The cold wave of 1978 was a weather event that occurred in the United States and parts of North America. The cold wave

Cold wave

A cold wave is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temperature within a 24 hour period requiring substantially increased protection to agriculture, industry, commerce, and...

, which began in December 1977, produced one of the coldest winters on record.

December

During December 1977, a cold wave started around the eastern United States. This cold wave heavily hit Ohio and Michigan, and its average winter temperature was the second lowest in its history, rivaled only by an even colder wave that hit the previous winter.

January

Like most cold waves of the 1970s, temperatures in January dropped to extreme lows. Windchills across the plains fell to -70's°F. Severe cold pounded from the Plains states, to the Eastern states. Schools and business were closed when pipelines froze over, and severe driving conditions took place. Blowing snow and severe windchills caused very dangerous conditions to be outside for more than 15 minutes. Some people staying outside with exposed skin, got severe frostbite

Frostbite

Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...

 or hypothermia

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...

. Some states were declared a state of emergency with the severe cold. Windchill advisories took place for many consecutive days. Some states in the Midwest and the Northeast

Northeastern United States

The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

 saw a blizzard too.

February

In February, 5 states saw their coldest February since record-keeping began; February 1978 was even the coldest month for a few states. Severe cold still covered areas from the Northeast and Midwest. Schools began to close because of the extreme cold. Homeless people had a hard time finding shelter, causing some deaths. Snow and blowing wind created dangerous wind chill

Wind chill

Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...

s. Due to blowing snow, ice, and severe cold, semi trucks had their deliveries delayed. Some locations saw a record-long period of below zero °F (-18 °C) weather.

March

The severe cold wave ended in March, when average or even above average temperatures occurred. Sioux Falls saw their second coldest winter on record during the previous months. Snow melting and flooding caused damage to some locations. The year 1978 was very cold annually for the USA.

External links

• NOAA weather data on Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the 1970s