Blizzard of '78

East Boston Photos

Storm Before The Blizzard of 78

On January 20th 1978, 21 inches of snow fell in Boston. The narrow streets of Boston were clogged with snow. It took a few days to dig out, but the city still had mounds of snow everywhere. The above photo was taken at Meridian and Eutaw Streets in East Boston, after about eight inches of snowfall. Please note there is a line of cars behind the bus, all with their headlights on, in broad daylight. As part of their duties, Boston Firefighters had to dig out hundreds of fireplugs throughout the city for obvious reasons. This storm was considered one of the worst in Boston's history.

Last Westbound Blue Line Train

This author was less prudent in '78 and enjoyed taking photographs of the city during harsh weather. The two storms blend somewhat in memory, but I believe the above photo was taken of a train about to leave Orient Heights on February 6th 1978 heading for downtown Boston. When this train traveled into the short tunnel near Airport Station, it was unable to climb the grade on the other side due to ice and snow on the tracks. The motorman shrewdly backed the train into the tunnel again, and operated the train in reverse from the last car, which was able to push the train up the other side successfully. When the train arrived at Maverick Station, the Blue Line was shut down.

White And Marion Streets

On February 6th and 7th 1978, 27.1 inches of snow fell in Boston. The storm quickly became known as The Blizzard of 78. Along the coast, the tides were devastating. At the height of the blizzard, the ocean storm surge rose 15.2 feet above the normal low tide mark. Many homes in coastal communities in Massachusetts Bay were completely destroyed. Severe flooding occurred in many low-lying towns. The storm strengthened during afternoon rush hour, and people were buried in their cars on the highways surrounding Boston. 99 people tragically lost their lives due to the blizzard.  The value of all property destroyed was about $1.3 billion [or $2.8 billion current dollars]. The above photo was taken on February 8th or 9th. Please note that cars are completely buried on both sides of the street, and some buildings had their first floors partially buried.

The State House in Boston

Near martial law had to be declared, and vehicular traffic was banned for several days. The national guard was used to rescue people on the highways, and also in boats in flooded areas. Heavy machinery, dump trucks, and tow trucks were used for days to dig out streets and remove abandoned cars. The above photo was taken on February 12th. Please note the absence of cars, with people walking right up Park Street. The Blizzard of 78 was the storm of last century. Some of the good that came as a result of the blizzard is mandatory evacuation of coastal areas that are in great danger, and a "conditioned response" by businesses today to send people home early or to simply close down for that day when large storms are forecasted.

Content courtesy of CelebrateBoston.com.