Notes

winter of 1977-1978
coldest winters recorded in Ohio
January 1977 was the coldest month known in Ohio
during December 1976 were about 7 degrees below average
11.9 degrees statewide
the impacts of the cold were intensified by snowfall that was twice the average and a blizzard at the end of January
Cars would not start, some water pipes were frozen and furnaces malfunctioned
shortages of natural gas caused some businesses, industries, and government offices to close or curtail their hours of operation
impacts on people
injuries and deaths
disruptions to work, school, business, communication, and transportation- in a daily pace of life
These factors protect us or make us more aware of extreme weather and should reduce our vulnerability
strongly by the cold front
more than 500 accidents there that morning
A record: Lake Erie froze over by December 14
a series of three storms hit the United States Midwest or the Northwest
Blizzard of 1978
first storm avoided Ohio
from January 19-21 twenty one inches of snow fell in parts of the region
48 hour record of snowfall
second storm found Ohio in its path
from January 25-27
one and three feet of snow in Ohio Illinois Indiana Kentucky Michigan and Wisconsin
winds averaged between 50 and 70 miles per hour creating snowdrifts as deep as 25 feet
60 degrees Fahrenheit below zero
people stranded on their cars, trapped in homes
there was a semi truck driver was trapped in his truck because of a snowdrift; rescuers did not discover the man until about after another week
thousands of homes lost electricity
70 people died because of the storm
51 of the victims were in Ohio
more than 100 miles per hour over much of the state
the worst storm to ever occur in Ohio
transportation, schools, and businesses were shut down
once in a lifetime storm
barometric pressure dropped to 28.46 inches (of mercury) at Columbus, 28.68 at Dayton, 28.81 inches in Cincinnati
rain and fog were widespread across the region
National Weather Service offices
blizzard warnings on January 25th
howling winds
bitter cold temperatures
wind gusts averaged 50 to 70 MPH on the 26th
gusts to 111 mph that morning!
snowfall was difficult to measure due to the strong winds
4.7 inches of snow in Columbus
6.9 inches in Cincinnati
12.9 inches in Dayton
thousands of trees and many miles of electric/telephone lines were blown down
without power and heat
communication lines were disconnected
snow reaching the rooftops of houses
death toll- 70 people across region
5 in Kentucky
11 in Indiana
51 in Ohio
13 individuals died from the cold while trapped inside their vehicles
13 died inside their homes after losing power and heat
2 others died in buildings that collapsed under the weight of heavy snow