Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
prairiemoon2

Remember the Blizzard of '78?

I saw an article in the Boston Globe remembering that it is the anniversary of the storm. Forty five years ago!!! There were a lot of personal stories of what people were doing at the time of the storm and how they coped. It was a nice trip down memory lane, and I thought I wonder if anyone on the New England forum lived through the Blizzard of '78? Anyone?

Comments (10)

  • Barrheadlass
    2 months ago

    I did! I lived in West Bridgewater at the time, and did not go to work for a week. I remember it like it was yesterday!

    prairiemoon2 z6b MA thanked Barrheadlass
  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    Original Author
    2 months ago

    We were along the 128/95 corridor in Eastern Mass. We could barely see the cars in the driveway that were covered in a huge snow drift and you could only see the roof of the car. Thankfully, we were not one of those stuck on Rte 128. We had a week off too. And what I most remember about it was that everyone was helping each other and so much friendliness. With no public transportation, no cars on the road, some roads unpassable, so many people walked everywhere. Some people pulled sleds behind them to the grocery store to carry their groceries home. That was a long time ago.

  • roxanna
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    It was quite the memorable storm!! We were in Hudson MA, the boys were 3 and 6, and DH dug them a maze of "amazing" intricacy in the sloped yard -- AFTER he had cleared the driveway. The snow level was above the 3-year old's head, and all that could be seen of the older one was his hat. They had a great time, and watching from the second story window was fun. Never forgotten, of course.

    We all were so young then, lol.

    prairiemoon2 z6b MA thanked roxanna
  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    Original Author
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    Your kids were great ages for such a big snow event. It sounds like your DH was having a blast with the kids. And the snow hung around for quite awhile, to extend the fun. Hudson is out by 495? I wonder if you had more snow there than we did closer to the coast. You are so right, we were all so young then! Seems like another lifetime ago.

    The day after the storm we were shoveled out, but they were still calling for everyone to stay home and stay off the roads. The next morning there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I walked about 4 miles to a friend's house. Snowy streets with mounds of snow everywhere and no cars on the road. Lots of people walking and everyone seemed pretty happy and friendly. We had a great time in the snow too and later we made chocolate chip cookies. I think a lot of people had a very similar experience.

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    Original Author
    2 months ago

    You must have been happy to have dinner @ your grandmother's house, by that time! Cross country sking around town, looked like such fun to me and must have been such a sight to see all the stuck cars on 128. I still get a kick out of the photos of it.

  • Joanne
    last month

    I was living in a two-room cottage in CT, at the top of a dirt road with a sharp curve in it. There was no way to get up the road, and I had to park at the bottom for a week before it was cleared away. Governor Ella Grasso closed the roads completely for a few days. Good thing I had a nice store of firewood because that was my only heat. No indoor plumbing made for an interesting trek outdoors as well.

    prairiemoon2 z6b MA thanked Joanne
  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    Original Author
    last month

    I didn't realize that CT was also affected to that degree. Good thing you had a wood stove!

  • deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
    last month

    Well, I clearly don’t remember the blizzard of ’78. I was down south probably enjoying a mildly cold day. But, we did experience The Storm of the Century 1993 version, when we got 18” of snow near Birmingham, Alabama, and northeast Goergia got 35”. It did take longer for the snow to melt, but per usual it was balmy not too many days after. According to Wikipedia, it was the first time in the history of US meteorology that a storm was accurately predicted accuraterly five days in advance.

    (Since then unverified accounts suggest the model was rejected for less accurate yet more comic models, which have since provided hours of online laughter at how wrong the forecasts can be.)

    I have yet to experience a blizzard like that, but I must admit I do enjoy a beating of a snowstorm, even if the power does go out.

    Now, the recent record flooding of the coast up here, not so much…

    I enjoy hearing your experience of the blizzard.

    prairiemoon2 z6b MA thanked deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    Original Author
    last month
    last modified: last month

    And I hear today that some parts of California had 10 ft of snow last week!! I guess that makes our Blizzard of 78 look like a day at the beach. [g] We did have snowdrifts that had to be 6ft in some places, but 10ft of snow everywhere?! I would not enjoy that at all!

    I don't enjoy flooding either. Luckily we are not in an area that has been prone to flooding so far. But the way the weather is changing, who knows what we'll get next.