Historical Comparisons

[Mike Deneen]

Although my family moved to Lakewood in 1983, I didn't become a snow shoveler until I bought a house in fall 1997.

This snow is by far the worst I have seen over the past ten years.....where do Observers think it ranks in the history of Lakewood blizzards? How bad was it in 1978?

[Jeff Endress]

!978 was on another level......The temps had been up in the forties, maybe higher, and the bottom fell out in the early morning. The wind was so strong that my car wouldn't turn over....driven snow had fully packed every nook of the engine compartment. I also think our weather prediction abilites were not as sophisticated. I remember expecting snow, but I don't think anyone expected what we got. A lot of people were stranded during the morning rush hour, as that's when it really hit.

Jeff

[dl meckes]

1978 was bad. I don't know that it was this bad, but close. I'd have to see the numbers.

We've been digging out and helping our family and neighbors dig out since about eight o'clock last night. After 8 am we went to my dad's house, which was like Siberia and tried to at least clear a path so he could get to the street. That took about an hour and a half.

The drifts were really awful.

My dad remembered a storm in 1955 that he thought was really bad and of course remembered 1978 but he declared this to be the worst storm he'd seen.

I'm sure the news stations will have some comparisons tonight.

Meanwhile, last night we had to go to Fairview Park to help my sister-in-law. Driving carefully, it took us a long time to get there, help clean her driveway and get home.

All I can say is that Lakewood's snow plowing was really great in comparison with Fairview and River. This hasn't been easy for anyone, but it has been a beautiful day seeing neighbors helping each other dig out, kids with shovels working hard, and people generally acting neighborly.

[Stan Austin]

The 1978 Blizzard was in a whole different category than this little dust up we had yesterday and today.

First of all, it was about 20 degrees below zero with the 40 mph winds on top of that.

The snowfall was much more. In fact, that winter a new after market option became popular on cars in the snowbelt--- poles with flags on top because the tree lawns and aprons were piled so high with snow a car couldn't be seen backing out of a drive (nor could the driver see).

I remember going into work out at the Great Northiern Office Building. To drive home I immediately wrote off I 90 because I knew that would be a vast white wasteland. I decided to take Lorain all the way back because I knew there would be signs and poles to at least give me an idea where the road was.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just see if my purchase on Monday of Autotow stock went through.

[dl meckes]

Now that the two of you remind me of it, '78 had more snow for a longer time. I had to take a backpack the few blocks to the grocery store (was Rego's, is now Rego Brothers) because I couldn't get my car out of the driveway. But the city didn't plow our street for a day or two and then there was the ever difficult driveway apron dilemma.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mike

I think the high snow mark was 1950. My sister was born in November, and the story and the photos show neighbors, shoveling out two streets to get my mother to Detroit Ave.

Rumor has it taking 6 hours. To get her to the hospital.

.

[ryan costa]

I was born 9 months later, and my feet are still cold.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mike

I think the high snow mark was 1950. My sister was born in November, and the story and the photos show neighbors, shoveling out two streets to get my mother to Detroit Ave.

Rumor has it taking 6 hours. To get her to the hospital.

.

From my sister...

Yes, I was born in November of 1950...
Yes, supposedly that was THE BLIZZARD by which all others were measured
However, it was not only neighbors but truck drivers who our father had known through his job at Chevy that helped shovel the roads....and, they didn't drop me off on Detroit......rather they mananged to get this little 56 year old dumpling as close to home as Riverside. People were sent home from the hospital early as Lakewood Hospital, at the time got their food service from Stouffers....ah yes, an early love for their mac and cheese....and the trucks couldn't make it in to deliver the foodBeing a true O'Bryan....and knowing their life-long love of food.....need I say any more????
Your loving sister who is basking in the glow of a Snow Day.


.

[dl meckes]

That's got to be the storm my dad remembers, although he got the year wrong. Maybe '55 was the year of a tornado...

[Charyn Compeau]

While this was an admittedly huge amount of snow - I think that the weather lacked the horrifying wind of some of the blizzards I remember. The 1978 was windy windy windy - being young(er) at that time I recall thinking if I opened the door it would be lost forever...

Then there are the ice storms.... Ill take a foot of snow any day over the ice storms...

<<<<<shudder>>>>

Cheers,
Charyn

[c. dawson]

Ah, the mark of a true Clevelander ... no matter how bad the snow is, there's always a memory of it being worse. For me, 1978 was the worst ... but my dad swears 1950 was worse ... and he said that HIS dad always claimed 1913 was absolutely horrible.

And frankly, up until February, this winter was mostly a joke ... then a little sub-arctic temperatures, and now a big blizzard ... geez, I feel like I'm back on the East Side in the snowbelt again!

Though I wish my next-door neighbor didn't decide to crank up his snowblower last night ... at 11:45 pm. Though he was doing it primarily because he couldn't get his car in the driveway!

Oh well, good thing my work called off today!

I suppose years from now some grownups who were kids today will talk about the winter of '07, and an old fogie like me will tell them that they should have been there in '78, when it was REALLY bad.

[dl meckes]

It's the Geezer Way.

[Jim O'Bryan]

That's got to be the storm my dad remembers, although he got the year wrong. Maybe '55 was the year of a tornado...

From a Google search

"Lakewood-area historical tornado activity is slightly below Ohio state average. It is 1% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 6/8/1953, a category 4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 5.7 miles away from the Lakewood city center killed 17 people and injured 379 people.

On 4/11/1965, a category 4 tornado 10.6 miles away from the city center killed 18 people and injured 200 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages."

.