Snowfall map for the Blizzard of ‘78— a “bomb cyclone” — in the Northeast 45 years ago. A small portion of Rhode Island reported 50-plus inches of snow. The two-day snowfall total in Providence, Rhode Island — 28.6 inches — is the highest on record there. Boston’s total — 27.1 inches — ranks second there. Source: NOAA and National Weather Service Boston/Norton office

Memories of the “Crippling” Blizzard of February 1978 in the Northeast

5 min readFeb 7, 2023

Did you endure the “crippling” Blizzard of ‘78 in the Northeast?

I drove through heavy snow in southeastern Connecticut during the early stages of what became a deadly winter storm — an “historic” nor’easter that qualified as a “bomb cyclone.”

Somehow, I managed to avoid getting stuck in snow on a road.

I was a senior at Connecticut College in New London 45 years ago, and I lived with three other students in a rented house near the water in that former whaling port.

I was the only one to make it from campus to our home before driving on a dark, exceedingly snowy night became unfathomable. My housemates made the wise decision to stay in dorms.

Maybe I should have remained on campus and enjoyed some snow day-type fun. But I left campus when the worst weather seemed to be just cranking up, and I’m glad I made it home. I did lots of reading and other homework during and after the storm, so that was a plus.

Extreme Snowfall in New England Led by Mount Washington in N.H.

“The Blizzard of ’78 will always be remembered for its widespread blizzard conditions, hurricane-force gusts, and major coastal flooding. It not only ranked as one of the top storms of the 20th Century in southern New England but as one of the top storms in recorded history, dating back to Colonial Times,” states a retrospective on “The Benchmark of Winter Storms” by the National Weather Service office that covers the region.

“Life was brought to a standstill for more than a week following the storm.”

The blizzard still ranks as the greatest snowstorm on record in Providence, where 28.6 inches of snow fell on Feb. 6-7, 1978, according to the office. Boston got 27.1 inches, its second highest total on record.

The blizzard “packed hurricane force winds, record breaking snowfall and white out conditions,” according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. “Heavy snow fell from northeastern Maryland into Maine. Record snowfall smothered Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. A small portion of Rhode Island reported over 50 inches of snow and many schools and businesses across the area were closed for over a week.”

More images covering this high-impact winter storm are below but first, here’s an update for my readers.

This is my 100th blog post (aka Medium story) since I launched my NH EnviroGuy blog on Sept. 1, 2021. My first story — 1821 Hurricane Slammed U.S. East Coast — covered a powerful tropical cyclone that, assuming it arose today, would be more catastrophic than Superstorm Sandy.

NH EnviroGuy succeeded my EnviroGuy blog, which ran from 2009 to 2015 when I was an environmental writer at the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey (1985 to 2015).

Superstorm Sandy: 10th Anniversary Memories and Images

So far, NH EnviroGuy stories have garnered more than 185,000 views. I hope my blog has been enlightening and useful, and I hope you’ve enjoyed my photos. Here are links to some of them:

Colorful Sunrise and Sunset Photos at Newfound Lake in New Hampshire
Photos of Peak Fall Foliage in New Hampshire (Part Two)
Photos of Serene, Remote Cranberry Lake in Adirondack Park, New York
Photos at Serene, Colorful Lees Pond in Moultonborough, New Hampshire