Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978

This article is about the storm which affected the northeastern United States. For the blizzard in the central United States that year, see Great Blizzard of 1978.

Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978
Boston City Hall
Meteorological history
FormedFebruary 5, 1978 (1978-02-05)
DissipatedFebruary 7, 1978 (1978-02-07)
Category 5 "Extreme" blizzard
Regional Snowfall Index: 18.42 (NOAA)
Overall effects
FatalitiesAround 100 fatalities; 4,500 injured
Damage$520 million (1978 USD)
Areas affectedNortheastern United States
Scene on residential street in Woonsocket, Rhode Island

The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978[1][2] was a catastrophic, historic nor'easter that struck New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the New York metropolitan area. The Blizzard of '78 formed on Sunday, February 5, 1978 and broke up on February 7.[3] The storm was initially known as "Storm Larry" in Connecticut, following the local convention promoted by the Travelers Weather Service on television and radio stations there.[4] Snow fell mostly from Monday morning, February 6 to the evening of Tuesday, February 7. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were hit especially hard by this storm.

Boston received a record-breaking 27.1 inches (69 cm) of snow; Providence also broke a record with 27.6 inches (70 cm);[3] Atlantic City broke an all-time storm accumulation with 20.1 inches (51 cm); two Philadelphia suburban towns in Chester County received 20.2 inches (51 cm), while the City of Philadelphia received 16.0 inches (41 cm).[5] Nearly all economic activity was disrupted in the worst-hit areas. The storm killed about 100 people in the Northeast and injured about 4,500.[3] It caused more than US$520 million (US$2.43 billion in 2023 terms[6]) in damage.[3]

  1. ^ "The Blizzard of 1978: The week the state stood still". Quahog.org. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  2. ^ "The Blizzard of 1978: Seacoast SAD, February 15, 1978". Hampton.lib.nh.us. February 15, 1978. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "NWS Boston Page of the 1978 blizzard". Erh.noaa.gov. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  4. ^ Purmont, Jon E. (January 2013). Ella Grasso: Connecticut's Pioneering Governor. p. 204. ISBN 9780819573445 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Mucha, Peter (February 14, 2014). "Historic Philly snowfalls: Suburbs' totals dominate". www.inquirer.com.
  6. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.