The Massive Ohio Blizzard Of January 1978 Will Never Be Forgotten

Do you remember the Great Blizzard of 1978? Maybe you have fond memories of the frequent school closings. Maybe you recall having to shovel yourself out of your house. This particular snow storm was dire for many parts of the country, and is commonly referred to as the largest blizzard in Ohio history. Thousands of people were stranded, power outages were widespread, snow drifts covered cars—even the National Guard was called in.

While the snow was already hitting other states days before, it began falling in northern Ohio on January 26, 1978, accompanied by extreme winds and low pressure.

Thousands of people were stranded in their cars and traffic was at a complete standstill. Gusts of winds even reached up to 80 mph.

The snow drifts continued on that Friday (January 27), burying cars, road signs and even some smaller buildings and homes. Several people were lost simply because they were buried beneath the snow in their vehicles.

In addition to the massive power outages and damages, more than 50 people in Ohio died in the blizzard. A federal emergency was declared, calling in the National Guard for assistance.

For more information about this severe snow storm, watch the video below:

Do you remember the blizzard of 1978, what many consider to be the largest blizzard in Ohio? If so, share your memories with us!

And if you'd like to remember another extreme winter in the Buckeye State, check out our previous article on the frigid temperatures of 1994.