The Blizzard of 1978

It was the worst storm to ever hit northwest Ohio. Between January 26 and January 29, 1978, 12 inches of snow fell on the sleepy towns of northwest Ohio. But it wasn't the accumulation that was a problem. Winds gusted at 60 miles per hour, and the temperature dropped to around 11 degrees. The Blizzard of '78 chronicles how countless lives were disrupted and how some were lost.
The storm caught many residents off guard. The night before it started many people thought of the incoming storm as just another winter disturbance - certainly nothing to worry about. But upon awaking the next morning, it was all too apparent, this was not a typical storm.
Gas, electric, and telephone service was lost in many areas and the storm was preventing city and utility workers from getting service restored. People fought for anything and everything to stay warm; some even tore apart and burned furniture in their effort to have some heat. Some people suffered carbon monoxide poisoning by using outdoor grills indoors for heat.
As is ofter the case, amid the horrific conditions, there are tales of heroism and humor along with the tragedy. The Blizzard of '78 tells these stories through firsthand accounts, home movies and archival photographs.

[@richardcoram1562]

I remember the blizzard of 78. I WAS A 30 YEAR OLD TRUCKER. Hauling Produce from the west coast to Kroger, Big Bear , and Pic n Pay. I STRUGGLED TO get a load into Cleveland as all the Highway road signs and exit signs were literally covered with heavy snow. I remember that morning well as I was actually cutting the first tracks as no one else had been out there on the road.( SAM TANKSLEY DRIVER, PETERBILT COE '76 to '80)

[@bexief31]

I remember this storm well. I was 10 years old. I remember hearing thunder snow for the first time. The drifts were above our windows and when we opened our front door it was a wall of snow. The cold was unrelenting. I remember I was able to walk on top of the snow because it had frozen. Winter of 1978 was one I will never forget and has set the benchmark for me regarding future storms. Nothing I have seen since compares to this blizzard.

[@DerangedLeftWingers]

same lol i remember that blizzard, we got hit in Rhode Island

[@cv507]

penülltea ´4 the Fahraö? sysdämn ^?^ 12 start. 18 saharan summer in (south) germäny. 20 22 23 -:-??? stöpp the sun ? nvke?? ukRäin€??

[@Lawnrocker]

I was a junior in high school. The night before was balmy and foggy. I went to bed around 11 pm. At about 4 am I woke up and our neighbors dog was howling. I woke up my mom and said something weird was about to happen. Suddenly, there was thunder and lightning and the wind started howling. The snow began falling and by 8 am we were unable to get out the back door of our house. We lived right behind the hospital in our community and they brought in a big earth moving g piece of equipment to keep the road open to the emergency room entrance. From that point on and for the next few days we could not leave our house. I remember we had a police scanner and listened to all of the emergency responders rescuing people from the rural areas and interstates on snowmobiles. It was definitely the storm of the century.

[@felixmadison5736]

I had just turned 29 years of age a few days before this hit in 1978, and I was living on Cape Cod. My late wife and I had three children, ages 5,6 and a 3 month-old baby girl. Boy, do I remember this storm!! Not with fond memories either! More snow than I had ever seen in my 29 years on the Cape!

[@msdustismith8919]

Oh wow!!! To have small children to take care of during such a storm,would be truly scary... Glad to hear you and your family made it through.

[@felixmadison5736]

@@msdustismith8919 Thank you. We were hardy New Englanders!

[@oyes-qe4nd]

I was eight years of age, and lived in northwest, central ohio when this blizzard hit , and I will never forget this storm and the events that followed . Like others , i remember certain events,that still remain fresh in my mind ,due to the intensity,of the storm and the effects it had. The wind was fierce, and the snow was relentless, and the combination led to snowdrifts,one would have to witness to believe, i can remember a snow plow getting stuck on our street, and we were unable to open door , or even see out the windows. I can also remember we were running low on food, and finally, several days after the storm subsided, someone , gave my father a ride to the grocery store on a snowmobile to get the basic necessities. It was truly an amazing site to witness , and it paralyzed many communities.

[@nathanielfincher4394]

My uncle Steve used to always tell me about this blizzard. He lived in Navarre Ohio when it happened. Said he would walk to his neighbor's to get gas for the heater. I still live in the general and was born in 81. Never experienced anything like what has been said about the 78 blizzard.

[@thenightporter]

What was the weather forecast, just a few inches? Thank goodness nowadays we can all have NOAA weather radios or apps on our phones to warn us as the situation gets dangerous.

[@tuvoca825]

​@@thenightporter Even with that... a few years ago roads closed and stranded several towns for 3 months. Helicopter took out people in emegrencies but not everyone faired well. Some died. Some had huge medical bills. Crazy stuff.

[@thenightporter]

@@tuvoca825 I was 8 when this happened, Iived in a suburb of Minneapolis. I remember that Christmas, only a couple weeks before, was one of the coldest nights ever. I remember it was very windy.

[@user-yt2ur1fp4z]

I remember that I was living in Indiana at the time.

[@viylangager4020]

Watching this again. Oregon is getting hit tonight & this helps me to be grateful. My friend in Cleveland just messaged that they're expecting a blizzard this weekend. I hope folks everywhere can get to safety & warmth.

[@user-rw4sj1pv3y]

my mother was born in that blizzard new castle PA. Rest in peace momma!

[@thenightporter]

She passed already? 😔 God bless your momma and family. ❤

[@sandywa3057]

I was 21 years old and I will never forget this storm..I lived in Western Pennsylvania.

[@mattm597]

As a child of the 70s and a resident of northern Indiana, I remember it well. It was the first big weather event of my life.

[@jenniffer9034]

I survived this blizzard in Michigan I was 9 It was bad! Got up in the morning open the curtains and all we seen was snow over all the windows in the house! I watched my dad open the front door and it was a wall of snow! My dad was a county worker, a co worker came in the county snow plow truck to pick him up to go to work ! He was gone a week! Plowing roads all over the county! His check after that was fat as hell too 🤣🤣🤣 My dad had that job for more that 35 yrs until he retired in his late 60s

[@thenightporter]

Is the county still in debt from your dad's fat paycheck? 😆. Did he take pictures or have any interesting stories to tell?

[@newtexan1]

We couldn’t open our front door in Philadelphia! The snow drifts were massive!

[@jenniffer9034]

@@thenightporter the county is still running so no debt lol

[@steveforsythe9264]

I'm in Ontario Canada and I remember the blizzard of 77 shut everything down. It was crazy!

[@edwardclark9057]

Hello from Brantford,l rember the 77 storm well,was 15 at the time,little town of Waterford

[@allan9603]

I was stationed at Ft Devens, Massachusetts during that blizzard, and remember we had to travel to Ft Drum, NY to help dig them out of the snow, unfreeze barracks doors, provide traffic control.. What a monumental job that was; 12-14 hour work days, sleeping outside in tents, though they were warm and comfy, pulling guard duty in snow up to our thighs... We were soldiers, and that's what soldiers do, in peace time anyway😊 I would do it again! Major

[@michaelhill7471]

I certainly realize this blizzard was more devastating in northwestern Ohio but, I will never forget my epic 8 mile journey home from my workplace in the height of this blizzard in Indianapolis, IN. I won’t go into my story here but, as I recall snow above big 4x4 vehicles but, not as high as power lines. What a memory. It took me 2 and 1/2 hours for that journey home to my wife and a steak and backed potato. She trusted me when I called her and asked her to look for me. I held this video in my “watch later” category for some time. I’m glad I got around to watching it.

[@earnesthillsdale9218]

I was eight years old, man we had fun digging snow fort’s with our neighbors And diving over snow banks… we were kids so it was fun …

[@user-tw4ke4py1l]

The ohio river froze. we walked accrossed it. The piles of snow in all the plowed parking lots did not melt until the end of March

[@Earthgal1964]

I loved that blizzard!! I was 14 and played in that snow for days!!!!!!!!

[@ConradDwight-wm8yt]

Will never forget it ! My grandfather died and was buried on this day back in 78 My mom drove right through the blizzard from Connecticut to Massachusetts in the thick of it 😢 took her long time to get home !:(

[@banana_in_a_tuxedo]

Can we respect that guy that went outside to chainsaw the tree off of that old lady's house though? Bad-ass move.

[@rabidrabbitshuggers]

As soon as I saw the map and it showed the winds from MN and WI passing over the lakes, I shuddered. Lake effect snow is no joke.

[@Lisa-rh3zr]

I was 9 years old when the blizzard hit us in the Boston area. Me and my family wound up going to stay at a ski ⛷️ resort in New Hampshire were my parents were just going to stay a couple of days but instead they came home and took me my sister and brother for almost 2 weeks instead because the high ways were blocked with snow. My parents and family were very happy about there because they had a generator and indoor swimming pool and small arcade ect…but I remember being in the indoor pool watching the snow ❄️ pile up on the windows around the pool. Remember finally coming back and there were trucks and with snow piled up inside them and walking through basically a tunnel to get into our apartment building. Will never forget the blizzard of 78.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

I was 15 and living in Connecticut. It was (by far) the biggest snow storm of my life.

[@c.rutherford]

I was 8 in the Winter of 78, and remember it well as a kid in Central Illinois. I would never have believed then it would be almost 50 years later now and still never repeated. Even though I can't tell you how many times grocery stores were swamped and raided here whenever a snowstorm was announced since, everyone remembering the ice storm. For all I knew then it would happen the next year, and every year. Crazy.

[@davidmeek3104]

Absolutely great video especially since I can say I was there God bless you all and thank you very much for this video from Kentucky now

[@rpm3689]

It hit us here in New York as well! I'll never forget. I was ten years old.

[@davidmeek3104]

I was 18 years old and lived in Indiana and know what we went through

[@isardella4685]

I live in Ontario Canada . I went to visit my son in hospital in the morning when there was no snow . The emergency services arrived at the hospital in the afternoon to advise us to stay because of he blizzard . I was stuck there for 3 days .

[@Peter-xo6bn]

This was actually 3 snow storms that came in back to back not just one however the news media reported it as one storm. Look at the old archived weather maps and see for yourself.

[@jamesdavidson676]

The good old days when we use to have real very heavy blockbusting blizzards.

[@jasonwoodley3243]

Great job with the wind sound effects!

[@staceybossert1408]

I was 8 going to be 9 that May and I remember this blizzard, it was brutal. Kids today will NEVER know or understand what we all went through or what kind of winters we had.

[@johnadams7963]

I remember the thunder snow. My brother and I had a blast. No power and no school. It was ok because our heat was 100% wood stove. We put all the food outside to stay cold.what a memory.

[@denniskoller5662]

When I think of snow I think of the blizzard of '66 where western and central NY received 6 feet of snow in 4 days and nights. In Oswego, entire residences were buried and covered in snow drifts. Walter Cronkite had quite a lot of coverage of it on the nightly CBS News broadcast, but you never hear a word about it. It as quite substantially worse than the blizzard of '78.

[@amandap6278]

I'm 45, lived in SE Texas all my life. The heat down here is very brutal and winters are very mild. The 2021 snowstorm that happened here was a cakewalk compared to this even though it kicked many people's asses. I love hearing these testimonies. I'll never know what it is like to go through this stuff. My imagination runs wild though which is why I love watching this.

[@BonifaceIIIFacibone]

The place in the thumbnail is visible from my apartment! I wasn't yet a gleam in my daddy's eye in '78, but the stories were crazy.

[@deannamartin6827]

A powdery fun potentially dangerous substance. I don't think we are talking about the same thing lady. 😮

[@laurakilmer8652]

My brother would drive a John Deere Tractor over fences to delilver milk and food to neighbors house. this was in east central Indiana. unbelieveable.

[@crazyasalways9272]

I think this is the blizzard my mom talked about falling into a snow drift while walking home and having to be rescued from inside because she walked on top and it collapsed in the Kmart parking lot when she was 6 This had happened in barberton, ohio

[@user-vb2pm1dy6u]

When i think of snow, i think of the blizzard of '78, and way, way much more "Happier" times.

[@courtney1709]

Same here. I was 9 when that blizzard hit, and I just remember everything white outside, and all of us snug and warm inside…playing games with my siblings while school and all else was canceled. Simpler, happier times for sure.

[@stevekirby5546]

Did they close your school, they close schools now when it snows just 1 inch.

[@user-vb2pm1dy6u]

@@stevekirby5546: I graduated "way before" '78☺️☺️

[@christinaking3848]

Peter Winston went missing in this blizzard. He was only 19yrs old.

[@thepitpatrol]

I remember during the Carter administration, they kept warning we were entering in to another ice age.

[@1M005E1]

I remember this storm oh so well. I was 8 years old. My mother had just had my sister, who was 2 months old, with ear infections. We couldn't go anywhere, The car was stuck to the driveway. We didn't have no pot bellied stove to stay warm. We had pet rats, that we kept in their cages that slept under the layers of blankets with us. My brother & I thought it was cool, as we built igloos in the snow, which then we had a mist of rain that made it freeze. We ate allot of peanut butter/jelly sandwiches. But again, I do recall mom going to the store prior to the snow storm & got allot of food into the house, mainly breads & meats, cheeses. Our outside dogs were placed in the garage. ( the garage was more like a family room, with carpet). Our home sat in the woods, so we had allot of trees that kept the winds from blowing in on us. Wouldn't want to go back to those days. This was in Southeast Ohio.

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

There were TWO big storms within three weeks that year.

[@mariekarole1621]

This is super scary with Chicago 40-50’ and no snow day after Christmas

[@cynthiadurham8476]

I think of that year. I had a baby in July. Divorced the father in October. Learned my brother was going to die. Tough year.

[@edalexander6155]

I was 20 yrs old . Worked at kroger greatsouthern on route 23 nights as a floor man scrubbing the floors. Lights where out no heat . We where told we could not go home we had to stay we had no keys to lock the stores doors they where locked up in a office draw. I drove home that morning only about a mile in half home i wound up off the road in a ditch on parson ave going south. After it all had settled i built a snow man about eight foot tall in front of my parents house. I then carved out to look like king kong . It made the papers. I think it was a columbus news paper in the southend columbus called the lantern. I still have some photos of it. I remmber takeing one of my sisters barbie dolls and putting it in one of the arms of this SNOW KONG.

[@sharonhamilton1448]

Same storm effected Southern Michigan

[@MizMissiB]

I remember riding my snowmobile down the roads and running over the roofs of cars. Fortunately the people who were in those cares got out before the drifts had covered them. The road bed was under 10’ of snow in places. Clearing that road was a challenge for the road crews. The neighbor was an elderly couple who needed meds. The pharmacist lived over the pharmacy so I drove the snowmobile into town and got the meds for the neighbors. I had just turned 18 that month

[@ramtruck21]

My mom and dad remember this. My mom showed me a picture of her AMC hornet covered to the roof. She said they had to call 4x4s to pick her up for work since she was a nurse.

[@NateTheOhioan]

My dad was like 8 years old when this happened and he grew up in northeast ohio. It’s no wonder why he complained about us getting snow days so often, whatever we got was nowhere near what he had to deal with

[@randyhimburg7915]

The story Mr. Seabert told is heartbreaking.

[@davidmeek3104]

I will never forget it that's for sure

[@billmuse2786]

WoW so awesome to hear about 78 very few cameras no videos would of love to had video i lived in Brighton Mi and went into work Thursday morning I had a 75 F150 4x4 going to Jackson Ave to work road was like gravel from the frozen rain and snow flakes were biggest i ever seen got to work by 7 am and by 10 am WJR radio was telling people to stay home and us 23 was closed down so at 11 am the boss told to go home my buddy had a 4x4 Cherokee and followed me home going the back roads .When i got home i checked the engine and it was a solid block of ice unreal whish i had pics .Just one story.

[@thenightporter]

Sounds like any photos or videos would have just looked like someone put their photo lens right up to a white wall and pressed in the shutter.

[@tedparkman3111]

I was 15 years old and remember this storm like it was yesterday. I lived in West Newton mass at the time. Very scary time!

[@user-yn2cz9sd9n]

Great lakes awesome place to grow ❤

[@NotABidenVoter]

I survived it in Flint. Even snowmobiles had it tough in deep snow. I rode one three miles to get cookies and beer hahahahaha

[@TroyHoward-id6wx]

😂😂😂 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ I was I was 15 years young... Im From a small town Bloomington Indiana... we had a bad one aswell...

[@jennycurtis4447]

I think was when the door and windows our our townhouse in SE PA were packed with snow and we had to dig ourselves out.

[@user-zr9bh7nq3m]

I was 19 years old working overnight. At a supermarket A+P got done at 8 in the morning. Central City Philadelphia pa. Everything was shut down didn't get home until afternoon. Then had to clean the snow from the house and office at the front of the house. Got a couple hours of sleep and had to walk to get the subway back to work. Walking 2 miles with snow up to my little boy and his 2 buddies. My balls. I didn't think I would ever see anything like that again. Ha ha ha until 96 when we got 32 inches of snow and I was alone in the house with my 4 kids. Wife was a RN she had to stay at the hospital. She had the car i had to jump out the second floor window cause I couldn't open the door. Then walk to the store for milk and shit like that. They both were really bad but thinking about it now. It was something to always remember.

[@rebeculus]

Wow.

[@susanb1394]

Fascinating!

[@FortniteDad12]

I can confirm as a TN resident TN has warm air yes! It has warm air alway 24.7 unless it's those two weeks a year it's negative 10 degrees lol 😅,, it sucks hers

[@kathylong3814]

Hard to believe my parents and I survived in a trailer as well😮

[@cindyburton6698]

my son was born nine months later 😊

[@thenightporter]

😙😚😙😚😚😚☺️☺️☺️ isn't that what most women fantasize about? Being stuck in a cozy little place with a dangerous blizzard outside and playing indoor sports with a sexy man.

[@1970boobear]

Hubba hubba! ❤

[@sec9788]

I was born nine months later….mom???

[@1970boobear]

@@sec9788 🤣🤣

[@tedparkman3111]

Awesome 👍 😊

[@andrewhill7071]

My first year of tractor trailer driving. It was horrible. As a kid, we were just home, ya know? Winter meant SNOW! But, not like that........

[@garygetty1238]

I live in Wyoming, usually Winter lasts from late October to early May...But at least we have I-80,and oh yeah THE WIND....

[@kathylong3814]

I was in Dayton,Ohio and it was crazy😅😅😅

[@starful9493]

When I think of snow cold ,cold cold , hate it .

[@timcorrell9863]

Winter storms alone cost a lot more money, do a lot more damage and kill a lot more people than hurricanes, sandstorms, tornadoes and tropical storms combined. Even heatwaves cost less money, do less damage and kill less people than winter storms. The only acts of nature that cost more money, do more damage and kill more people than winter storms are cold waves, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Other than that, winter storms are the most costly, deadly and destructive acts of nature in existence.

[@sharonmarianelli6849]

I was in New Hampshire at college. Massachusetts was closed for a week.

[@Stasiaflonase]

I remember it well. I’m in mid Michigan. We lived off the land so we had food to survive. I feel bad for all who suffered and died.

[@Tootle5]

I remember this cars couldn’t get thru the snow my brothers n sisters took our sleds to the grocery store four blocks away to get food for our mom dad had our buck stove going burning coal to keep the house warm we all slept for a few days in the family room where the stove was we loved it and all the snow

[@davidlee4446]

I lived in Florida at this time. Moved to Cleveland the following summer

[@bobtorres7949]

Great winter Time playing in snow , Chicago Blizzard , Mayor & Governor went to Florida , CTA HAD STRIKE

[@olejason]

The "snow wind" sound effects are top fuckin' notch

[@kristincabanaw6747]

I live in South Bend In and I was 6 yrs old. I remember it well. My dad and friends rode snow mobiles to get milk

[@davidrockey7190]

Remember very fondly I was 11 couldn't get out the back door dad was freaking out and I was walking on the roof

[@user-yn2cz9sd9n]

I was in Muskegon ❤

[@johnposton1964]

ohio wasnt the only state that got hit.....illinois too and the midwest

[@gafairbanks2434]

Sincerely, we, too, got hit in Michigan . Went house to house checking and digging people out. Neighbors house, was completely buried. We were farmers so snow nothing new for us. Drifts were over 20 feet deep. Took road crews and local farmers 2 weeks to clear cars from roads. County plows were also buried. Those who grew up with Mother Nature were prepared with pure stamina to endure her Rath. And, I never wanted a shirt- only satisfaction of helping where we could was our reward. Took tobaggons when store opened for 4 hours and lists of those who needed supplies were delivered along the route. Interesting life I've enjoyed thru the years.

[@jtaljl]

Indiana got hammered too.

[@Theo_Fried_]

Looking in the comments to see if anyone mentioned the story from the radio station (@36:51). They enjoyed the chili but sent the “woman of the night” on her way… because she was dealing in “more than chili”. 😳 What in the world?

[@chrisjoseph8220]

When I think of snow I'm glad my Ass lives here in ARIZONA USA !

[@PANIC_aka_PinD]

I was 12. Most cars had rear wheel drive and polyester tires :p .

[@user-lr2do1lj6m]

Was in pensacola warm and finishing my schooling getting ready to graduate pjc.

[@carolrauscher4680]

I was living in Missouri when this happened.

[@LoveEddieMoney]

Brenda Keller did all the talking on that couch. Her husband didn’t say a word...not one word 🤣

[@burt1758]

I was 15. Live in CT.

[@jonimichalski1403]

The storms of today are nothing like the snow storms of the past.ps it wasn't Just Ohio it was the whole East coast and Mid West Including Pennsylvania particularly the southwestern pa and also Parts New York State also

[@jamesspencer1463]

I remember this living in Maine an was 6 years old

[@shawn5929]

I was 3 in Cincinnati

[@davidchin3985]

I remember like it was yesterday I was barely 16 high school

[@arlinerobertson6377]

We were in strongsville our heat went out went to a neighbor house

[@JEM133]

Oh,I thought only modern day storms were dangerous, and "the worst ever"!

[@user-qi3kf5wi9n]

I was 7 in Rhode Island

[@misterblister4962]

"minus ten degrees"... nope. I'm out.

[@WhoisJohnGalt402]

Okay, so why are we reliving it ? It happens, We lived in Wyoming for close to twenty years, seen alot of it !

[@jasonwoodley3243]

Why are you watching it?

[@starful9493]

Not far from Kentucky I say we got it ..

[@user-yn2cz9sd9n]

Little buddy walked down drive way snow so high igot lost😢 scarier then when bus driver drop me wrong stop bwrd

[@user-yn2cz9sd9n]

I live here to this day❤

[@user-tu9nk6ep8i]

Hi hi great job cmse college students wredwood James work there

[@user-oc8sr3ml9m]

I was 19 living in NH it was a big one for sure. But Northerners are used to it. At least the real locals.

[@mikeheavyheart5114]

Bm, 25:00;

[@HorrorQue]

Yeah it snows every year

[@CharleneTaylor-kz8lz]

Hello

[@cv507]

penülltea ´4 the Fahraö? sysdämn ^?^