I listened to a round table of meteorologists comparing the blizzards of 1978 and 2026. Despite the greater snow totals in 2026, the consensus was that the impact of 1978 was greater. The blizzard of 1978 was not well predicted because the technology did not exist. Therefore many people were caught by surprise. I remember being in class at SMU, now UMass Dartmouth, and the departmental secretary comng around to all biology classes and telling us to get out now while we can. Classes were cancelled on the day of the storm. 1978 had higher winds, but more importantly, it wallowed in the Gulf of Maine for two days causing extensive flooding through 4 high tides. Although snow totals were lower in 1978, areas of 2-3 feet were more widspread. Almost the same areas had the highest snowfalls totals: Plymouth down to Providence, although in 2026 the high snow areas were a little further south. The border between Mass and RI go hit the highest in both storms.
We were out of school for a week and trapped in the dorms. I had a Jeep and could get to the liquor store. Made a lot of friends that week.
