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How the Blizzard of '78 became the benchmark for all storms


People get out of their homes after the Blizzard of '78. (Chime in)
People get out of their homes after the Blizzard of '78. (Chime in)
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The Blizzard of '78: a storm every Southern New Englander knows and one that has become almost synonymous with any blizzard since. What was it about this storm that set it above the rest? Let's take a deep dive to understand the meteorological side of the Blizzard of '78 and how it became the monster of a storm.

The center of low pressure that would eventually become known as the infamous blizzard formed off the coast of the Carolinas as what meteorologists call a Miller Type-A storm. This is a similar setup to most snowstorms that impact Southern New England. According to the National Weather Service, the storm was "going according to plan" as it raced up the coastline into the morning of Feb. 6. However, the processes that occurred in the atmosphere over the sequential hours are what separates the Blizzard of '78 from all other storms.

As the surface low pressure tracked up the east coast, a separate, upper-level low pressure was crashing down the Great Lakes region. The influence the upper-level low had on the surface low was immense.

The surface low pressure was pulled back to the north, northwest towards the upper-level low. As this was happening, the upper-level low was enhancing the strength of the surface low, eventually making it go through bombogenesis or rapid intensification around 7 PM on Feb 6. During this process, the storm slowed to a crawl just south of Long Island. As the two low pressures phased together and became one, the blizzard performed its iconic loop in its track, allowing the heaviest snow bands to sit over Southern New England for a prolonged period.

Once the upper-level low and the surface low evolved into one, the storm resumed its track to the east and eventually out to sea late Feb. 7

By the time snow stopped falling, Southern New England was buried. A widespread 30"+ was observed across the region. Hurricane-force winds produced by the low pressure going through bombogenesis lead to the area being littered with massive snow drifts.

Could the Blizzard of '78 happen again today? Meteorologically, absolutely. All it would take is the perfectly timed storm. From an impact on the general public perspective, probably not. Over the past 45 years, forecasting methodology has advanced tremendously. A lead time for a storm of this magnitude would be several days out, allowing local meteorologists to convey the danger and impacts of the storm.

Checkout NBC 10's Six Snowbound Days on Youtube

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