Who remembers the blizzard of '77 ?

[ExiledInIllinois]

as i remember, toronto sent big snow melting trucks to help clear the streets. can anybody confirm that? there wasn't any more room to dump the snow in places where the drifts were crazy high. does buffalo have it's own melt trucks now?

 

found it..."metro melters" http://buffalorising...30-years-after/

 

Places all over sent people and equipment! I was 9... But when I moved to the Quad Cities (early 1990's) and started working with the Corps there... An older USACE employee heard I was from BFLO and requested that a bring him back a case of Genny Cream Ale next time I went to WNY. Seems the Corps sent him to BFLO for the clean-up of the '77 Blizzard! LoL I surely did pick him up a case, "pounders" too! He has such fond memory of the Genny he had in BFLO 14 years earlier! LoL Actually, cream ale does seem like a very German, midwestern type of thing... Funny how it is from Rochester!

[Vark]

I was late getting back to Brockport because the Thruway was closed, so I missed the first few days of the semester. I remember a picture of a UB student standing on a drift/pile of snow right next to a traffic light, he was at the same height as the traffic light.

[bbb]

It was by far the worst in 1977. IMO, it will never happen again... We are far too proactive w/cancellations and predicting what this type of arctic blast can bring! In 1977, it was a perfect combination of so many things, culturally, logistically, mechanically, complacency, etc...

 

The weather caught us totally by surprise on November 20, 2000, the October Surprise 2006, and I think there was a third time recently where people were stranded all over.

[ExiledInIllinois]

 

 

The weather caught us totally by surprise on November 20, 2000, the October Surprise 2006, and I think there was a third time recently where people were stranded all over.

 

Interesting, I just commented to Pete on that 2006 game against DET... They played it.

[Thirdborn]

Firstborn or Secondborn would have probably got the job done.

 

LOL

[bbb]

 

The weather caught us totally by surprise on November 20, 2000, the October Surprise 2006, and I think there was a third time recently where people were stranded all over.

 

Third one was the crazy early December 2010 storm, where it was green grass in the Northtowns and people stranded throughout the Southtowns. High on the list of top ten weather events in last 100 years, per Buffalo News:

 

While we wait, and with as little scientific basis as possible, here is a list of ten of the region’s top weather events in slightly more than a century.

10. The Ice Storm of 1976. It hit in early March and caused tens of thousands to lose power for days. It would be even more memorable if not for what happened 10 months later.

9. The Blizzard of 1993. Not much of a storm really, but remembered because it came in mid-March with winter almost over and carried the rare “blizzard” classification.

8. The St. Patrick’s Day storm in 1936. That storm dumped 19 inches of snow on Buffalo, in mid-March. The snow was so deep and heavy that by midafternoon, streetcar service had ceased, according to the National Weather Service.

7. January 1985. The storm that launched a zillion six-pack references, thanks to then-Mayor Jimmy Griffin’s memorable advice, and closed some schools for days.

6. December 2001. It was absurd how much snow fell in such a short time period: 25.2 inches in one 24-hour period.

5. November 2000. The snow started to fall at the worst possible time and led seemingly everyone who was downtown to think at the exact same moment, “I think I’ll try to go home,” leaving thousands stranded and/or sleeping under their desks.

4. December 2010. Equal parts devastating and weird. Draw a line from Lake Erie through Cheektowaga. Everyone north of it was untouched. Everyone south of it got creamed. Thousands stranded on the Thruway led to reforms that should prevent it from happening again.

3. The “white hurricane,” from November 1913. Six Coast Guardsmen lost their lives in Lake Erie, off Buffalo, while trying to warn others about the 80-mph winds that created 35-foot waves in the lake. An estimated 240 people lost their lives along the Great Lakes.

2. The October Surprise, 2006. Even while it was happening, it was hard to believe it could happen. It was largely a Northtowns event, and the effects can still be seen in neighborhoods where trees have never come back.

1. The Blizzard of ’77. The Rose Bowl of storms; the granddaddy of them all. Had schools not been closed on Thursday and Friday, before THE blizzard hit, the storm to end all storms in Western New York would have been even more catastrophic.

[dib]

I was a senior at U. Miami, we had snow one day. Yes, snow.

[Guffalo]

I remember being off for roughly 2 weeks, the snow was piled up for months. Within the first 3 days we were going stir crazy and my Dad said the maintenance guy for his building (Holling Press on Washington Street) needed to go downtown to check on the boilers and pipes. My Dad asked if I wanted to go (I think he just wanted to give everyone a break and get rid of me for a few hours).

 

It was so cool floating down Delaware Ave from Kenmore straight downtown in the old guys big Cadillac, almost like a boat going down a river. There were very few cars other than plows and emergency vehicles. We were stopped around Gates circle and Arnold (the old guy) said we were going to check the boilers and pipes, the cop let us go and we continued on. Once we got there it dawned on me that the reason they sent me was, Arnold was well into his 60's and I was 16, someone was going to have to shovel out the bay doors to get into the building and that was going to be me.

 

After getting into the building Arnold poked around, checked his pipes and boiler and we walked around making sure everything was secure, after that we just floated back up Delaware to Kenmore and I was delivered to my parents house. Besides shoveling and snowball fights, I don't think I made it out of the house for the next 10 days.

[DC Tom]

Third one was the crazy early December 2010 storm, where it was green grass in the Northtowns and people stranded throughout the Southtowns. High on the list of top ten weather events in last 100 years, per Buffalo News:

 

While we wait, and with as little scientific basis as possible, here is a list of ten of the region’s top weather events in slightly more than a century.

10. The Ice Storm of 1976. It hit in early March and caused tens of thousands to lose power for days. It would be even more memorable if not for what happened 10 months later.

9. The Blizzard of 1993. Not much of a storm really, but remembered because it came in mid-March with winter almost over and carried the rare “blizzard” classification.

8. The St. Patrick’s Day storm in 1936. That storm dumped 19 inches of snow on Buffalo, in mid-March. The snow was so deep and heavy that by midafternoon, streetcar service had ceased, according to the National Weather Service.

7. January 1985. The storm that launched a zillion six-pack references, thanks to then-Mayor Jimmy Griffin’s memorable advice, and closed some schools for days.

6. December 2001. It was absurd how much snow fell in such a short time period: 25.2 inches in one 24-hour period.

5. November 2000. The snow started to fall at the worst possible time and led seemingly everyone who was downtown to think at the exact same moment, “I think I’ll try to go home,” leaving thousands stranded and/or sleeping under their desks.

4. December 2010. Equal parts devastating and weird. Draw a line from Lake Erie through Cheektowaga. Everyone north of it was untouched. Everyone south of it got creamed. Thousands stranded on the Thruway led to reforms that should prevent it from happening again.

3. The “white hurricane,”from November 1913. Six Coast Guardsmen lost their lives in Lake Erie, off Buffalo, while trying to warn others about the 80-mph winds that created 35-foot waves in the lake. An estimated 240 people lost their lives along the Great Lakes.

2. The October Surprise, 2006. Even while it was happening, it was hard to believe it could happen. It was largely a Northtowns event, and the effects can still be seen in neighborhoods where trees have never come back.

1. The Blizzard of ’77. The Rose Bowl of storms; the granddaddy of them all. Had schools not been closed on Thursday and Friday, before THE blizzard hit, the storm to end all storms in Western New York would have been even more catastrophic.

 

December 2001, 25 inches in 24 hours? There was one I remember, sometime around '94, that dumped almost 40 in 24 hours.

 

I remember that because we lost the neighbor's three year old in the snow, it was so deep.

[ExiledInIllinois]

http://www.weather.com/sports-rec/ski-conditions/50-states-biggest-snow-days-20130112

 

Here is the 50 state ranking of the most 24 hour snowfall total for each of the states. It is kinda shocking. Iowa, Indiana, Illinois (tied w/many, starting w/an I helps its ranking ;-) ), and Ohio all come in the low teens for LEAST amount of snowfall in a day. You would think the snowbelts around South Bend, IN; Ashtabula, OH would pull those states into the big leagues w/daily storm total. Indiana's was way south on the Ohio River. Illinois has the same daily storm total as the state of Texas @ 24", and that was set in central Illinois way back in 1900.

 

All the states in the top 25 most snow in one day blow the doors off the low 25. New York, I think is in the 40" range like Tom said. Almost double. Heck, Louisana recorded 16" of snow one time.

 

Interesting. FLA is the least w/4" on The Panhandle in the 1950's (after that, the other states jump up with big amounts... Check out Georgia @ 19") and obviously Alaska and Washington State are the big dogs!

 

[Marv's Neighbor]

I remember driving E, out Rt 20A, and seeing all those old 2-3 story farm houses, with snow drifted up to the roofs. The drifts on each side of the road were easily 12-15' high.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

hmmm I was 20 at the time maybe I was too buzzed to remember it.

 

Or it sould have been that the time I was driving home from MCC night class on 390N (590N) past Monroe in my Bronco through virgin snow and as I passed someone they wigged out and went off the road...

 

Ford Bronco, 4 wheel drive (no getting out to lock the wheels) and at least 15 inch ground clearance .... no problem

[bbb]

December 2001, 25 inches in 24 hours? There was one I remember, sometime around '94, that dumped almost 40 in 24 hours.

 

I remember that because we lost the neighbor's three year old in the snow, it was so deep.

 

But, in 2001, it was the 2nd ranked 24 hour snowfall, followed by the 4th ranked one, etc..............At the end of the 3-4 days, it was 7 feet of snow!! That was insanity

[ExiledInIllinois]

 

 

But, in 2001, it was the 2nd ranked 24 hour snowfall, followed by the 4th ranked one, etc..............At the end of the 3-4 days, it was 7 feet of snow!! That was insanity

 

Was that the Christmas storm? The one that had the low stalled over The Soo and and just cranking the winds down the whole fetch of Lake Erie for 3-4 days? Or was that another one in the late '90's?

[WotAGuy]

I was 19 and working at the old Charter House hotel on Transit when the storm hit. I got stuck there overnight, wich sucked because I was at work and the place was full of stranded guests....I only slept for about an hour & a half. one couple had decided to brave the storm on the 2nd day, and they actually offered me a ride home (Getzville - Hopkins rd between Dodge & French), which was quite a way out of the way for them. if I remember it correctly, the storm blew in off Lake Erie, swept across WNY, moved out over Lake Ontario (picking up more moisture), and then swept back in the other direction across WNY again.

 

Williamsville North Class of 77 here.

 

I was in Niagara Falls delivering Royal Crown pop when the storm hit and I got stranded in the Howard Johnson's for two days. My sister and my buddy finally came and got me; I was shooting hoops with popcorn into the trash can and nearly insane by the time they got me.

 

We spent the next week making runs each day to the Niagara County Produce at Millersport and Transit using a sled to haul a case of Genny Cream Ale pounders home.

 

We were walking down Tonawanda Creek Road and saw a wire sticking up out of a snowdrift....dug down to find it was a car antenna....thankfully no one was inside!

[bbb]

Was that the Christmas storm? The one that had the low stalled over The Soo and and just cranking the winds down the whole fetch of Lake Erie for 3-4 days? Or was that another one in the late '90's?

 

Yeah, it started 12/26 while I was at a Sabres game. By the time we left Cobblestone, it was really coming down............A few stops in South Buffalo and my friends were then stranded at my house................It didn't stop, at that rate, for days.

[Azalin]

 

 

Williamsville North Class of 77 here.

 

I was in Niagara Falls delivering Royal Crown pop when the storm hit and I got stranded in the Howard Johnson's for two days. My sister and my buddy finally came and got me; I was shooting hoops with popcorn into the trash can and nearly insane by the time they got me.

 

We spent the next week making runs each day to the Niagara County Produce at Millersport and Transit using a sled to haul a case of Genny Cream Ale pounders home.

 

We were walking down Tonawanda Creek Road and saw a wire sticking up out of a snowdrift....dug down to find it was a car antenna....thankfully no one was inside!

well, we both went to Williamsville North and were there at the same time (I graduated 1976). judging by the landmarks you cite (the produce place at Millersport & Transit) and your use of the term genny cream 'pounders', chances are good we were part of the same social circle, or at least knew who eachother were.

[bbb]

If he used Genny Screamers, he would have been in my social circle.

[ExiledInIllinois]

The funny thing is about the Genny pounders... Wasn't a case of the 16 oz. bottles cheaper than the 12 oz. ones? Would that idea even float nowadays on beer? LoL... I suppose they sell 40 dogs cheap, are they cheaper by volume? Probably not.

[Bufcomments]

I do, it was bonkers. This one right now is nothing compared to it. Not even close!!!

I was 13, living in East Side with my Parents and younger brother.

 

My pops got stranded, but lucky for us he got stuck in the supermarket on the way home. Think he had some time to shop because he had a van full of groceries when he did get home. About 4 weeks worth of food. We was straight for the whole time.

 

We had 2 weeks off from school. My Mom had cabin fever bad. My brother and I drove her crazy I guess. We lost power for a half a day. That was not a good day. The Winds I think were way worse than this storm. It made the snow drifts hard, very hard to shovel.

 

Thing I remember the most was a snow drift that the snow was as high as the garage roof top. Since our driveway slopped down hill it made for a natural ski slope. My brother and I spent hours sliding down from the top of the garage to the middle of the street. That was until we had to shovel the driveway.

 

And the snow didn't melt completely from are back yard until late April, that was a very cold winter all the way Nov- April.

Edited January 8, 2014 by Bufcomments