40th Anniversary Of The Blizzard Of 1978
40th Anniversary Of The Blizzard Of 1978
Thursday,
January 25th, marks the 40th anniversary of the benchmark winter storm
for Central Indiana and much of the Ohio Valley in what's labeled as a
"once-in-a-generation blizzard" by various NWS offices impacted.
On the morning of January 25th, 1978 low pressure was centered
near Memphis, TN. Over the next 24 hours the storm, energized by
merging jet streams, underwent extreme intensification to became what's
known as a meteorological "bomb." During that time its central pressure
dropped an astounding 40 millibars by the morning of January 26th, 1978
when it was centered near the metro Detroit area.
That's nearly double what it takes to meet the 1 millibar drop
per hour for 24 hours "bombogenesis" definition in meteorology. As such
it holds the distinction of having the 3rd lowest measured pressure
from a non-tropical system in the U.S. at 955mb. Due to its very low
pressure and white-out conditions... it's also known as the White
Hurricane.
That storm track placed most of Indiana in its vigorous northwest quadrant of heavy snow and intense wind. The end result was a swath 15-36" of snow, 20-25 FOOT snow drifts, wind gusts 50-60mph, and impossible travel.
Some homes were buried and interstates became graveyards of
stranded vehicles caught in the impassable routes. It took collective
efforts from neighborhoods and cities to dig out.
Ask anyone that lived through this storm and their memories are
vivid... and frankly why they smirk at most winter "storms." I was
only a five year old in Louisville, KY at the time. But I remember
helping my father shovel our driveway much of that month. If you're in
your mid-40s or older you know how brutal the winters of late 70s/early
80s were.
The 20" snow pack and 30.8" monthly snowfall of January 1978
remain records for Indianapolis to this date. What a storm! Here's a
detailed account of the storm from the National Weather Service Office
here in Indianapolis: (link)
We'd love to hear your story or see your pictures too. Please submit to newsdesk@wthr.com
Image Courtesy Of NWS Indianapolis
Image Courtesy Of NWS Indianapolis
That storm track placed most of Indiana in its vigorous northwest quadrant of heavy snow and intense wind. The end result was a swath 15-36" of snow, 20-25 FOOT snow drifts, wind gusts 50-60mph, and impossible travel.
Downtown Kokomo / Courtesy Of Kokomo Tribune
We'd love to hear your story or see your pictures too. Please submit to newsdesk@wthr.com
