The Blizzard of 1978: How the Three-Day Nor’easter Stopped New England
In 1978, one of the worst blizzards in recent memory crippled the Atlantic seaboard.
Quick Reference
- When: February 5 to February 7, 1978. Three days of snow, wind, and surge.
- Where: New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the New York metro area. Hardest hit: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
- Snowfall records: Boston 27 inches, Providence 27.6 inches (state record), Atlantic City 20 inches. Drifts to 15 feet.
- Wind: sustained 86 mph, gusts to 111 mph. Snow fell at up to 4 inches per hour.
- Toll: about 100 deaths, 4,500 injuries, $520 million in property damage (roughly $2.5 billion in 2026 dollars).
- Why it stopped New England: a Carolina coastal cyclone collided with an Arctic cold front under a new-moon high tide. Forecasters did not see it coming.
For three days in February 1978, the Northeast stood still. The Blizzard of 1978 dropped 27 inches of snow on Boston, 27.6 inches on Providence, and as much as 15 feet of drifted snow across coastal Massachusetts. It killed about 100 people, injured 4,500 more, and caused $520 million in property damage in 1978 dollars (roughly $2.5 billion today). Governor Michael Dukakis banned all automobile traffic in Massachusetts for almost a week. National Guard troops flew in from Fort Bragg to dig the cars out. Forty-eight years on, the Blizzard of 1978 is still the storm New Englanders measure every nor’easter against.
How the Storm Formed
The Blizzard of 1978 started life as an extra-tropical cyclone off the coast of South Carolina on Sunday, February 5. As it moved up the Atlantic seaboard, it collided with an Arctic cold front pushing south out of Canada. That collision is the classic signature of a New England nor’easter: warm wet air from the south meets dense cold air from the north, and the boundary between them rolls up the coast as it deepens.
The 1978 storm had two extra ingredients that ordinary nor’easters do not. First, the storm slowed and stalled over Cape Cod for nearly 36 hours, parking record snowfall over a single region. Second, it timed its peak with a new-moon high tide. New moons produce the strongest tides of the lunar month (the same gravitational pull tracked in the Farmers’ Almanac Tide Calendar). When the surge from a slow-moving offshore cyclone met a new-moon high tide, sea walls broke, coastal homes washed off their foundations, and the flooding moved miles inland in some Rhode Island and Massachusetts towns.
The Snowfall and Wind That Made It Historic
The numbers from the Blizzard of 1978 are still in the New England record books.
- Boston: 27.0 inches of snow over the storm, then a Boston single-storm record at the time
- Providence, Rhode Island: 27.6 inches, an all-time state record
- Atlantic City, New Jersey: 20 inches, an all-time city record
- Drift heights: up to 15 feet on the coastal sides of houses, barns, and snow fences
- Snowfall rate: 4 inches per hour at the storm’s peak, the kind of rate that drops a foot of snow in three hours
- Wind: sustained 86 mph (Category 1 hurricane force), gusts to 111 mph (Category 3 hurricane force)
- Visibility: effectively zero for stretches of more than 24 hours
What made the storm dangerous was not any one of those numbers. It was the combination. A foot of snow falling in calm conditions is a long shovel job. A foot of snow falling at 4 inches per hour with 86-mph winds is a whiteout that buries cars in less time than it takes most drivers to decide whether to turn around.
What It Was Like on the Ground
Forecasters did not see the storm coming the way they would see one today. Sunday-morning television in Boston went into the day predicting rain or a few inches of snow. By Monday afternoon the snowfall rate had jumped to 4 inches per hour, the wind had hit hurricane force, and the highways were already in trouble. Most commuters in Boston, Providence, and Hartford were on the road or at work when the worst of it hit. Most did not make it home that night.
3,500 Abandoned Cars in Boston
By the morning of February 7, more than 3,500 cars had been abandoned on Boston city streets and highways. Drivers walked away in waist-deep snow looking for shelter, or tried to ride the storm out behind the wheel and slept in their cars overnight. Many of the abandoned cars stayed buried for a full week. Towns and cities ran out of places to push the snow.
14 Deaths on Route 128
The grimmest single statistic of the storm came from Interstate 95 and Massachusetts Route 128 outside Boston. Fourteen people died inside their cars from carbon monoxide poisoning. Snow piled high enough around the tailpipes to keep exhaust trapped under and inside the vehicles while drivers ran the engine to stay warm. It is the reason every modern winter-storm advisory still includes a clear line about clearing snow from around your tailpipe before you idle a parked vehicle.
11,666 Beanpot Fans Stranded at Boston Garden
The Beanpot college hockey tournament was on the schedule at Boston Garden when the storm broke. Some 11,666 fans, players, and staff ended up trapped inside the building for up to three days. People slept in the bleachers and the locker rooms, ate hot dogs from the concession stands until the supply ran out, and waited for the driving ban to lift. The Beanpot stranding has become one of the cleanest snapshots of the storm’s reach: a major sporting event, in the middle of one of the country’s biggest cities, sealed inside a building because the streets outside were not passable on foot, by truck, or on skis.
17 to 26 Lives in Rhode Island
Rhode Island recorded between 17 and 26 storm-related deaths, depending on the count. Coastal towns took the worst of the surge: Westerly, Narragansett, and Misquamicut all lost homes to flooding. Inland communities stayed cut off from outside help for days. Westerly, the southwestern corner of the state, called itself the week the town stood still, and most local accounts mark the storm as the most-talked-about weather event in Rhode Island living memory.
The State of Emergency and the Driving Ban
By Tuesday morning, February 7, every Northeastern state from Connecticut to Maine had declared a state of emergency. Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis went furthest. He issued Executive Order 142 on February 8, banning all automobile traffic on Massachusetts roads except emergency vehicles and essential workers. The ban held for almost a week. Dukakis later said the ban was the only way to keep the streets clear enough for plows and emergency crews to operate, and that the MBTA, the regional transit system, “had to perform superbly well” because nothing else was moving.
The National Guard came in by air. Logan Airport runways were cleared specifically for an arrival of about 200 troops on 27 C-130 and C-141 military transport flights from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Devens in Massachusetts. Guard troops manned highway checkpoints to keep nonessential drivers off the road and joined the road crews working to clear cars and snow from the major arteries. It took six days to fully reopen the highways. I-95 itself was eventually evacuated by cross-country skiers and snowmobilers because no other vehicle could move through the snowpack.
The Damage in Numbers
| Metric | Number |
|---|---|
| Lives lost (Northeast total) | about 100 |
| Lives lost (Massachusetts coastal towns) | at least 26 |
| Lives lost (Rhode Island) | 17 to 26 (counts vary) |
| Lives lost (CO poisoning, I-95 and Route 128) | 14 |
| Injuries | about 4,500 |
| Property damage (1978 dollars) | $520 million |
| Property damage (2026 dollars, approx.) | $2.5 billion |
| Cars abandoned in Boston | 3,500+ |
| Days of driving ban in Massachusetts | 6 |
| National Guard troops airlifted to Logan | about 200, on 27 military flights |
Why the Blizzard of 1978 Still Defines New England Winter
The Blizzard of 1978 changed how the Northeast prepares for winter. After 1978, every New England state revised its emergency-management plans to allow earlier snow-emergency declarations and quicker mobilisation of the National Guard. Highway crews shifted to pre-treating roads with brine and salt instead of waiting for the snow to fall. Forecasters at the National Weather Service rebuilt their winter-storm warning system after watching how badly Sunday’s forecast missed Monday’s reality. Most personal-vehicle winter kits sold today, with the shovel, the sand, the candle in a tin can, the wool blanket, are descended from the lessons of the 14 carbon-monoxide deaths on Route 128.
The storm also lives in memory in a way that more recent blizzards do not. New Englanders born in the 1960s and earlier still tell where they were when the storm hit, who they walked home with, what neighbour took them in. The memory has been documented in oral-history projects from Boston.com, the Hull Times, the New England Historical Society, and the National Weather Service Boston office. Each anniversary, the local TV stations replay the same archive footage of cars stuck on Route 128 and houses underwater on the South Shore.
For the storms that came later, see our piece on historic blizzards across US history and the comparison piece on the Superstorm of 1993. For the cities that have been brought to a standstill by weather, see our 10 US cities shut down by weather list, which includes Boston twice.
Reading the Snow Signs Today
Forecasting has come a long way since 1978, but the Northeast still gets the same kind of storms. A coastal cyclone meeting an Arctic front under a new-moon tide is the same setup the 1978 system rode in on, and it still produces winters New Englanders write down. The Farmers’ Almanac long-range forecast tracks the broad patterns months ahead so readers in storm country can stock up on salt, fuel, and groceries before the warning becomes a watch. The Best Days Calendar marks the lunar phases that produce the highest tides, which is when coastal towns are most exposed to surge during a winter storm.
Watch the sky. Stock the pantry. The next storm is on its way.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Blizzard of 1978?
The storm formed off the South Carolina coast on Sunday, February 5, 1978, intensified as it moved up the Atlantic seaboard, and broke up by Tuesday, February 7. The driving ban in Massachusetts and recovery work continued for another six days after the storm itself ended.
How much snow fell in the Blizzard of 1978?
Boston measured 27 inches at Logan Airport. Providence, Rhode Island recorded 27.6 inches, an all-time state record. Atlantic City posted 20 inches, also a city record. Drifts on the coast reached 15 feet. The storm dropped snow at a peak rate of 4 inches per hour with sustained 86 mph winds.
How many people died in the Blizzard of 1978?
About 100 people died across the affected states. Fourteen of those deaths happened on I-95 and Route 128 outside Boston, from carbon monoxide poisoning inside cars whose tailpipes had been buried in snow while the engines ran for warmth. Rhode Island lost 17 to 26 people. Around 4,500 more people were injured.
Why was the Blizzard of 1978 so bad?
Three factors. First, the snowfall rate hit 4 inches per hour at the peak, far above what plow crews can keep up with. Second, sustained 86 mph winds with gusts to 111 mph pushed visibility to zero and built drifts up to 15 feet. Third, the storm timed its peak with a new-moon high tide, producing coastal flooding that broke sea walls and washed homes off their foundations.
Did Governor Dukakis really ban driving?
Yes. Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued Executive Order 142 on February 8, 1978, banning all automobile traffic on Massachusetts roads except emergency vehicles and essential workers. The ban held for almost a week. Dukakis credited the ban with letting plow crews and the MBTA do their work without interference.
What happened at the Beanpot during the Blizzard of 1978?
The Beanpot college hockey tournament was running at Boston Garden when the storm broke. About 11,666 fans, players, and staff were trapped inside the building for up to three days. People slept in the bleachers and locker rooms and ate concession-stand hot dogs until the supply ran out.
What was the cost of the Blizzard of 1978?
$520 million in 1978 dollars, which is roughly $2.5 billion in 2026 dollars. The figure covers property damage, infrastructure repair, and recovery costs across the affected states. It does not include the indirect cost of the week-long shutdown of business activity across the Northeast.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
- Jaime McLeod
- Jaime McLeod
- Jaime McLeod
- Jaime McLeod
I was just a kid, but i remember school was closed and my parents – rural mail carriers both – were home.
That NEVER happened!
Rural Ohio and we had trouble!
Had to use front end loaders to pile the snow! We drove through tunnels with the tops open for months and months!
I was working in Milford CT. That day ,I knew they said snow was coming it was about 3-4 pm I packed up my tools and got on I 95 north, the snow was coming hard I was in a company mini pic up but loaded with tools before long the snow on the interstate was up to bottom of my door it was snowing so hard plows could not keep up there were cars stuck everywhere on the highway with the weight I had I kept moving dodging all the stuck cars it was dark now and snow blowing horizontal and unlike other snow storms it was bitter bitter cold , i managed to make it to I 91 north and there was a woman stuck in a snow bank pleading for help I picked her and we drove to Springfield Ma , how my truck made it I’ll never forget
WOW! So glad to hear you made it through safely!
I was living in Revere, MA and right in the middle of it all. The coast was like a hurricane and many houses were tossed into the ocean. Boston and areas around were shut down. I lived in a 3-story apartment building and the snow drifted up to the 2nd story balcony. We had to dig from top to bottom to get the front door open. My car was buried and it took days and weeks for things to be dug out and return to normal. One special memory was how all the tennants in the apartment building came together to help and socialize and share necessities. Strangers becoming friends.
I was In the Army at that time and it was my Unit from Ft. Bragg, NC that went to Buffalo and helped them to get dug out and made way to Ft. Drum as they were also buried and would assist if helped to get out.
I was living in Pennsylvania about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The wind blew the snow into 12 ft drifts we lost our power for two days, had a wood stove and plenty of wood and food cooked on a grill outside.
I remember it well, I was almost 13 years old and we had three days off from school – had so much fun, snowball fights & sledding every day. The roads were quite covered, the plows simply couldn’t keep up. (The area I speak of was the Hudson Valley, NY.) Your story has more of the grim facts naturally but for a girl who hated school, those three days off were a gift 🙂
I was a sophomore at URI and came down with appendicitis during the storm. It was a wild ride to South County Hospital. My parents had to get a permit from the State Police to travel the roads from Coventry down to South County to see me.
Remember it well here in NYC,bout 18 inches fell up to two ft in long island,one of the worst storms ive seen,the forecasters here nailed it several days before
What I remember, that no one else seems to note, is that there was a 6″ storm a few days before the Big Blizzard. We were still digging out of that when the Big blizzard came along. That made it 2 feet of snow on the ground that everyone was trying to dig out.
Anyone else recall it that way?
I was so happy to make it home to Medford, MA commuting home at rush hour. I was 23 and stranded in my apartment for a week! It was an adventure to say the least. The National Guard had to dig us out.
I lived in Culpeper, VA that year. I remember that the snow was deep enough that we didn’t go to school most of the month of February. My friend and I rode our ponies to the store.