The Great Ohio Blizzard of 1978Storm Review and Assessment

of Societal Impacts

Dr. Thomas W. SchmidlinKent State University

Kirk LombardyNOAA National Weather ServiceCleveland, Ohio

Storm Evolution and Track500 Mb 25 Jan 1978 12z

Courtesy NWS Detroit/Pontiac

Storm Evolution and Track500 Mb 26 Jan 1978 00z

Courtesy NWS Detroit/Pontiac

Storm Evolution and Track500 Mb 26 Jan 1978 12z

Courtesy NWS Detroit/Pontiac

Storm Evolution and TrackSurface 25 Jan 1978 12z

Courtesy NWS Detroit/Pontiac

Storm Evolution and TrackSurface 26 Jan 1978 12z

Courtesy NWS Detroit/Pontiac

850 MB Winds and Temperatures 1200z 25 Jan 78 thru 0300z 27 Jan 78

Surface (Wind and Temperature) and MSL Pressure 1200z 25 Jan 78 thru 0600z 27 Jan 78

Cleveland, Ohio Lowest Barometric Pressure

Second lowest pressure not associated with a hurricane in the 20th century in the 48 contiguous states (Blackburn 1978)

Meteorological Impacts

• Temperatures fell 30° F in two hours.• Winds increased to more than 50 MPH.• Wind gust to 82 MPH at Cleveland

Hopkins Airport – strongest ever measured in Cleveland.

• Ore carrier J. Burton Ayers had sustained winds of 86 MPH and gusts to 111 MPH.

• Temperatures dropped to near 0° F at onset and remained near 10° F Thursday.

• Wind chill -50° F.• 5 to 10 inches of snow accumulation.• Snow drifts 15 to 20 feet.

Societal Impacts of the Great Ohio Blizzard 1978

• Affected all of Ohio and parts of several states.

• Followed earlier severe winter weather.

• Thousands of trees and miles of electric and telephone wires blown down.

• 175,000 homes without power.

• Farm buildings blown down.• Highways and airports

closed for 2-5 days.• Electric power failures.• Schools closed.• Food shortages – bread,

eggs, milk.• Many people stranded in

homes or at work.• NWS Cleveland lost power.

Blizzard was impetus for all NWS offices to have generators installed.

Photo by The Columbus Dispatch

Photo byStephen Chang

Societal Impacts of the Great Ohio Blizzard 1978

51 deaths22 outdoors leaving cars or unheated homes13 in stranded vehicles13 in unheated homes 2 in collapsed buildings

$73 million in farm lossesdead livestocklost cropsproperty damagedumped milk

Photo from Marion County Historical Society

Response to the Great Ohio Blizzard of 1978

Corporate helicopters and private snowmobile and 4WD trucks delivered medicine and medical personnel, transported utility workers.

Radio and TV stations broadcast emergency info.

Communication difficulties between local and state/federal rescue/relief.

Response to the Great Ohio Blizzard of 1978

*Rescue and relief was ‘local’ for 1-2 days.*

No assistance from neighboring jurisdictions.

Ohio National Guard arrived 2 days later with 5,005 troops and 800 vehicles.

Federal troops arrived in Toledo 3 days later.

Plow roads, open airports, provide emergency evacuations, restore electric power, deliver food and medicines, transport medical personnel.

National Guard flew 2700 missions.

Advantages/Disadvantages in January 1978:

Advantages:Prior experiences in severe winter weather during 1976-77 and 1977-78.Children were not stranded at schools.

Disadvantages: Oil and gas shortages in 70s.Wide areas of Midwest affected.

Impacts in Today’s World

Blizzards are regional eventsWho will be impacted?How will rescue and relief efforts be affected?What hindrances will occur?

Now: More dependence on communications, more people and traffic, can we communicate?, who is vulnerable?

Impacts in Today’s World

• Will helicopters be available to air lift supplies and medical personnel?

• Accumulative effects of past storms escalating impacts?

• Are supplies and resources on hand for a major event?

• What can local municipalities do to handle a crisis until aid arrives?

“Just 30 years ago (1948) I think weather certainly affected us seriously but we were not nearly as socially affected….We were individually able to cope with it because we did not depend on electricity in the home for our heat…and we didn’t depend on going to the grocery store as we do today.” – Thomas Seliga (Head of the Atmospheric Sciences program at Ohio State University in 1978.)

How do we stand in the 21st Century?

Special Thanks:

• Daniel Leins – For creating WRF model output.

• Robert Rozumalski – For compiling the model data.

• Robert LaPlante – For his assistance in assembling this presentation.

• Lynn Maximuk, Frank Kieltyka, and Ed Stickrod for their recollections.