"the WHITE DEATH" - The Blizzard of '77, BUFFALO
gvf
Registered Users Posts: 356 Major grins
I've never seen before or after such a storm. Like a different planet. We knew we would get a storm, but what transpired was never dreamed of by meteorologists.
The first day around 9:00 am, the barometer plunged to levels never seen before by most meteorologists, in 3hrs the temperature went from 32F to 0F, and then the winds, 40mph, 50mph. Then IT came. A huge grey
mass of windswept snow off of Lake Erie, two feet thick from previous storms that year, and new snow, a foot and a half.
After two days of actual constant blizzard conditions, a LOT, the low wind-chill was -70 F, if you were stuck outside in minutes you would fall, and die. My then girlfriend and I stupidly went out, not at THAT point, but during a lull, we wanted to "experience it fully". Completely covered we felt safe. No. The lull stopped, winds came up and we were lost from each other visually even though a yard apart, any exposed flesh was lacerated with pain, my heart raced, I fought for breath, and we saw a hot-dog and coffee place the owner couldn't leave, so he kept it open and cooked free food for any stranded. We stayed for 3 hrs, just us in there with the owner, terrified to go home again. It had only been 2 blocks.
We did leave eventually and got back, and there we stayed the next week and a half, two more days and nights of the Blizzard, a full week of a strict driving ban as national guard plowed us out, Buffalo and surrounding areas, dumped the snow into huge trucks, carried it to railroad cars, where it went - well I don't know where the trains took it.
20 -30 died, most froze to death in cars, if your car stalled and no help was around: death. The storm
after was known as "The White Death". These are photos after. None mine, before my photography days:
Firemen Shoveling Roof of House
[/IMG]
[IMG][/img]
The first day around 9:00 am, the barometer plunged to levels never seen before by most meteorologists, in 3hrs the temperature went from 32F to 0F, and then the winds, 40mph, 50mph. Then IT came. A huge grey
mass of windswept snow off of Lake Erie, two feet thick from previous storms that year, and new snow, a foot and a half.
After two days of actual constant blizzard conditions, a LOT, the low wind-chill was -70 F, if you were stuck outside in minutes you would fall, and die. My then girlfriend and I stupidly went out, not at THAT point, but during a lull, we wanted to "experience it fully". Completely covered we felt safe. No. The lull stopped, winds came up and we were lost from each other visually even though a yard apart, any exposed flesh was lacerated with pain, my heart raced, I fought for breath, and we saw a hot-dog and coffee place the owner couldn't leave, so he kept it open and cooked free food for any stranded. We stayed for 3 hrs, just us in there with the owner, terrified to go home again. It had only been 2 blocks.
We did leave eventually and got back, and there we stayed the next week and a half, two more days and nights of the Blizzard, a full week of a strict driving ban as national guard plowed us out, Buffalo and surrounding areas, dumped the snow into huge trucks, carried it to railroad cars, where it went - well I don't know where the trains took it.
20 -30 died, most froze to death in cars, if your car stalled and no help was around: death. The storm
after was known as "The White Death". These are photos after. None mine, before my photography days:
Firemen Shoveling Roof of House
[/IMG][IMG][/img]
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