Nor easter expected? Blizzard in the forecast? Either prediction is a sure sign that media outlets will dig up photos and facts from historic storms of years past. Sure to be
These are the 10 worst winter storms to hit Massachusetts, from the devastating 1991 ‘Perfect Storm’ to the soul-crushing Great Blizzard of 1888
Updated Feb 10, 2021;
Posted Feb 10, 2021
This view looks south on Main Street, Springfield shortly after the fabled Blizzard of 1888 paralyzed the region. (The Republican file photo)
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Cities and towns throughout Massachusetts were left unrecognizable in March 1888, buried underneath a blanket of white, blasted by wind-whipped snowdrifts of roughly 20 feet and battered severely by what has gone down in the books as one of the largest winter storms to hit the Northeast.
In the wake of the Great Blizzard of 1888, the title the storm rightfully earned, hundreds were left dead across the region. In Massachusetts, residents in the Berkshires had to dig out of as much as 40 inches of snow while dealing with bone-chilling temperatures.
Nor easter expected? Blizzard in the forecast? Either prediction is a sure sign that media outlets will dig up photos and facts from historic storms of years past. Sure to be included are the Blizzard of 1888 and the Blizzard of 1978.
But were those the worst storms to hit the Berkshires?
The
Blizzard of 1978 began as a typical nor easter Feb. 5, developing into a devastating blizzard that wrought havoc on New England, New Jersey and metropolitan New York over the course of the next two days. Heavy snows and high winds, reaching 86 to 110 mph on the coast, forced about 10,000 people into emergency shelters and destroyed 3,500 homes. Travelers abandoned their cars on the Massachusetts Turnpike, and 100 deaths are attributed to the storm.