The Great blizzard of 1978 - Jackson Michigan

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• published: 27 Nov 2013
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Peek Through Time: Jackson Michigan was buried by 23 inches of blowing snow during 'Blizzard of '78' --- .By Leanne Smith from the Citizen Patriot --- JACKSON, MI -- This week, the weather talk has been about below-zero temperatures and brutal wind chills. --- Those around long enough to remember this same week can tell a very different story about what meteorologists at the time said was "the most extensive and most severe blizzard in Michigan history." The first warnings of the storm came in the Wednesday, Jan. 25, 1978 Citizen Patriot under the headline "14 inches of snow predicted." Residents were warned to "warm up the snow blowers and ready the shovels and plows." By the time it was over, the "Blizzard of 1978" had dumped 23 inches of snow on Jackson, and more elsewhere in the state and the Midwest. All those snow blowers, plows and shovels on the ready were rendered ineffective by the storm's heavy, thick, wet snow, compounded by 60 mph winds. In Jackson, two people died, 500 residents were without fuel, farmers were forced to dump their milk, the roofs of a half-dozen buildings collapsed and mail wasn't delivered for four days. The snow began at about 11 p.m. Jan. 25. By midnight, Jackson police were reporting that roads were impassable. ( Blizzard of 1978 vs. 2011. Which was the weather knockout? ) Heavy snow began falling on parts of the Lower Peninsula late Jan. 25. About 23 inches of snow fell in Jackson Michigan over the next couple of days. ...The blizzard left more than 20 people dead statewide and more than 125,000 vehicles stranded on roadsides. --- Clogged roads and poor visibility left much of Michigan snowbound. Only emergency traffic was permitted on primary and secondary roads in the hardest hit areas, with freeways. Michigan's Great Blizzard of 1978 "The most extensive and very nearly the most severe blizzard in Michigan history raged throughout Thursday January 26, 1978 and into part of Friday January 27. About 20 people died as a direct or indirect result of the storm, most due to heart attacks or traffic accidents. At least one person died of exposure in a stranded automobile. Many were hospitalized for exposure, mostly from homes that lost power and heat. About 100,000 cars were abandoned on Michigan highways, most of them in the southeast part of the state." Michigan winter storms all but demand a showdown: The blizzard of 1978 versus the Groundhog Day blizzard of 2011. High winds. Treacherous roads. Schools closed. Snows exceeding 17 inches. And the winner? No contest, say the experts. By knockout. "It's 1978," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Brandon Hoving. It had longer duration impact across the area. People were stuck in their homes for several days. We had road closures, stranded cars. High winds. It was as bad as it gets. Song (Winter Time) by The Steve Miller Band.