30 Year Anniversary of the Blizzard of '77

Buffalo, New York has a reputation as the snow capital of the United States. This is because of the Blizzard of 1977. Thirty years ago history was made in the Western New York, Buffalo area with the Blizzard of '77.

Early Friday, January 28, 1977 snow started to fall. People went to work and school as they would on any other regular snowy day. Little did they know that this would not be "another regular snowy day". By late morning it was evident that this was a serious storm. The winds picked up to record high speeds and lightning ensued. From January 28 to February 1, 1977 the Western New York area was paralyzed by this history-making storm.

The Blizzard of '77 hit Buffalo and the seven surrounding counties of Western New York. Thousands of people were stuck at work and schools. People were stranded in their cars along streets and highways as the roads became treacherous and impassable. There were twenty-nine deaths due to the blizzard between Jan. 28 and Feb. 1, 1977. Many of these people were found frozen to death in their stranded cars.

Interestingly enough the snowfall total was only 12 inches. This area has seen snowstorms with much more snowfall. What made the Blizzard of '77 so remarkable were the sustained high winds with recorded gusts up to 75 miles per hour. The wind paired with Arctic-like freezing temperatures made the wind chill factor at negative 60 degrees. The extreme cold and high winds proved to be a deadly combination.

President Carter declared the seven counties hit by this storm Federal Disaster Areas. This was the first time in United States history that a snowstorm was declared a disaster area. Total damages were recorded at $300 million. For close to two weeks the national news showed Buffalo and the Western New York area covered in snow. Snow completely covered cars and snowdrifts made it look as if the snowfall reached up to the roofs of houses.

I had a sweatshirt that said, "I Survived the Blizzard of '77". I was only 3 years old. Ask anyone who was here during the Blizzard of '77 and they'll tell you how horrific this storm was. The pictures are worth a million words. Schools and businesses were closed for over a week after the storm so the roads could be cleared and damages repaired. Millions of dollars were lost due to stores and businesses that had to remain closed due to the Blizzard of '77. My father has lived in this area his whole life. He's lived through countless storms but he still says that the Blizzard of '77 was the worst.