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Brrrr...blizzards
Severe winter storms that
bring chills, strong winds,
and heavy blowing snow are
called blizzards. They are
differentiated on the basis
of their wind speed, blowing
snow, visibility conditions, and
lasting power.
The great blizzard of 1888, US
The US faced one of the most
severe blizzards in March 1888.
Snowfalls of forty to fifty inches
fell over New Jersey, New York,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Winds blowing at seventy-two
kilometres per hour created
snowdrifts that were twenty-five
to fifty feet high. Starting on
12 March, the blizzard lasted a
day and a half. It brought life to
a standstill on the East Coast of
the country for several days.
Impact …
Four hundred people were killed in
the blizzard, and two hundred ships
were wrecked, leaving a hundred
seamen dead. About thirty people,
who tried to go to work froze to
death. The affected area was cut
off from the rest of the world due
to the failure of the telegraph and
telephone systems. Rail and road
transport in New York did not
work for days. Fire stations could
not function, and property loss
from fires alone was estimated at
twenty-five million dollars.
TICKER A blizzard associated with lightning is called thundersnow.
Severe winter storms that
bring chills, strong winds,
and heavy blowing snow are
called blizzards. They are
differentiated on the basis
of their wind speed, blowing
snow, visibility conditions, and
lasting power.
The great blizzard of 1888, US
The US faced one of the most
severe blizzards in March 1888.
Snowfalls of forty to fifty inches
fell over New Jersey, New York,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Winds blowing at seventy-two
kilometres per hour created
snowdrifts that were twenty-five
to fifty feet high. Starting on
12 March, the blizzard lasted a
day and a half. It brought life to
a standstill on the East Coast of
the country for several days.
Impact …
Four hundred people were killed in
the blizzard, and two hundred ships
were wrecked, leaving a hundred
seamen dead. About thirty people,
who tried to go to work froze to
death. The affected area was cut
off from the rest of the world due
to the failure of the telegraph and
telephone systems. Rail and road
transport in New York did not
work for days. Fire stations could
not function, and property loss
from fires alone was estimated at
twenty-five million dollars.
TICKER A blizzard associated with lightning is called thundersnow.
