And yet, it is not a hurricane, but a blizzard: a snowstorm which took on extreme proportions in the eastern United States in the space of a few hours. Blizzards are one of the most violent and dangerous phenomena in the world. This is a combination of snow and ventvent stormy weather leading to chaotic conditions. In the United States, we speak of a blizzard when the wind blows on average at 56 km/h minimum, for at least 3 hours, accompanied by very heavy snowfall reducing visibility to 400 meters or less.
The most famous and violent of all blizzards in history is that of 1888 (The Great Blizzard of 1888also nicknamed The Great White Hurricane) occurred in the northeast of the country between March 11, 1888 and March 14, 1888: the states of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut were buried under exceptional snowfall. Services weather reportweather report recorded 1.5 meters of snow in 2 to 3 days, an average wind of 72 km/h, gusts of 130 km/h, snowdrifts of 15 meters and 400 deaths, including 200 in New York.
Among these victims, around a hundred are sailors who perished at sea during the storm. All transport was paralyzed for a week and in some areas residents were unable to leave their homes for more than a week.
One of the largest weather disasters in New York history
That year, thewinterwinter It had been rather mild in these States and the weather forecasts at the time were very unpredictable. Despite the onset of the storm, many New Yorkers went to work on Monday morning, before being trapped by the accumulating snow. Many died of cold in the streets.
Blizzards cause temperatures to drop dramatically: the combination of snow and wind can cause deadly wind chill. The feeling can easily drop to -50°C, or even below: -60 to -70°C! The famous Brooklyn Bridge was closed and even firefighters were forced to stay in their stations.
Only Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was responsible for such a chaotic situation in New York, 124 years later.
