Eye On Weather: Top 5 Most Memorable Winter Storms
BOSTON (CBS) - We asked our viewers and readers to submit their most memorable winter storms in New England.
Here are the top five chosen by you:
5. FEBRUARY 8-9, 2013
Call it Nemo, call it a blizzard, call it whatever – it's your fifth most memorable storm.
The nor'easter which rocked New England on February 8th and 9th of 2013 was one of the most powerful to strike in decades.
The governor took the dramatic step of shutting down roads while snow swirled in the strong winds.
With 24.7 inches, it ended as the fifth biggest snowfall in Boston history, the third biggest for Worcester, and the top all-time snowstorm for Portland, Maine. Wind gusts hit 83 mph and coastal flooding plagued the coast.
4. OCTOBER 29-30, 2011
The freak 'snowtober' storm of October 29th and 30th in 2011 is number four on your 'most infamous' list.
There's no superlative to accurately describe the record-smashing, destructive, almost unfathomable event.
Two to three FEET of wet snow brought thousands upon thousands of trees down. Across the border, Connecticut suffered its biggest power outages in state history.
The 22.5 inches that fell at Concord, New Hampshire was the second-greatest 24-hour total ever recorded in any month – let alone just October.
Many suffered power outages that lasted for more than two weeks.
3. DECEMBER 2008 ICE STORM
You need a lot of snow for a major event, but it doesn't take much ice.
And the storm which coated parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire with more than an inch of it in December of 2008 is your third most memorable storm.
More than a million customers in those two states alone lost power, some for two weeks.
The National Guard was mobilized to help clean up the destruction, and businesses took a beating due to the storm hitting right before Christmas.
What many remember most is the sound of transformers blowing up in the night.
2. APRIL FOOL'S BLIZZARD 1997
A joke? Afraid not.
You usually expect winter storms to be in your past by April, but the April's Fools blizzard of 1997 had other ideas. After a day in the 60's and a quiet winter overall, the snow started and, once flying, added up in earnest.
At one point, a foot accumulated in just four hours. Worcester had to dig out from its biggest storm on record, 33 inches.
1. THE BLIZZARD OF '78
There's no toppling this goliath.
The blizzard of '78 still claims king of the mountain when it comes to winter storms.
Photos: Blizzard of '78
Year after year, it remains in the memories of New Englanders and is not likely to be replaced.
Winds topped 90 mph, damage was in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and 73 people lost their lives in Massachusetts.
From the stranded drivers to the endless power outages, iconic images and coastal destruction, it's your number one most memorable winter storm.
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