[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

1982-1983, I was driving, but had to be in work at 5am on a Saturday morning but we had a blizzard on the way. I worked in a convalescent home. My dad drove me in Friday night and I slept on a chair in the library so I was in work on time.

Ah, the February 11-12, 1983 Megalopolis Blizzard. On that Friday, I was researching at the City Bar library on Vesey Street. I saw a curtain of snow approaching the Verazanno. I raced for the subway, stopped at my job at 10 East 40th Street, and equally quickly raced to Grand Central. The snow very slowly worked its way northward but by the time I got off in Scarsdale (was living with my parents then) it was snowing quite hard. We had 20 or so inches that night.

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

Big snow storm in wester MA 1987 - November? I'd just taken delivery of a new car and had to make a delivery to Lee MA. I also remember there being what felt like a lot of snow that winter of 1987/88

<edit> Nothing Like 1987 – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News Veterans Day storm

I have pictures of a rather big snow in the Albany on October 4, 1987. The weather records bear me out. The day before I attended Temple in Westchester. When I went in to afternoon services it was in the 50's. I came out to a drenching,frigid rain, and had to run to my car, some distance away, on a fast-emptied stomach.

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

The Downslope Nor'easter (December 10-12, 1992)
This storm produced incredible snowfall totals across many mountainous locations, while barely having any effect on valley locations. Strong east winds caused the air to "downslope" off the Berkshires and Taconics, and "dry it out." Snowfall totals in the Berkshires ranged from 30 to 48 inches with drifts up to 12 feet. Schools were closed for a week and the national guard had to bring in heavy equipment to remove the snow. The Catskills and Helderbergs also got their share of snow with 18 to 39 inches reported. On Friday, December 11, at the height of the storm, the city of Albany received a half inch of snow with temperatures in the middle 30's. Albany did eventually get 6", but most of that fell toward the end of the storm, on Saturday the 12th, after the winds turned more northerly. The winter of 1992-93 is one of the snowiest on record for Albany with 94.2 inches.

I was in Calgary, Alberta that Saturday getting ready to fly home to New York. My wife wanted to fly via Toronto and I wanted to fly via Dallas. Fortunately I won that argument. I went for a swim that night in the hotel pool at the Palliser and when I came back she said "we're lucky we picked Dallas.Toronto is snowed in." I knew from my knowledge of weather that meant it had to be real bad in my area.

When we got back LaGuardia had just reopened after a day or two partially closed and the car lot was busy scraping ice off the car. When we got home we found about 4"-6" of wet snow on the ground. When we woke up the next morning we found that the beach club to which we belonged suffered a lot of wind damage. We heard about a lot of destruction on the news.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

That period was roughly from January 19, 1961 to February 3, 1961. There were two major snowstorms in NYC at that time; January 19-20, 1961 (the Kennedy inauguration was affected by this) and February 3-4, 1961. The latter featured about 18" of snow, with some wet snow or rain mixed in. It also broke the cold wave. There were minor events in between. Bob Dylan memorialized the period in Talkin' New York (link), on his self-titled first album where he sang:


The big storm was probably February 1967 and March 1967. 1967-8 was bitterly cold, subzero periods, but not much snow. 1978 was apparently something special but I was at college at Cornell for that storm. My friend who graduated Cornell and was at M.I.T. told me about that one.I didn't remember the 1960-1 cold period. My knowledge of the Kennedy inauguration and the Dylan lyrics encouraged me to look it up. I remember the following from my childhood:

1. The drought of 1964. That one because when I moved to the suburbs I wanted to play in the sprinklers and could not;
2. My first sleepaway summer, 1966, for the intense July heat and equally intense cool-down the next month;
3. The aforementioned February 6-7, 1967 (or so) blizzard since school was canceled, the first two snow days I remember.
4. A cold spell that November, mostly because I got ahead of myself and had a near-lethal plunge through thin ice on December 2, 1967;
5. Subzero weather in January 1968 since my father wouldn't let me run around the block before school. That was the prelude to my jogging;
6. The "Mayor Lindsay" February 1969 snowstorm, for its intensity;
7. A snowstorm starting on Christmas night in 1969 that I hoped would lead to a nice day skiing. It was snowing too hard the next day to drive and then it turned to rain. About 30" upstate in that storm;
8. A New Years Day snowstorm in 1971. A friend came over to play about two hours late. We played ping-pong. He is still my friend;
9. (Now we're getting outside childhood) Playing high school soccer in snow on October 19, 1972 and then having very little snow that winter;
10. Cycling five miles each way to a friend's house in a very rare late August heat wave in 1973, when it hit 98° twice; and
11. Three inches of falling ice on or about December 17-18, 1973, and skating on skates in my back yard.

Later events are after I was 16, within most people's memory. I remember the earlier events despite having an awful memory.

Wow, thanks for filling in the blanks. I knew the years (sort of) and remembered where I was. We remember it because we relate it to what we were doing or trying to do at the time. When I was a little kid in elementary school I actually kept notes. I was interested in weather.

I still have a black and white picture of myself in that 1967/8 snow storm. I am climbing over a split rail fence in Glastonbury and the snow was halfway up the fence. People are standing in the background with snow shovels. Years later, many storms later, it somehow doesn't seem like that much snow.

In 1978 I was living in WMass and we didn't get the Blizzard of '78 that badly. My friend and I walked to the town library and were surprised to find it closed. Meanwhile a friend near Boston told of hundreds of cars abandoned out on rte 128.

Now that I've lived on the coast of the MA/NH border, nothing, NOTHING can be worse. Waiting here in CT with baited breath for the spring thaw tomorrow.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Wow, thanks for filling in the blanks. I knew the years (sort of) and remembered where I was. We remember it because we relate it to what we were doing or trying to do at the time. When I was a little kid in elementary school I actually kept notes. I was interested in weather.

You are welcome. I owe you one (or five) on the rep. The 1960-1 event I only remember from music and history. I have a picture of myself playing in snow after the March 3, 1960 with a snowman I must have just helped make. The sky was deep blue. I was a bundled up child just a month short of turning three. I would never be that bundled up at any age I have control over my garb; I am pretty resistant to cold.

Originally Posted by in_newengland

I still have a black and white picture of myself in that 1967/8 snow storm. I am climbing over a split rail fence in Glastonbury and the snow was halfway up the fence. People are standing in the background with snow shovels. Years later, many storms later, it somehow doesn't seem like that much snow.

Do you have the date on that storm. We had only 3-4" storms in my area that winter, at least counting the ones that didn't turn to rain.

Originally Posted by in_newengland

In 1978 I was living in WMass and we didn't get the Blizzard of '78 that badly. My friend and I walked to the town library and were surprised to find it closed. Meanwhile a friend near Boston told of hundreds of cars abandoned out on rte 128.

I was up at Cornell even further west. The best we could do was about 1" from snow showers.

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Now that I've lived on the coast of the MA/NH border, nothing, NOTHING can be worse. Waiting here in CT with baited breath for the spring thaw tomorrow.

If the very similar though not identical winter of 1960-1 is any guide (this one is a La Niña and that one was neutral) we have one or two sieges of cold and/or snow. That winter we had a major storm around December 11, and the ones I mentioned on January 20 and February 3-4. The latter two events featured the longest cold wave in modern history. It ain't over yet.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Cambium

Wow guys! Incredible post with history! Very awesome! You made me want to do a "memory list" too now!






Not sure why.


Whoa! NYC only hit 30F today.. are they gonna add another one today? 3.5hrs till day ends lets see if they rise before midnight. They are still at 30 at 8:30pm.


BTW.. did you see my latest stat on NYC? Look for Post #401

they are at 31 now, ao not sure streak will go one more day...

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

I grew up in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York. Is that a help? The snow on October 19, 1972 was a trace. Central Park and most of New Jersey had a trace that day. That year was a strong El Niño. Since there is a vigorous subtropical low it is possible, indeed likely for there to be cold air in place. October 9, 1979 was similar even though that El Niño stuttered out until coming back with a vengeance in April 1982.

We are neighbors so to speak, I grew up in Mt. Vernon.

And Cambium, I actually saw you post 401 earlier today on your twitter site. Very impressive stat

Oh and October 4, 1987, big memory for.me. I was going to college in the Albany area and was home visiting (and since you mention temple I want to say it was for the High Holy Days but dont remember). I drove back to school into that storm. Starting seeing flakes around Chappaqua and at I84 opted to go over to Newburgh and take Thruway over the Taconic (smart choice). Lots of snow up at school and no.power or heat for 3 days.

[beer belly]

A few from Westchester here, eh. Born and raised Ossining, Wife...Whitestone, Scarsdale and Briarcliff. Happy to see a warming trend finally.

[Cambium]

Awesome posts.

Originally Posted by beer belly

A few from Westchester here, eh. Born and raised Ossining, Wife...Whitestone, Scarsdale and Briarcliff. Happy to see a warming trend finally.

Friday lunchtime temps per NAM model. You can see where the cold front is at this point. Spring time temps ahead of it. But will be raining. I'm having a hard time buying the 50s still with snowpack AND rain.


Also have to see the track this new storm takes and IF there's enough moisture on the cold side for us to get some snow or sleet Saturday.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Cambium

Wow guys! Incredible post with history! Very awesome! You made me want to do a "memory list" too now!






Not sure why.


Whoa! NYC only hit 30F today.. are they gonna add another one today? 3.5hrs till day ends lets see if they rise before midnight. They are still at 30 at 8:30pm.


BTW.. did you see my latest stat on NYC? Look for Post #401

Ended up staying at 31 (as did BDR), so streak got one more day. NYC has since gone a bit over (33), BDR still at 31, but presumably it gets warmer and their streak ends today too.

[jp03]

Well..brutal cold or not, I wouldn't trade living here in the Northeast with its 4 seasons for anything. Driving around with the snow pack still intact is just a beautiful sight. Shame it is going to rain, we would have set 6 inch plus snow pack records at this rate. As it is we have had a snow pack for a good while.

[ads94]

Might as well have rolled the windows down on the way to work. Never thought high 20s would feel so good. Guess what my brother said about Alaska is true, on a day when its above 0C in the middle of winter, everyone is out in t shirts and shorts.