codfishsnowman Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 11 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said: My story. Attending URI as a sophomore. Taking a met class. The difax was indicating a major storm. My met professor Dr James Haven insisted it was going to be the biggest blizzard of our lives. He suggested any one who could go home should. At 11 am the winds were already gusting in the 30s on the open quad when It snow started. I immediately headed to find my girlfriend in class at Edwards Auditorium. We headed towards Westerly a 20 minute trip. I chose the 138 to 95 route because I knew it would be easier, proved to be a very wise choice as Rt 1 closed almost immediately and people were stranded. The snow immediately became very very heavy and dense. Can't describe it as I have yet to witness it again but the consistency was like cement right before it cures, not wet but dense. I believe that was the reason everyone got stuck. Anyways the trip home normally 20 mins took over an hour. By the time I got home it was full on blizzard and remained that way for the next 36 hrs. The night was as fierce as it gets complete with a 5 he period of basically a severe Tstorm. Sleet mixed in but it could have been hail. My girlfriend stayed the night and well 9 months later our blizzard baby son was born. I left school to get a full time job and benefits. The blizzard of 78 completely changed my life. No complaints just a fact. After it was over we were able to get back to URI, school was closed for 8 days I jumped out if a 3rd floor dorm into a massive drift. The Pub on campus stayed open 24 hrs a day and it was the most insane party ever. Judging by the photos I had which were lost in a flood at my parents in 83 I would say on level 36 inches would be a very good estimate. In the open farm areas like URI drifts easily reached 2 stories and in some places at the Kingston Turf Farms there were 30 ft drifts against the woodland of their miles long fields. so you figured 3 feet at URI? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 4 hours ago, Baroclinic Zone said: http://www.weather.gov/media/box/science/Blizzard_of_1978.pdf Swear there was 42"+ Absolutely. I have zero doubts. Very difficult to measure. Drifts for sure, but not like there were places where it got lower than 2 feet. I wish I could go back in time with a cell phone and tape measure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 6 hours ago, codfishsnowman said: so you figured 3 feet at URI? Yea bout that in WST, like Will said the Airport observers measured when they got back, when they got back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavisStraight Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I had 20" in the January storm and the Feb blizzard amounts dwarfed it, I know their was intense drifting but there was just so much snow everywhere with huge drifts. I think officially they said 27" but it was heavy snow like Ginxy describes for hours and hours and then after a lull in the morning the bands of heavy snow as the storm finally started moving dumped quite a bit more. I still think it was over 3 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25thamendmentfan Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Steve, was there more snow in westerly or Kingston? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongBeachSurfFreak Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 On 1/27/2018 at 4:30 PM, Ginx snewx said: My story. Attending URI as a sophomore. Taking a met class. The difax was indicating a major storm. My met professor Dr James Haven insisted it was going to be the biggest blizzard of our lives. He suggested any one who could go home should. At 11 am the winds were already gusting in the 30s on the open quad when It snow started. I immediately headed to find my girlfriend in class at Edwards Auditorium. We headed towards Westerly a 20 minute trip. I chose the 138 to 95 route because I knew it would be easier, proved to be a very wise choice as Rt 1 closed almost immediately and people were stranded. The snow immediately became very very heavy and dense. Can't describe it as I have yet to witness it again but the consistency was like cement right before it cures, not wet but dense. I believe that was the reason everyone got stuck. Anyways the trip home normally 20 mins took over an hour. By the time I got home it was full on blizzard and remained that way for the next 36 hrs. The night was as fierce as it gets complete with a 5 hr period of basically a severe Tstorm. Sleet mixed in but it could have been hail. My girlfriend stayed the night and well 9 months later our blizzard baby son was born. I left school to get a full time job and benefits. The blizzard of 78 completely changed my life. No complaints just a fact. After it was over we were able to get back to URI, school was closed for 8 days I jumped out of a 3rd floor dorm into a massive drift. The Pub on campus stayed open 24 hrs a day and it was the most insane party ever. Judging by the photos I had, which were lost in a flood at my parents in 83 I would say on level 36 inches would be a very good estimate. In the open farm areas like URI drifts easily reached 2 stories and in some places at the Kingston Turf Farms there were 30 ft drifts against the woodland of their miles long fields. The dense snow you mentioned also occurred on Jan 4th on Long Island. It was a very fine cross between sleet and snow. Tiny little round crystals. My take is that moisture was being pumped in so rapidly and low in the atmosphere traditional snow flakes couldn’t form. It had the exact desinity you describe. Great staying power as well. I had snow left on my property until last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 2 hours ago, 25thamendmentfan said: Steve, was there more snow in westerly or Kingston? Same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 1 hour ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said: The dense snow you mentioned also occurred on Jan 4th on Long Island. It was a very fine cross between sleet and snow. Tiny little round crystals. My take is that moisture was being pumped in so rapidly and low in the atmosphere traditional snow flakes couldn’t form. It had the exact desinity you describe. Great staying power as well. I had snow left on my property until last week. Look at all the pics, you see people walking on the snow and not sinking thigh deep, you walked on it and only went down about 6 inches it was that dense. Snowmobiles rode easily on top. That factor is underplayed when they compare to other storms, not blue cement like April 97 but not semi fluff like 13 or 15, its alone in my mind for that type of snow. Now for the could it happen again? Probably not to that degree, but as we have seen all across the country 1 TT jack knife can cause a whole lot of issues very quickly, a flash freeze of road surfaces to dumping snow like Dec 13 2007 caused 9 hr delays on local roads. Yes our technology to inform is light years ahead, our snow removal abilities far exceed 78 but one thing we are still dealing with is, basically the same infrastructure road wise with a million more people out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamarack Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Fort Kent was too far north, only got 2", though my current location had 10X that much. On Feb. 7 we were marking timber about 15 miles south of FK, near the south shore of Eagle Lake. There was SN- on an eerily steady 25 mph wind - think: wind tunnel. Knowing what was going on to our south, we asked ourselves whether even the snow-moving iron in the St. John Valley could've coped with such a storm. (We got one perhaps 75% as fierce in April 1982, plows did fine.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 WBZ aired a program this weekend about the storm, here is part of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 7 hours ago, HoarfrostHubb said: WBZ aired a program this weekend about the storm, here is part of it Awesome, thanks for the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 My dad was on a business trip in Germany and his company paid for a flight back on Concorde from Paris. Air France backed the plane away from the gate and then announced that they would be diverted to Montreal. It took 36 hours to get from Montreal to NYC by Amtrak, with the train stuck in snowdrifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Bought my ticket last minute. Hope to see some folks there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScituateWX Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Looking forward to this Saturday! Anyone want to meet up after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40/70 Benchmark Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 21 minutes ago, ScituateWX said: Looking forward to this Saturday! Anyone want to meet up after? I can chill for a bit...maybe a mini gtg after... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 I’ve got to leave pretty much right after. Hope to see some of you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apm Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Shoot, they seem to be sold out. Does any one have an extra ticket I could buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 On 2/1/2018 at 11:16 PM, apm said: Shoot, they seem to be sold out. Does any one have an extra ticket I could buy? Send a tweet to Charles Orloff at BHO to see if he can help Who else is going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HimoorWx Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Send a tweet to Charles Orloff at BHO to see if he can help Who else is going? I am. Not sure what the set up will be, but we can all try to meet up at lunch. Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 4 minutes ago, HimoorWx said: I am. Not sure what the set up will be, but we can all try to meet up at lunch. Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk There is a ball room (which is where I think you guys will be) and then downstairs is the bar/restaurant. The views are incredible. It's about 300' up on a weenie hill with spectacular views of Boston and the ocean to the east. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HimoorWx Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 There is a ball room (which is where I think you guys will be) and then downstairs is the bar/restaurant. The views are incredible. It's about 300' up on a weenie hill with spectacular views of Boston and the ocean to the east.Yeah, great location. Been there for dinner before, but never for a function. Quincy quarries on the way in are pretty interesting. Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apm Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 1 hour ago, HoarfrostHubb said: Send a tweet to Charles Orloff at BHO to see if he can help Who else is going? Thanks, I did and he did; I'm going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Quite the lineup here. Talks by Bob Thompson and Dr Uccellini. Tons of current and retired Boston TV mets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HimoorWx Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Quite the lineup here. Talks by Bob Thompson and Dr Uccellini. Tons of current and retired Boston TV mets Great talks, now if they could just get things moving before we run out of time. Spectacular views outside! Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 1 hour ago, HimoorWx said: Great talks, now if they could just get things moving before we run out of time. Spectacular views outside! Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk Yeah. I had the bug out before the panel disco got really going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishn Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Conference was good. It was nice to meet you Ray. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40/70 Benchmark Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 1 hour ago, phishn said: Conference was good. It was nice to meet you Ray. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Likewise...Ucenelli is very personable...great talking snow with him. Got his and Kocin's sigs on the book now. Shweogler is a very unique cat....shared a story with him on how he sent me an autographed pic when I was a kid in grade school, and he physically patted himself on the back Rosenthal....strange bird, but very personable. When on a rant about how many mets today are only there because they are pretty to look at, and don't know anything, then did aid drop....no one was quite sure how to react. lmao Got Harvey to sign my Blizzard of '78 book! Bob Copeland signed his hand crafted surface map from the morning of the '78 blizz that I purchased. Mish Michaels seemed cool....no longer in the weather biz, just raising kids. They are all shorter than you imagine them...except maybe Rosethal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Tim Kelly is taller than I thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Glad it was fun. Almost went last minute, but finally got some time with the fam. Ray’s takes on the Mets is exactly what I thought lol. Mark I heard is a trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROOSTA Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Damn I miss being able to participate in the festivities (gtg) present day. Back in '78 I was just beginning my duty to this Country, DMAF in Tuscon AZ. Never more homesick "only" 20 years old wanting to go AWOL. Thankfully I did not. Missed the whole thing but remember taking a trip home in late March. Took a drive down to Scituate with some buddies vividly remembering the total destruction, roads gone, boulders the size of houses still strewn hither and thither, foundations void of dwellings. Forever the Benchmark in my lifetime.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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