have to ask my dad that question).  

Blizzard of 78 Replaced by Angie Ouellette-Tower for godsgrowinggarden.com photo IMG_0024_zps575fe68d.jpg
PICTURE#3 - (below) View from the basement inside looking out.  This picture speaks for itself - I hope you aren't claustrophobic!

Blizzard of 78 Replaced by Angie Ouellette-Tower for godsgrowinggarden.com photo IMG_0022_zps9b65a76c.jpg



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21 comments:

  1. I remember the cold and the massive amount of snow in 1978...there are pictures of having to build tunnels so the dog could get outside to go potty!! Those were some great days!!

    Laura @ Mice In The Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a cat then so that is something that I never thought of! Those were great days.
      Thanks

      Delete
  2. Seriously... that's your basement door?! That's crazy!

    We had loads of snow in December, and freezing rain, and more snow. January has been mild thus far.

    You and the snow shovel are probably best friends now.

    Wishing you a lovely week.
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sick of it yet - my husband has had it this winter but I still like it.
      Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Wow, your poor back door!!! I am crossing my fingers hoping when it melts it doesn't give you any water issues. I was young when we lived in Peoria IL and we got hit by the blizzard of 77...and I agree this year is much worse as far as the length, the amount and the temps. I am so frustrated being housebound I have now added paint, and wood as my survival guide so I can keep busy during our 35 below wind chill days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That picture was from 1978 & yes - the basement flooded that spring.
      Thanks

      Delete
  4. Oh my...it has been amazing hasn't it. I am so glad you are safe. Thanks for participating in the blog hop!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wasn't even a twinkle in my parents' eyes in 78. Your dad took some great pictures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You make me feel old - hahahaha. I'm so thankful that my dad took those pictures. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. I can't believe all that snow!!! I'm glad that this year wasn't as bad as the 1978 storm with all that snow in just one storm. Having it spread out like that doesn't make it seem so bad.
    Yesterday was our first day of rain, and we're still in need of so much more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think an extreme drought like CA is having would be worse than snow - I'll be praying for you!

      Delete
  7. I remember the Blizzard of '78. We were living in Massachusetts and I was 13. My best friend was stranded at our house for a week! My dad was Chief of the Special police so our house was plowed out quickly so he could work. It was a long cold week. I hopped over from Serenity Saturday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness - an entire week! Was she still your best friend at the end of the week? -hahaha - just kidding. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  8. That is unbelievable! I hope we don't have the something similarg next week - they are predicting 15 to 25 inches of snow Tuesday - ick! I grew up in the country and the drifts would be huge - we would build snow tunnels through them. I'm not nearly as amused with snow as I was when I was a kid! Thanks for sharing on the Four Seasons Blog Hop - I loved your photos!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you don't get that much snow either - wow. Stay safe & thanks so much for your blog hop - I love it!

      Delete
  9. The most I have had to deal with is 5 feet, and most of it fell in a 24 hour period. Hope you stay safe and warm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WOW!! That is much worse than the 78 storm that I experienced!! You must either live in Canada or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!! Or maybe Siberia (just kidding).

      Delete
  10. woah! That's a lot of snow. Where are you from!!??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In 78 I was in Canada - now I'm in Michigan & the winters are basically the same.

      Delete
  11. When I was a little girl we lived in Colorado. One memory that stuck with me was when our basement door was all covered with snow, much like your picture. It took me back. I can’t believe all the snow you guys are getting, I hope you all stay warm.

    ReplyDelete

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