Sunday, December 26, 2010

SNOWAGEDDON hits the East Coast today but still pales in comparison to the BLIZZARD OF 1978

PICTURES FROM THE BLIZZARD OF 1978....BOSTON AREA ROADS BROUGHT TO A STANDSTILL AND STREETS TURNED INTO CROSS COUNTRY SKI PATHS




Armageddon : a catastrophically destructive battle; a great and crucial conflict....

So what is happening today on the East Coast can be seen as "Snowageddon" or the crucial battle with SNOW.....here's today's warning from the National Weather Service for the Boston area -
12/26/10 Forecast - BOSTON, MA

Locations... all of eastern Massachusetts except Cape Cod and the islands.

* Hazard types... heavy snow and potentially damaging winds...
with considerable blowing and drifting of snow.

* Accumulations... 12 to 16 inches of snow.

* Timing... light snow will start early this afternoon and become
heavy by evening. Very heavy snow will fall throughout tonight
with up to 2 to 4 inches per hour likely at times. The snow
will taper to flurries early Monday afternoon. Winds will peak
from late this afternoon through much of Monday.

* Impacts... extremely dangerous travel conditions will develop
by this evening. Strong winds will combine with the snow to
create blinding conditions with near zero visibility at times
tonight. Widespread power outages are expected during the
height of the storm tonight from both the strong winds
knocking down power lines and the weight of the heavy snow.
Shoveling should not be done by anyone with heart conditions.

* Winds... north 25 to 35 mph.

Yep, this has people looking to get ready and hunker down....no better place to be than in front of TV watching the NFL

BUT it was nothing compared to the storm that left a impression on all who lived through it.....The Blizzard of 1978....I was a high school student and schools were shut down for three weeks !! Today will be ugly but nothing like the " Storm of the Century" back in February of 1978

The Blizzard of 1978 and the storm that preceded it two weeks before -

celebrateboston.com

On January 20, 1978, 21 inches of snow fell in Boston. The narrow streets of Boston were clogged with snow. It took a few days to dig out, but the city still had mounds of snow everywhere. On February 6 and 7 1978, a then record 27.1 inches of snow fell in Boston. The storm quickly became known as The Blizzard of '78. Along the coast, the tides were devastating. At the height of the blizzard, the ocean storm surge rose 15.2 feet above the normal low tide mark. Many homes in coastal communities in Massachusetts Bay were completely destroyed. Severe flooding occurred in many low-lying towns. The storm strengthened during afternoon rush hour, and people were buried in their cars on the highways surrounding Boston. 99 people tragically lost their lives due to the storm. The value of all property destroyed was about $1.3 billion [or $2.9 billion current dollars].

RTE. 128 IN THE CANTON/BLUE HILLS REGION WITH CARS SNOWED IN PLACE...



Martial law was declared, and vehicular traffic was banned for several days. The National Guard was used to rescue people on the highways, and also using boats in flooded areas. Heavy machinery, dump trucks, and tow trucks were used for days to dig out streets and remove abandoned cars. .....The Blizzard of '78 was the storm of last century. Some of the good that came as a result of the blizzard is mandatory evacuation of coastal areas during storm surges, and a "conditioned response" today by businesses to send people home early in bad weather, or to not open for the day when a large storm is forecasted.


Monday, February 6, 1978 REPORT OF SNOWFALL RECORDED AT START OF
EACH HOUR SINCE 10:30 A.M.


11 AM 0.3 IN.
12 N 2.2 IN.
1 PM 3.8 IN.
2 PM 5.5 IN.
3 PM 7.4 IN.
4 PM 8.8 IN.
5 PM 9.8 IN.
6 PM 11.4 IN.
7 PM 13.0 IN.
8 PM 13.5 IN.
9 PM 14.1 IN.
10 PM 14.5 IN.
11 PM 14.7 IN.
12 M 15.2 IN.

BLIZZARD WARNINGS IN EFFECT AND AT MIDNIGHT WIND GUSTING 35 TO 60
MPH

Tuesday, February 7, 1978 REPORT OF SNOWFALL TOTAL AT START OF EACH
HOUR BEGINNING 1:00 A.M.
1 AM 16.0 IN.
2 AM 17.3 IN.
3 AM 18.5 IN.
4 AM 19.4 IN.
5 AM 20.3 IN.
6 AM 21.9 IN.
7 AM 23.6 IN.
8 AM 25.0 IN.
9 AM 26.0 IN.
10 AM 27.1 IN.
11 AM 28.5 IN.
12 N 29.3 IN.
1 PM 29.8 IN.
2 PM 30.5 IN.
3 PM 31.3 IN.
4 PM 31.7 IN.
5 PM 32.2 IN.
6 PM 32.6 IN.
7 PM 32.8 IN.
8 PM 33.0 IN.
9 PM 33.1 IN.



The damage and destruction that was reeked by the stormcaused the region to change how they approach winter weather, and each and every storm in the Boston area is now measured up to this great "Storm of the Century" 32 years ago.....It was the biggest and baddest snow event of all time.

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