The Great Blizzard of 1978 Hit Michigan Hard 45 Years Ago Today

It was 45 years ago today (Jan 26) that Michigan faced one of its most severe snowstorms in US history.

If you're from Michigan (or surrounding states), more than likely you've heard of 'The Great Blizzard of 78.' It was a monster snowstorm that tore through Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and southeastern Wisconsin over the course of three days - Jan. 25-27.

At one point, it snowed extremely hard for 24 hours straight. While Flint and Detroit only saw between 8-10 inches, other parts of the state got hammered. Grand Rapids and Lansing both saw 19 inches and Traverse City got a whopping 22-28 inches. None of that compared to the snowfall that Muskegon saw, they got pummeled with 36 Inches. That was on top of the 29 inches that were already on the ground. Some reports say that they had snow drifts up to 15 feet high.

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It was a deadly storm that took so many lives.

National Weather Service:

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.

 

My family was living in Waterford in 1978 at that time, as a matter of fact, the blizzard hit the state on my 4th birthday (January 26). I don't really remember the storm itself but I do remember seeing photos of the snow piled up around our house.

I hope we never see a snowstorm of this magnitude again.