HURRICANES - HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS - CATEGORY 2 STORMS - STORM SURGE - NOR-EASTER - SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES - NORTH-EAST HURRICANES - SNOW BLIZZARDS - THE BLIZZARD OF 1977 - WIND CHILL ADVISORY - WHITE OUTS - RECORD SNOW FALL - SNOW REMOVAL - NOAA WEATHER REPORTS - WEATHER STATIONS - WIND CHILL INDEX

The Blizzard Of 1977 - Webcams

The origins of the Blizzard Of 1977 actually began early on in the winter of 1976-77 with unseasonably cold temperatures starting in November and continuing through January. Severe gas shortages were already forcing industries and schools to cut back and in some cases even close.

Snowfall had been above average for a Western New York winter with 31+ inches for November, almost 61 inches in December and over 59 inches up to January 27th. The Mayor of Buffalo had already asked for and received assistance from the National Guard to help with snow removal from the clogged city streets.

The storm got under way around 5am January 28. With winds from the south, ahead of a strong cold front, about 2 inches of powder had accumulated on top of the 33 inches already on the ground and drifts from storms from before Christmas.

From early morning till 11:00am the temperature rose from 5 degrees to 26 degrees. At 11:35am, the front passed through the Buffalo Airport and in short order the visibility dropped from 3/4 of a mile to zero. The wind shifted to southwest and increased to 29 mph with gusts to 49mph. The temperature fell to zero degrees in just four hours and wind gusts at Buffalo averaged 46 mph with gusts over 69 mph. North of Buffalo in Niagara Falls wind gusts were recorded at 75 mph at their airport. Wind chills dropped to between fifty and sixty degrees below zero.

Thousands were stranded in office buildings, schools, police stations, fire halls and factories. Cars were stalled everywhere and roads were impassable. Fire fighting equipment was unable to get to a fire that broke out at Whitney Place and consequently six homes were destroyed and fifty people were left homeless. Virtually all traffic in and out of Buffalo came to a halt.

In addition to Erie County, states of emergency were declared in Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties and roads were closed in Wyoming and Livingston counties. Blizzard or near blizzard conditions continued for the next three days ending about midday on February 1.

On Saturday, January 29th, the first time in 143 years, the Buffalo Courier Express could not publish its morning newspaper. The federal government issued a declaration of emergency which allowed federal personnel to come in and provide whatever was needed to restore normalcy to the area. By the end of the storm over 500 National Guardsmen were helping in the cleanup. Snow removal costs exceeded 20 million dollars.

Snowmobilers and those with four wheel drive trucks became invaluable as they delivered food and medical supplies and medical personnel to hospitals. Sadly, 29 deaths were attributed to the storm, many who were trapped in their cars. Nearly 100 were arrested for looting.

When the sun came out on February 1st, the scene was one of desolation. Traffic was banned for several days as the Army from Fort Bragg, North Carolina came in to back up the National Guard. One community, Lancaster, New York was buried up to their roofs in snow.

Mail delivery was suspended for nearly a week, 20 animals perished at the Buffalo Zoo, professional sports games for the Braves and Sabres were postponed and retailers reported millions in lost revenue. President Carter declared seven Western New York counties a disaster area, a first for a snow storm in the United States.

Un-Named Category Two Hurricane - 1893 Webcams

The Southern most regions of the United States are not the only places hard hit by violent weather. Hurricanes have hit the far northern regions of the Atlantic coast including New York City. See how storms of the past, such as an un-named category 2 storm in 1893 with a 30 foot storm surge, wiped out much of north Queens and southern Brooklyn and completely destroyed Hog Island,a small island off the southern coast of Rockaway. It seems that after the Civil War, entrepreneurs built saloons and bath houses on this tiny strip of land, which some refer to now as New Yorks "Atlantis", and was the 1890's version of the Hamptons. During the summers the Democratic political hierarchy used the island as an extension of Tammany Hall, carrying out business in a more relaxed manner. Rare you ask, yes, but a storm of this magnitude can be expected every 70-80 years in this region and the last one this fierce was nicknamed the Long Island Express, a near category 4 storm in 1938, which caused many deaths and much devastation.