The deadliest snow storm in New York: how it was

After months of low temperatures in 1977, the western and northern regions of New York were covered by a deadly snow storm. No one could predict his approach. Then 23 people died. The publication writes about this in detail. Only in your state.

For New York, blizzards are a common thing. Since the western borders of the state lie along the shores of Lake Erie and Ontario, this half of New York is too familiar with the snowstorms that provoke the close location of the lakes.

The snow effect of the lake is a process of cloud formation and precipitation from them. It manifests itself in winter, when cold air, moving above the warm water of the lake, is saturated with water vapor and warms up from below, which leads to the development of convective clouds.

1977 Deadly Blizzard

Most current residents of the region are likely to remember the snowstorm of two years ago. It can be assumed that this was a really strong storm. However, it is not. It was truly massive in 1977, paralyzing the city of Buffalo and other surroundings.

That year, Friday, January 28, at 4 a.m., the Buffalo National Weather Service reported that a blizzard was approaching the city. According to forecasts, she was supposed to overtake the city in the late evening and continue all night. By 11 a.m. another warning appeared.

By 11:35 a.m., those in the city of Buffalo saw a lightning bolt in a dark and cloudy sky with a huge wall of snow reaching the airport. Visibility began to decline rapidly, wind speed increased. In just four hours, according to the National Meteorological Service, the temperature dropped from -3 degrees to almost -18 degrees Celsius.

In Buffalo, by one o'clock in the afternoon, the snow cover reached the height of the bumpers of cars. And although by 1:30 the snow had almost completely melted, the end of the troubles in the city was far from over.

As soon as the Buffalo radar found that there was virtually no snow, a new nuisance happened. The city quickly realized that they were falling asleep with snow, which began to move from the frozen Lake Erie.

As mentioned earlier, this season was unusually cold. In New York State, temperatures were below average in November, December and January. By December 14, 1976, Lake Erie was completely frozen. For more than a month it was covered with a thick layer of white snow, which covered the city during a blizzard.

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People took refuge wherever possible. An estimated 13 residents were stuck in the city, and approximately 000 cars were abandoned throughout Buffalo.

By Saturday, January 29, Main Street was filled with about 2000 abandoned cars. During a blizzard in many areas of Western New York, such as Niagara Falls and Buffalo, all optional trips were banned in an attempt to keep the streets open for ambulances.

On Friday, the storm set a record low temperature of -21 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record that had been held since 1885. The wind reached a record high. The post office returned to work only on February 2, and in the Buffalo City schools, vacations lasted more than 10 snowy days in a row - until Valentine's Day.

Number of victims

The strongest snowstorm of 1977 claimed the lives of 23 people. Although according to some sources, there were 29 victims.

Given that more than ten deaths occurred in Buffalo, several residents suffered heart attacks while trying to leave the city (9 out of the total number died in their cars).

Another New York State Storm

But not only Buffalo and the western region of New York were hit by a blizzard. Northern areas, such as Jefferson and Lewis counties, managed to fall under the snow "with a lake effect."

Lake Erie has been covered in ice for a long period of time, but unfortunately for the northern inhabitants of the state, Lake Ontario almost never freezes. There was zero visibility in Watertown by Friday evening, with a wind speed of almost 30 MPH. The blizzard over Lake Ontario turned into a real storm, which hit the Watertown area with more than 150 cm of snow, leaving more than a thousand people in a difficult position.

Two weeks after the storm ended, more than 500 National Guard personnel arrived in New York to help deal with the disaster.

Other states affected by the storm

New York was not the only state seriously affected by the 1977 snowstorm. On Saturday, January 29, President Jimmy Carter declared a state of emergency also for Pennsylvania. On February 9, in Buffalo, for the first time since Christmas, temperatures were above zero.

And today, every time snow falls in the west of New York, eyewitnesses recall the winter of 1977 and this terrible snowstorm.