What was the Great Blizzard?

The Great Blizzard of 1988 was one of the deadliest weather disasters to hit the United States in recorded history.  Snowfalls of up to 40-50 inches in parts of New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York caused heavy storm damage and many people died trapped in their houses during this terrible weather.  Storm winds hit over 45 miles per hour, producing massive 50 foot drifts and causing even more storm damage and confusion. 

When was the storm?

The Great Blizzard hit on March 11, 1888 and lasted through March 14, 1888.

Where did it hit?

The Great Blizzard, also known as the Great White Hurricane, struck the Eastern Coast of the United States and the Atlantic Ocean,  as well as from Chesapeake Bay up through Canada, isolating people in their homes, disabling emergency services, and downing telegraph services in the affected states.

Whom did it affect?

It was not just the cold that killed people during the Great Blizzard of 1888; as fire stations became completely snowed in, and property damage and deaths by fire grew.  At sea, at least 100 seamen died as approximately 200 ships were grounded because of the storm.  Another 100 people were estimated to have died in New York alone, with the total death toll of the storm being about 400 people altogether.  Most of the casualties were the sick, as well as the very young and very old, with lack of nutrition, cold, and fire being responsible for most of the deaths. 

How did people react?

Fuel became extremely scarce during this weather disaster, and people had to turn to burning furniture and other fuels to stay alive while trapped in their homes.  When people began emerging from their homes, the men attempted to dump the snow into the Atlantic Ocean to get rid of it.  The terrible storm and incredible storm damage, as well as the transportation crisis during and immediately following the storm, led directly to the proposal and creation of the New York subway system, which was approved six years later in 1894 and begun at the turn of the millennium in 1900. 

Have there been worse blizzards?

While there have been many terrible storms since the Great Blizzard of 1888, some with heavier snowfall and some with significantly lower temperatures, there has not been a storm since 1888 that matched this one.  This blizzard’s combination of low temperatures and heavy snow has gone unmatched for more than a century in the Eastern United States.