North American blizzard of 1947
Encyclopedia
The Great Blizzard of 1947 was a record-breaking snowfall that began on Christmas without prediction and brought the northeastern United States to a standstill. The snowstorm was described as the worst blizzard after 1888. The storm was not accompanied by high winds, but the snow fell silently and steadily. By the time it stopped on December 26, measurement of the snowfall reached 26.4 inches (67.1 cm) in Central Park
in Manhattan
. Meteorological
records indicate that warm moisture arising from the Gulf Stream
fed the storm's energy when it encountered its cold air and greatly increased the precipitation. Automobiles and buses were stranded in the streets, subway service was halted, and parked vehicles initially buried by the snowfall were blocked further by packed mounds created by snow plows once they were able to begin operation. Once trains resumed running, they ran twelve hours late. Seventy-seven deaths are attributed to the blizzard.
Drifts exceeded ten feet and finding places to place snow from plowing became problematic, creating snow piles that exceeded twelve feet. In Manhattan some of the snow was dumped into the sewers, where it melted in the warm waste water flowing to the rivers. When possible it was dumped directly into the Hudson River and the East River. Most suburban areas did not have such nearby alternatives to stacking the snow up. Low temperatures that winter led to the snowfall remaining on the ground until March of the next year.
Communities in New Jersey
among the Watchung Mountains
and beyond, received the same or greater snowfall depths that created similar problems, which became threatening because trucks that carried coal
to heat the majority of homes could not be dispatched to replenish diminishing supplies. Food supplies ran low and resourcefulness in moving people to alternative shelter and distribution of supplies became essential. Communities with central gas connections for heating provided havens for those who could reach those homes and facilities. Although many homes in the region had fireplaces, few had generous supplies of wood because fireplaces only were used occasionally.
Connecticut
and upstate New York
were affected as well as most of the Mid-Atlantic
region.
With no weather reports generated from stations along its path, the storm was not predicted and it advanced over land from the Atlantic Ocean
in a pattern that is the opposite of most snowstorms for the area.
This snowstorm arrived without advance warning because weather patterns for the northeastern United States generally flow from the west to the east following the prevailing winds
. Numerous weather stations along that typical path provide reports that are used for predictions in advance of storms moving eastward. There are no weather stations in the Atlantic Ocean. This storm progressed westward and affected the Great Plains
shortly afterward, but the effect of moisture from the Gulf Stream feeding the volume of snow lessened as the distance from the warm water flow increased.
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Meteorological
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
records indicate that warm moisture arising from the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
fed the storm's energy when it encountered its cold air and greatly increased the precipitation. Automobiles and buses were stranded in the streets, subway service was halted, and parked vehicles initially buried by the snowfall were blocked further by packed mounds created by snow plows once they were able to begin operation. Once trains resumed running, they ran twelve hours late. Seventy-seven deaths are attributed to the blizzard.
Drifts exceeded ten feet and finding places to place snow from plowing became problematic, creating snow piles that exceeded twelve feet. In Manhattan some of the snow was dumped into the sewers, where it melted in the warm waste water flowing to the rivers. When possible it was dumped directly into the Hudson River and the East River. Most suburban areas did not have such nearby alternatives to stacking the snow up. Low temperatures that winter led to the snowfall remaining on the ground until March of the next year.
Communities in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
among the Watchung Mountains
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
and beyond, received the same or greater snowfall depths that created similar problems, which became threatening because trucks that carried coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
to heat the majority of homes could not be dispatched to replenish diminishing supplies. Food supplies ran low and resourcefulness in moving people to alternative shelter and distribution of supplies became essential. Communities with central gas connections for heating provided havens for those who could reach those homes and facilities. Although many homes in the region had fireplaces, few had generous supplies of wood because fireplaces only were used occasionally.
Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
were affected as well as most of the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
region.
With no weather reports generated from stations along its path, the storm was not predicted and it advanced over land from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in a pattern that is the opposite of most snowstorms for the area.
This snowstorm arrived without advance warning because weather patterns for the northeastern United States generally flow from the west to the east following the prevailing winds
Prevailing winds
Prevailing winds are winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction over a particular point on Earth's surface. The dominant winds are the trends in direction of wind with the highest speed over a particular point on the Earth's surface. A region's prevailing and dominant winds...
. Numerous weather stations along that typical path provide reports that are used for predictions in advance of storms moving eastward. There are no weather stations in the Atlantic Ocean. This storm progressed westward and affected the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
shortly afterward, but the effect of moisture from the Gulf Stream feeding the volume of snow lessened as the distance from the warm water flow increased.