LOL. 5 inches? Call out the Army. Anyone remember the blizzard of '77. Now that was snow.
...TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLIZZARD APPROACHES...
THE STORY OF THE BLIZZARD OF '77 ACTUALLY BEGAN EARLY IN THE WINTER
OF 1976-1977. THE WEATHER WAS UNUSUALLY HARSH LEADING UP TO THE
BLIZZARD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR BOTH NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WAS
ABOUT SIX DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. JANUARY AVERAGED TEN DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL. SEVERE GAS SHORTAGES WERE ALREADY UNDERWAY. INDUSTRIES AND
SCHOOLS WERE FORCED TO CURTAIL ACTIVITIES AND IN SOME CASES CLOSE.
IN ADDITION TO THE EXTREME COLD, SNOWFALL IN NOVEMBER TOTALLED 31.3
INCHES, IN DECEMBER 60.7 INCHES AND THROUGH THE 27TH OF JANUARY 59.1
INCHES. THERE WAS A PERSISTENT SNOWCOVER FROM NOVEMBER 29TH...
UNUSUAL FOR A WESTERN NEW YORK WINTER. THE NATIONAL GUARD HAD ALREADY
BEEN CALLED TO THE REGION TO HELP CLEAR THE SNOW-CLOGGED CITY
STREETS.
ON THE 27TH OF JANUARY, LOW PRESSURE CROSSED LAKE ERIE AND MOVED TO
JAMES BAY. IT THEN BECAME STALLED EAST OF JAMES BAY. THE STORM THEN
ACTUALLY MOVED BACK WEST OVER JAMES BAY BEFORE FINALLY MOVING EAST TO
THE CANADIAN MARITIMES.
THE STORM BEGAN ON THE 28TH OF JANUARY AS SNOW STARTED FALLING AT
5AM. AS WINDS FRESHENED FROM THE SOUTH AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT
ABOUT TWO INCHES OF NEW POWDER HAD ACCUMULATED ON TOP OF THE 33 INCH
SNOWPACK AND DRIFTS FROM PREVIOUS STORMS DATING BACK BEFORE
CHRISTMAS.
DURING THE MORNING, THE TEMPERATURE ROSE RAPIDLY FROM FIVE DEGREES AT
MIDNIGHT TO 26 DEGREES AT 11 AM. AT 1135AM, THE FRONT PASSED THROUGH
THE BUFFALO AIRPORT. IN A SHORT TIME, THE VISIBILITY DROPPED FROM 3/4
MILE TO ZERO AND THE WIND SHIFTED AND INCREASED TO SOUTHWEST AT 29
MPH WITH GUSTS TO 49 MPH. THE TEMPERATURE FELL 26 DEGREES TO ZERO IN
JUST OVER FOUR HOURS. THE BLIZZARD REACHED ITS WORST SEVERITY DURING
THE LATE AFTERNOON AS WINDS AT THE BUFFALO AIRPORT AVERAGED 46 MPH
AND GUSTED TO 69 MPH. GUSTS OF 75 MPH WERE RECORDED AT THE NIAGARA
FALLS AIRPORT. WIND CHILLS REACHED FIFTY TO SIXTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
THOUSANDS WERE STRANDED IN OFFICE BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS, POLICE
STATIONS, FIRE HALLS, AND FACTORIES. CARS WERE STALLED EVERYWHERE AND
ROADS BECAME IMPASSABLE. WHEN A FIRE BROKE OUT ON WHITNEY PLACE, FIRE
FIGHTING EQUIPMENT WAS UNABLE TO GET THROUGH. SIX HOMES WERE
COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND FIFTY PEOPLE WERE LEFT HOMELESS. NEARLY ALL
TRANSPORTATION IN AND OUT OF BUFFALO STOPPED.
IN ADDITION TO ERIE COUNTY, STATES OF EMERGENCY WERE DECLARED IN
NIAGARA, ORLEANS AND GENESEE COUNTIES. ALL ROADS WERE CLOSED IN
WYOMING AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES AS WELL.
BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS PREVAILED ON AND OFF FOR THE
NEXT THREE DAYS, ENDING AROUND MIDDAY ON FEBRUARY 1ST. DAILY PEAK
GUSTS OF 51, 52, 58, AND 46 MPH WERE RECORDED FROM THE 29TH THROUGH
THE 1ST.
ON SATURDAY THE 29TH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS PREVAILED. FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN 143 YEARS, THE BUFFALO COURIER EXPRESS COULD NOT PUBLISH ITS
MORNING PAPER. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED A DECLARATION OF
EMERGENCY WHICH ALLOWED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO COME IN AND PROVIDE
WHATEVER WAS NEEDED TO RESTORE NORMALCY TO THE REGION. BY THE 30TH,
FEDERAL OFFICIALS HAD TAKEN OVER SNOW REMOVAL OPERATIONS AND BEFORE
THE END OF THE STORM OVER 500 NATIONAL GUARDSMEN WERE HELPING IN THE
DISASTER. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT SNOW REMOVAL COSTS EXCEEDED 20
MILLION DOLLARS.
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