It started on Wednesday, January 25, 1978, with snow, cold and wind. By afternoon, a blizzard warning had been issued for the state, and businesses were closing down. By the next morning, 17 inches of snow had fallen on Fort Wayne, temperatures were in the single digits, and additional snow fall drifted in front of the wind to make visibility poor and driving dangerous. Emergency workers and essential personnel struggled to aid victims and begin the clean up, but for several days, most residents stayed home or visited neighbors, and enjoyed the enforced vacation before emerging to gaze in awe at snowdrifts that might reach the roof. A number of collections of blizzard photographs were scanned for inclusion in the Allen County Public Library’s Community Album, and are available for viewing. If you have a similar collection you are willing to loan, we’d love to include your visual memories as well.
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Don’t forget that a lot of people stayed in and watched Alex Haley’s “Roots” during the blizzard! (Or was that the blizzard of 1977?)
One of the aspects of that particular weather event that was notable was the large geographical area it affected, covering the entire Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes. Mentions of this blizzard will get knowing nods from those older than forty throughout the region. For me, it was an occasion to wear my grandfather’s full-length horsehide coat (yes, it had been one of his plow horses) as I trudged off across the college campus (classes were canceled, of course).
No, we’ve had some heavy snowfalls, and in December of 2008 had a very bad ice storm that left some without power for days, but nothing to match the blizzard of 1978.
Has the area seen anything like this again?