 April Fool's Day Blizzard snowfall accumulation map. | |
| Type | Nor'easter Blizzard Winter storm |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 30, 1997 |
| Dissipated | April 1, 1997 |
| Lowest pressure | 979 millibars (28.9 inHg)[1] |
| Fatalities | 3 fatalities confirmed (1 unconfirmed fatality) |
| Power outages | >70,000[2] |
| Areas affected | New England, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey |
The 1997 April Fool's Day blizzard[1][3][4] was a major winter storm in the Northeastern United States on March 31 and April 1, 1997. The storm dumped rain, sleet, and snow from Maryland to Maine leaving hundreds of thousands without power and as much as three feet of snow on the ground.
Due to the date, many people took warnings of the storm less seriously.[1] Plows had started to be put away for the summer and hardware stores still had to sell shovels again even though they already put out patio furniture.[5] One commuter called it "Mother Nature's April Fools' Joke."[5]
- ^ a b c Nunn, Katherine; MacIntyre, Grant, eds. (February 2003). "The Worst Central Massachusetts Nor' Easters" (PDF). The Ithacation. 6 (3). Cornell University Press: 2–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ Looking back on the April Fools Day Blizzard, 25 years later, WPRI, April 1, 2022
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