Meteorology - The Great Blizzard of 1888 Mrs. Tuorto Fall 2019 Presentation

The Great Blizzard of 1888:

The Greatest Blizzard in Modern History
By Sergio Villar

2019 - Fall - Meteorology - Tuorto

Throughout recent history, with rising temperatures, our incredibly hot Summers have occupied our minds. Glacial meltings and increasing global temperatures, all these things attributed to heat. But what of the great snowstorms and the low temperatures that have previously plagued the globe? What of the days in history when the concrete jungles became snow boxes? What of the 'Great Blizzard of 1888?"

What creates a blizzard?

1. Cold air (below freezing) is needed to make snow.

2. Moisture is needed to form clouds and precipitation.

3. Warm, rising air is needed to form clouds and cause precipitation.

“For a blizzard to form, warm air must rise over cold air.” 

Warm air + cold air > brought together = front formation and precipitation. Warm air can rise to form clouds and blizzard snows as it flows up a mountainside.

Quick shots of snow, sleet, and freezing snow can develop into a blizzard.

What Classifies a Blizzard:

The Great Blizzard

It was on March 11th when cold Arctic air collided with Gulf air from the South and temperatures drastically plunged, resulting in the rain turning to snow and winds reaching hurricane-level speeds. The gusts reached 85 miles per hour in NYC. A total recording of 55 inches of snow was dumped across New York. $20 million dollars in damages were caused.

All residents who woke up only saw the heavy blanket of snow on the roads and streets and atop their cars and homes. There were an estimated 15,000 residents trapped in trains, and residents who attempted to get to work despite the snow were met with stranded and stuck trains. 

After the snowstorm, a resulting 55 inches of snow buried the city. The freezing temperatures froze the river (The East River) between Manhattan and Queens. Residents attempted to cross it, but the tides regrettably changed and the ice began to break.

There were a total of 400 deaths resulting from the freezing temperatures, ice breaking and stranding river crossers, and heat running out. 

Along the Atlantic coast, hundreds of boats were sunk by rough waves and the high winds. About 100 seamen died.

Animals froze to death at farms as well.

Keene, New Hampshire, received 36 inches; 

New Haven, Connecticut, got 45 inches; 

Troy, New York, was hit by 55 inches of snow over 3 days

This graph by the National Weather Service shows the 'greatest snowstorms' in Albany, New York from 1884-1885. Of course, March 11-14 (the days of the blizzard) is the greatest to have occurred.

The Aftermath

After the blizzard, it was realized that leaving water systems above ground (and gas lines) could be unbeneficial and result in future incidents. And so, the blizzard resulted in the reformation of transit systems which are actually still used today.
So, due in part to the blizzard, as damaging and deadly as it was, reformations came as a result and the betterment of transit resulted in improved living environments for residents of New York.