Photos: Menachem Kalish

The Great Snow of 1717

The Great Snow of 1717 was actually a series of four snowstorms that hit New England between February and March of 1717. New Englanders had their fair share of snow that winter, even before the Great Snow arrived, with five feet of snow already on the ground. After the Great Snow made its entrance, there were snowdrifts as high as 25 feet, burying homes completely, and forcing people to escape through second-story windows. The hardest area hit was Boston, and the roads between Boston and New York were closed, making travel impossible. Imagine riding out a storm like that with no snowplows or indoor heating. School must have been canceled for a long time.

The Great Blizzard of March 1888

When March edges its way onto the calendar, people get excited. They are happy to say goodbye to winter and welcome to spring. But in 1888, that was hardly the case. From March 11 to March 13, the Northeastern United States was hit with a blizzard so severe that it resulted in the deaths of 400 people. Many of the victims of the storm were sailors. Without modern weather reports, they had no way of knowing that it was not a good time to set sail. Their ships were beset by violent waves and forceful winds, causing many of the sailors to drown. Unfortunately, the following year didn't bring the people much peace. Another blizzard followed in February, aptly called the Great Blizzard of 1889.

The Buffalo Blizzard of 1977

Buffalo, New York is one of the coldest and snowiest cities in the United States. Buffalonians take the snow in stride and are experienced at plowing streets and digging out cars. But the Blizzard of 1977 was too much even for the hardy natives. With average winds of 45 miles per hour, wind gusts as high as 75 miles per hour (faster than the speed limit on your average highway), and subzero temperatures, this is one storm that left the city defeated. People were stranded in their homes or at work, and some even in their cars. Twenty-nine people lost their lives in this fateful storm that many still remember to this day.

The North American Blizzard of 1996

I bet many of your parents remember the blizzard of 1996. It completely immobilized the Northeastern United States from January 6 to January 8. The paralyzing snow, which climbed up to four feet high in some areas, cost the East Coast a whopping three billion dollars to clear! Nine states were declared disaster zones, and even the federal government had to shut down for an entire week. One hundred and fifty people lost their lives during this unforgettable storm.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 741