Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978
| Category 5 "Extreme" (RSI: 18.42) | |
Maple Street in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
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| Type |
Blizzard Extratropical cyclone Ice storm Winter storm |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 5, 1978 |
| Dissipated | February 7, 1978 |
| Damage | US$520,000,000 (US$1.91 billion in 2017 dollars) |
| Casualties | Around 100 fatalities; 4,500 injured |
| Areas affected | Northeastern United States |
The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic, historic nor'easter that struck New England, New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area. The "Blizzard of '78" formed on Sunday, February 5, 1978, and broke up on February 7. The storm was primarily known as "Storm Larry" in Connecticut, following the local convention promoted by the Travelers Weather Service on television and radio stations there. 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) of snow;Atlantic City broke an all-time storm accumulation, with 20.1 inches (51 cm). 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. It caused more than US$520 million (US$1.91 billion in 2017 terms) in damage.
The storm was the last storm to strike the region with a Regional Snowfall Index rating of Category 5, "Extreme" intensity, until roughly 38 years later, when another crippling and historic blizzard struck the Northeast, mainly to the south, where numerous records were broken, more than the Blizzard of 1978 broke.
The storm was formed from an extratropical cyclone off the coast of South Carolina on February 5. An Arctic cold front and a cold air mass then merged with the storm, creating the perfect ingredients for a large and intense low-pressure system.
This storm system made its way up the coast and approached southern New England late February 6 and early February 7. Since it developed during a new moon, an unusually large high tide occurred, and the storm brought a massive amount of water along coastal communities. The huge storm surge resulted in broken sea walls and massive property loss.
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