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Do You Remember the Blizzard of '78?

Nothing beats a good blizzard story. Share your story from 1978 here.

 
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The only way to let plows know where cars were buried was with signs. What memories and photos do you have of the Blizzard of '78? freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com
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The only way to let plows know where cars were buried was with signs. What memories and photos do you have of the Blizzard of '78?

It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years since we were hit with the Blizzard of 1978, but the stories will withstand the test of time.

On Feb. 6, 1978, the area was blanketed with a record 27 inches of snow with the added bonus of hurricane force winds. The storm began the morning of Feb. 6 and lasted through the following evening. It was a storm that was never really predicted to be this large, and yet from it one good thing came – we learned about emergency preparedness.

For those of us who were old enough to remember, the memories differ. The motorist stuck in his car for hours on the highway, the family wondering where that person was, to a community paralyzed by Mother Nature in a storm no one ever expected.

Thirty-five years ago we had 27 inches of snow. Today, the forecast for Salem is a chance of snow, mainly after 4 p.m., with a high of 27. Little or no snow accumulation is expected...this time.

Related Topics: Blizzard of 1978 and Weather
We would love to hear your stories from the Blizzard of '78 and see your photos. You can upload your photos directly to our image gallery and tell us your stories. Tell us in the comments.

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Chris Helms

2:50 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Here is some of what Salemites are saying on this topic on the Salem Patch Facebook page (http://facebook.com/salempatch):

"i was 8 and i remember sledding from the top of our garage over the neighbors fence (which you couldnt see) and into their yard."

"i remember..what a blast..everything closed for a week..we snowmobiled downtown people out on snow shoes...great memories.."

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john

3:11 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I remmember the ship that tried to leave Salem Power Plant during the storm and ended up grounded off juniper point. People on the Can Do rescue boat died trying to get to that ship.I also remmember a massive National Guard front end loader scooping up a volkswagen that was buried in snow in front of St. Joe's and dumping it in a dump truck. Also Salem State students were unable to leave due to the driving ban which resulted in a crazy party atmosphere in Salem.Some sadness and some fun.

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William Legault

4:04 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The tanker that ran aground was the Global Hope.

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