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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
photograph was taken in East Boston on Meridian Street, 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 (or January 20th) 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.
Near Buried Street
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 of White Street in East Boston 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.
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