 April Fool's Day Blizzard snowfall accumulation map. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 30, 1997 |
| Dissipated | April 1, 1997 |
| Category 2 "Minor" blizzard | |
| Regional snowfall index: 4.67 (NOAA) | |
| Lowest pressure | 979mbar[1] |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 confirmed, 1 unconfirmed |
| Areas affected | New England,Pennsylvania,New York,New Jersey |
The1997 April Fool's Day blizzard[1][2][3] was a major winter storm in theNortheastern United States on March 31 and April 1, 1997. The storm dumped rain, sleet, and snow fromMaryland toMaine leaving hundreds of thousands without power and as much as three feet of snow on the ground.
Due to the date, many people took warnings of the storm less seriously.[1] Plows had started to be put away for the summer andhardware stores still had to sellshovels again even though they already put outpatio furniture.[4] Onecommuter called it "Mother Nature'sApril Fools' Joke."[4]
The storm started as a surfacelow pressure system over theOhio River Valley that was generated by an area of strong jet stream energy carving out an active upper air low pressure trough on Sunday March 30. The low pressure system brought rain to much of the Ohio Valley.[5]
When the storm arrived in eastern New York and western New England, the areas received light rain. The storm moved off the coast of New Jersey on March 31 and began rapidly strengthening. As the storm intensified, air began rising around the storm very rapidly, which cooled in the atmosphere and changed the rain into heavy snow. The low moved very slowly along the coast gaining strength throughout the day, and with a continuous supply of moisture, this allowed for an extended period of heavy snow.[5]
Prior to the storm,Boston had received just 26.5 inches (67 cm) of snow for the season.[4] On Sunday March 30, Boston was sunny with a high temperature of 63 °F (17 °C). Acold front passed early next day (Monday March 31), dropping the temperature into the 40s,[2] and just before dawn light rain began to fall.[2] In Boston the rain began to mix with wet snow mid-morning and eventually turned to wet snow and became heavier just after 7 p.m. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. the snow fell at at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) per hour.[2]
During the peak of the storm from about 11 p.m. March 31 to 3 a.m. April 1, snow fell in Boston at the rate of 3 inches (7.6 cm) per hour. Numerouslightning strikes andthunderclaps accompanied the extremely heavy snow, which accumulated 1 foot (30 cm) in those four hours. Moderate to heavy snow continued through midmorning before tapering off.[2]
At the time the 25.4 inches (65 cm) of snow that fell at Boston'sLogan International Airport was the third-biggest snowstorm in Boston history, theNortheastern United States blizzard of 1978's 27.1 inches (69 cm), and theFebruary 1969 nor'easter's 26.3 inches (67 cm). The storm was the biggest on record in the month of April and made April 1997 Boston's snowiest April on record, nearly doubling the previous record of 13.3 inches (34 cm).[2][3][5] It also set a record for Boston's greatest April 24-hour snowfall.[2][3] Parts of New England received 50-to-70-mile-per-hour (80 to 110 km/h) wind gusts at the height of the storm.[5] Providence recorded 18 inches (46 cm) of snow which was the fourth greatest on record at the time.[3] Other parts ofNew England reported more than 30 inches (76 cm) and up to three feet withWorcester receiving 33 inches (84 cm), the city's largest snowfall in history until 2015.[6][7] With 36 inches (91 cm) inMilford, Massachusetts, the state set a 24 hour snowfall record.[8]
Astate of emergency was declared by Massachusetts Gov.William F. Weld.[4] The snow came down too fast for road crews to keep up with and roads became impassable and thousands of cars were stranded.[2][7] Commuter trolleys in Boston were closed for the first time in nearly twenty years,[4] public transportation was crippled, about 1,000 motorists spent the night stranded in their cars and 4,000 stayed in shelters.[4] Some of the narrow side streets of Boston were completely buried[2] and portions ofInterstate 95 andRoute 128 were shut down because of the snow.[9] The main roads and highways were cleared within a couple of days but the secondary roads remained a mess making travel difficult.[6] Two days after the storm, subways and commuter rails were still sluggish because of fallen trees and signal problems.[6]
The wet and heavy snow caused tree limbs and even whole trees to fall.[2] Some fell on power lines, and many people were left without power.[2] Electricity was knocked out for nearly 700,000 people.[7] Nearly 13% ofNew England lost power, mainly due to trees falling on power lines and utility poles.[4] Power crews from as far away asCanada came to help clean up the area.[9]
Logan Airport was also shut down from 2 p.m. March 31 to 10 p.m. April 1.[4]
Upstate New York received 32 inches (81 cm)[6] and in some parts ofNew Jersey two feet of snow fell causing delays on commuter trains.[4] A disaster was declared in eight northeast counties byPennsylvania Gov.Tom Ridge and theNational Guard of the United States was dispatched to dig out cars.[4]Interstate 84 had to be shut down because of a ten vehicle accident.[4]
Hospitals reported weather-related injuries including back sprains,pedestrians being hit by falling ice, and hand injuries including missing fingers fromsnow blowers.[6] Three deaths were caused by the storm in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, all men who hadheart attacks while shoveling, with another traffic death inNew York which may have been caused by the weather.[6][10]