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65-550: Originally conceived after the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 , the competition died out after the Rochester and Syracuse offices closed in the mid-1990s. However, the award was revived during the 2002–2003 snowfall season when Patrick DeCoursey started up a website to inform people about the past competition. Syracuse won the 2002-2003 season and they won every year from then through the 2010–2011 season as well. In

130-423: A Monday request by New York Governor Carey, on Tuesday, Tom Casey added Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming counties in western New York and Jefferson and Lewis counties in northern New York to the emergency declaration. On Tuesday afternoon, the winds diminished to about 10 mph (16 km/h), and the sun came out. Ground blizzard Ground blizzard refers to a weather condition where loose snow or ice on

195-479: A city that averages about 100 in (250 cm) of snowfall per year. This resulted in a snow depth of 33 in (84 cm) on the day the blizzard started. Low pressure crossed Lake Erie on January 27 and moved to James Bay ; it became stalled east of James Bay. Then the storm moved back west over James Bay before finally moving east to the Canadian Maritimes . Even before the blizzard hit,

260-555: A description of the blizzard in Canada) indicated many cars overheated when snow got under the radiator, melted, and then refroze, interfering with the fan. Those attempting to travel by foot also found travel very difficult with the high winds, low visibility, deep snow, and very low wind chills . Visibility had dropped from 0.75 to 0 mi (1.2 to 0.0 km); winds had increased to 29 mph (47 km/h), with gusts up to 49 mph (79 km/h). Pedestrians were knocked down by

325-489: A furniture/appliance store) and homes. Nearly 100 people were arrested for looting. A fire broke out at Whitney Place and Virginia Street, in the City of Buffalo, on Friday evening. Fire trucks rammed through stalled cars in an attempt to get to the scene and fire hoses were stretched two to three blocks to reach the fire, as that is as far as the fire trucks were able to make it. The National Guard assisted in taking firemen to

390-496: A major disaster area ; on Saturday, President Jimmy Carter declared an "emergency" for all of New York and Pennsylvania that resulted in a declaration of emergency specifically for the western New York counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara. At 11:10 am, during a short break in the storm, a National Guard C-130 was able to land at the Buffalo Airport. A record low for the date, −7 °F (−22 °C)

455-409: A solid state. In addition to the roads becoming impassable, motorists had to deal with vehicles breaking down due to the combination of very cold temperatures, very high winds and blowing snow. In the hardest-struck areas, snowmobiles became the only viable method of transportation. In Western New York and Southern Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, snow which was accumulated on frozen Lake Erie and snow on

520-481: A whole was drier than normal. During late November, some heavy snow occurred, including 19 in (48 cm) on November 30 – up to 4 ft (120 cm) in southern Erie County , Buffalo's county. The total November snowfall was recorded as 31.3 in (80 cm) in Buffalo. December was cold and snowy, with an average temperature of 22.0 °F (−5.6 °C). Like November, December's average temperature

585-514: A young man leaning against a street light strung across an intersection. Some towns were using metal detectors to locate buried cars before using heavy equipment to clear the snow. Light snow fell throughout Monday, with variable winds gusting at times to more than 40 mph (64 km/h) with a peak gust of 46 mph (74 km/h) at the Buffalo airport. Only 20 of the usual 400 Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority buses were running, and those were reserved for necessary travel. From when

650-529: Is often associated with intense blowing and drifting snow conditions, there are specific criteria which must be met. Often such criteria will be determined by a country's governing weather agency or other similar body. In the U.S, according to the National Weather Service a blizzard is defined as having sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more, visibility frequently below 1/4 mile in considerable snow and/or blowing snow, and

715-538: Is a relatively small 2–3 feet per year in the city and about 3–4 feet per year in nearby suburbs. This is due to a number of factors, including lower latitude and oceanic influence keeping much of the precipitation as rain in the winter, combined with distance from the Great Lakes keeping the city well away from the influence of lake-effect snow . For the first time ever, during the 2005–2006 winter season New York City did have more snowfall than Albany , mainly due to

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780-482: The Blizzard of 2006 , which was the city's biggest snowfall to date, while Albany was on the extreme northern fringe. The cities that compete for the award are: Until the 2006–2007 season, several smaller cities also competed for a smaller award, that includes a $ 50 check. These are: Note: Official National Weather Service snowfall statistics were not kept at the current locations for Binghamton and Syracuse until

845-759: The National Weather Service in Buffalo , with snowfall as high as 100 in (254 cm) recorded in areas, and the high winds blew this into drifts of 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m). There were 23 total storm-related deaths in Western New York, with five more in northern New York . Certain pre-existing weather conditions exacerbated the blizzard 's effects. November, December and January average temperatures were severely below normal. Lake Erie froze over by December 14, 1976; when this occurs, lake-effect snow does not occur because

910-909: The 1951–52 season. All measurements are in inches . Snowiest Season for all Golden Snowball Cities: Buffalo 199.4 inches (1976-77) Least Snowiest Season for all Golden Snowball Cities: Albany 13.8 inches (1912-13) Max: 112.5 inches (1970-71) Min: 13.8 inches (1912-13) Average: 59.2 inches Max: 135.2 inches (2016-17) Min: 32.0 inches (2015-16) Average: 86.5 inches Max: 199.4 inches (1976-77) Min: 36.7 inches (2011-12) Average: 95.4 inches Max: 161.7 inches (1959-60) Min: 41.7 inches (1952-53) Average: 102.0 inches Max: 192.1 inches (1992-93) Min: 50.6 inches (2011-12) Average: 127.8 inches Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 The blizzard of 1977 hit Western New York , Central NY, Northern NY, and Southern Ontario from January 28 to February 1 of that year. Daily peak wind gusts ranging from 46 to 69 mph (74 to 111 km/h) were recorded by

975-656: The 2011–2012 season, Rochester was the first city other than Syracuse to win since the award's revival. They also received temporary possession of a trophy for the year. The original competition's trophy has been lost, prompting its replacement with a new one donated by a trophy shop in Syracuse. The current Golden Snowball trophy resides in the Geosciences Department at Buffalo State University . Compared to Syracuse's average snowfall of 127.8 inches, or over 10 feet per year, New York City 's annual snow average

1040-496: The Buffalo National Weather Service (NWS) office recorded 16.05 in (408 mm) of rain, which is wetter than the 1961–1990 average of 14.29 in (363 mm). In western New York the previously described pattern resulted in snowy and cold weather in the months leading up to the blizzard. Buffalo was a city of about 463,000 people with about 1.5 million in the metropolitan area,

1105-411: The Buffalo police; police used them to answer calls. Looting broke out and items stolen included radios and firefighters' clothing from fire trucks, as well as more than $ 1,500 in medical supplies from a stuck ambulance. Cigarettes, liquor, beer, coffee, meat and refrigerators were stolen from abandoned semi-trailer trucks. There was also looting from factories, stores (including two jewelry stores and

1170-489: The Canadian Maritimes". Early Sunday morning, the wind and snow decreased somewhat and the sun was seen at times. Buffalo city plows and NYSDOT equipment were able to open several major roads (Main, Broadway, Michigan, Sycamore, Walden, Fillmore, Ohio, and much of South Park and Delaware). President Carter appointed Federal Disaster Assistance Administration Region II (Northeast) Director, Thomas Casey, as

1235-873: The Donovan State Office Building, 200 in the Rath Building, 300 in the Memorial Auditorium, etc. Authorities estimated 13,000 people were stranded Friday night in downtown Buffalo and that many in the surrounding areas as well — e.g. 1,700 at Bell Aerosystems in Wheatfield, 2,500 at Harrison Radiator Company in Lockport. With many roads becoming impassable, the City of Buffalo police were almost immobile by Friday evening. Through radio and television, citizens were asked to loan snowmobiles and four-wheel drive vehicles to

1300-494: The NWS is) fell from 26 to 0 °F (−3 to −18 °C). Snow built up rapidly, with bumper-high snow being reported by 1:00 pm and 15 ft (4.6 m) high drifts by nightfall in the City of Buffalo. The depth of snow quickly caused many roads to become impassable (within 30 minutes in the part of Buffalo nearest Lake Erie), and the blowing snow caused extremely low visibilities, making travel nearly impossible. In addition to

1365-488: The Niagara Mohawk Power Company (which is now National Grid ) had warned that snow was reaching the power lines in some areas of western New York. Also, on Thursday, January 27, severe natural gas shortages forced industries and schools to either curtail activities or to close. The governors of Minnesota, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey had also declared energy emergencies. Early in

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1430-535: The Skyway, as well as from another expressway. By midnight Friday, an estimated 2,000 cars were stranded on Main Street and about 8,000 on other streets in the City of Buffalo. By Saturday morning, visibility improved and the City sent their plows back out. The many abandoned cars made their job more difficult. By 6:00 am, Buffalo's Commissioner of Street Sanitation had 30 private tow trucks removing vehicles; later in

1495-538: The above conditions are expected to prevail for 3 hours or longer. Environment Canada similarly maintains that widespread reduction of visibility to less than 400 meters due to snow and/or blowing snow and sustained wind speeds or gusts of 40 km/h or more must be present for at least 4 hours (6 hours for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut) There are three different forms of ground blizzards: Ground blizzards occur throughout

1560-659: The blizzard struck Friday until Monday, there were no intercity bus, Amtrak train and commercial air services to Buffalo. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had been brought in by the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration to assist in the cleanup effort; they received a mission statement on Sunday for emergency snow removal. The USACE named their effort "Operation Snow Go 1977", and got their first contractor to start clearing snow on Monday. Three hundred U.S. Army soldiers from an engineer battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, joined

1625-591: The central and eastern United States. The circulation helped cause record cold for the winter over many portions of the eastern United States , with the Ohio Valley averaging more than 8 °F (4 °C) below normal. The severe winter was not limited to the northeastern United States ; snow was observed in Miami, Florida , on January 20, and snow mixed with rain occurred in the Bahamas . In contrast, Alaska

1690-499: The cold front's passage through Indianapolis, Indiana, along with a temperature drop of almost 25 °F (14 °C). Between 7:00 and 8:00 am, Columbus, Ohio, reported similar situations. Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio, as well as Erie, Pennsylvania, were also hit strongly by the cold front. The NWS office in Erie warned "travel might be disastrous"; and there were more than 500 accidents in the area that morning. From midnight to 11:00 am,

1755-589: The cold front. Winds increased to 29 mph (47 km/h), gusting to 49 mph (79 km/h), with visibility dropping from 0.75 mi (1.2 km) to 0 where it stayed until 12:50 am the next day. Three airplanes on the tarmac at the Greater Buffalo International Airport in Cheektowaga were waiting to take off when the blizzard hit. One of them idled for five minutes due to the blizzard hitting; this resulted in

1820-580: The day, the number would rise to 50. Saturday afternoon, dump trucks and payloaders dumped snow into the Niagara River. On Saturday, blizzard conditions prevailed and the Buffalo Courier-Express did not publish for the first time in its 143-year history, and The Buffalo Evening News published only 10,000 copies. On Friday, January 28, New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey requested that portions of New York State be declared

1885-446: The effort. During Monday night, police continued searching vehicles stranded since Friday, and the wind increased again to 50 mph (80 km/h). On Tuesday, February 1, Buffalo Mayor Makowski declared a state of emergency that prohibited nonessential travel. Violation of the travel ban could potentially result in a US$ 500 fine and 90 days in jail, which was sufficient to limit the number of people ticketed to 97. Following

1950-401: The end of the storm, over 500 National Guardsmen were helping in the disaster. By evening, some areas of western New York had, along with banning traffic, also banned snowmobiles; a snowmobiler was injured in a collision with a chimney on top of a house, and others had come dangerously close to power lines due to the high drifts. In Newstead approximately 30 ft (9.1 m) drifts led to

2015-553: The federal coordinating officer in charge of the U.S. federal government response to the blizzard; Casey arrived with New York Governor Hugh Carey at the Buffalo airport in a C-130 at noon Sunday. With the weather clearing and single lanes cleared on some roads, many sightseers drove into Buffalo. At 3:00 pm, the wind increased and blowing snow once again decreased visibility such that driving became treacherous. Hundreds were stranded anew and their abandoned cars blocked roads that had been cleared. A peak gust of 58 mph (93 km/h)

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2080-726: The fire due to vehicles stuck in the ice. Firemen used snowmobiles to rescue trapped people, and to transport nurses and doctors to the hospitals; they also used four-wheel drive vehicles to deliver medicine. On Friday, volunteers on four-wheel drive vehicles and snowmobiles delivered food (a few thousand dollars worth every 45 minutes) for the Salvation Army from their Buffalo headquarters. The Red Cross opened eight shelters in Erie County, New York, on Friday, and snowmobile clubs provided volunteers to deliver food, blood and medicine. Snowmobiles were also used to rescue people from

2145-515: The first January that had occurred. Prior to January 28, the day the blizzard started, it had snowed almost every day since just after Christmas. By January 27, Buffalo's snow depth was 59.1 in (150 cm). There was continuous snow cover from November 29 until the day of the blizzard, and 151.3 in (384 cm) of snow had fallen that winter prior to the blizzard – 59.1 in (150 cm) in January alone – well above normal even for

2210-426: The ground at the start of the blizzard provided ample material for the high winds to blow into huge drifts. The combination of bitter cold, high winds, and blowing snow paralyzed areas affected by the storm. Lake Ontario rarely freezes over, which meant northern New York had to deal with considerable lake-effect snow. Coupled with the existing snow cover and wind, this had a similar effect. Weather conditions during

2275-418: The ground is lifted and blown by strong winds. This can occur in the absence of precipitation, and can even occur when the sky is clear. This is in contrast to "ordinary" blizzards , which are accompanied by heavy falling snow. They can be especially dangerous as they occur after a winter storm has passed, when it is assumed that all forms of severe winter weather has ended. While the term "ground blizzard"

2340-485: The height of the drifts and the tight packing of the snow. The worst conditions of the blizzard in Buffalo occurred during the late afternoon of Friday, January 28, as winds averaged 40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h) and gusted to 60 knots [69 mph (111 km/h)] with wind chills of −60 to −70 °F (−51 to −57 °C) (NWS pre-2001 wind chill calculation method). That night people stayed in whatever shelter they could find, with 700 people staying in

2405-521: The help of 960 tickets and 140 tows. Even so, one source notes the side streets in Buffalo were "practically impassable" on Wednesday, January 26. On Wednesday evening, snow squalls and high winds hit Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Allegany and Erie counties in western New York. This snowstorm closed the Buffalo Skyway, Fuhrmann Boulevard – a major route to the suburbs south of the city – and many other roads, and forced snow removal crews to focus on

2470-458: The last day of October, Lake Erie was 48 °F (9 °C), the coldest it had been on that date. November's air temperature in Buffalo was the coldest in nearly 100 years (since 1880), with an average temperature of 34.1 °F (1.2 °C). November's average temperature was about 11 °F (6 °C) below normal. The first three weeks of November were quite dry in Buffalo – only 0.30 in (7.6 mm) of precipitation – and November as

2535-478: The major and secondary roads Wednesday night and Thursday. Many motorists were stranded on Fuhrmann Boulevard and were rescued by police and firefighters overnight Wednesday. The clearing of snow from this storm was made difficult by winds, which in one case on Thursday, January 27, transformed a clear road to one with 6 ft (2 m) drifts in less than an hour. The Greater Buffalo International Airport closed Thursday, January 27. By late January, snow removal

2600-482: The mean, while the strong trough centered over eastern North America was more than three standard deviations from the mean. A strong blocking high developed over the Arctic Ocean during January, and this moved the polar vortex to southern Canada, south of its normal location. Strong northwest flow between the ridge and the trough resulted in a strong northwest flow in between, which ushered Arctic air into

2665-400: The meeting finished, Buffalo city plows started to return to the garage due to a lack of visibility; they reported they were unable to see even their own plow blades. By 11:30 am, most workers in the city of Buffalo had been released early, but few made it home. At 11:35 am, lightning was seen in the darkening sky. The white wall of snow reached the airport around 11:30 am. associated with

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2730-438: The months leading up to the blizzard contributed to the disastrous storm. A high-amplitude planetary wave pattern set up, which was very persistent from October 1976 through January 1977, and involved a ridge over western North America and a trough over eastern North America. In January 1977, this pattern persisted, with the pressure of the strong ridge over western North America being more than two standard deviations from

2795-420: The nose wheel freezing and preventing it from turning around. It took several hours to bring the three airplanes back to the terminal since they had to do this via radio communication. The limited visibility prevented the pilots from seeing the men on the ground who would normally guide the airplane. During the four hours after the blizzard hit, the temperature at the Buffalo airport (where the Buffalo office of

2860-548: The previous day, the governor of New York had decided to use the National Guard and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to help clean up snow in Buffalo, not knowing a blizzard would hit. Some NYSDOT equipment had arrived in Buffalo while the National Guard was not yet mobilized, but a meeting was being held at the Buffalo city garage that morning to coordinate the efforts. Before

2925-504: The pumpers. Hoses also had to be removed with jackhammers. Some fire truck pumpers stalled in the snow when wind blew into the engines or they ran out of fuel. Since their design necessitated the use of water instead of antifreeze as a coolant, the water in the pumper froze and ruined them. The fire was eventually extinguished, but not before six or seven houses were destroyed and 50 people left homeless. Virginia Street and Whitney Place were closed for more than two weeks following

2990-405: The roads becoming impassable, motorists also had to deal with vehicles breaking down due to the combination of very cold temperatures, very high winds, and blowing snow. For example, a maintenance pickup truck at the Buffalo airport had snow blasted into the engine compartment that then melted, saturated the spark plugs, and stalled the engine. A report from Welland, Ontario , (see section below for

3055-452: The scene in four-wheel drive vehicles. Not only did the weather frustrate efforts to reach the scene, but also it hampered the ability to fight the fire. Attempts to disconnect hoses to move them resulted in the water freezing and bursting the hoses. Since the street drains were blocked with snow, runoff water from the fire rose to the running boards on the fire department's pumpers. When this water froze, it required jackhammers to extricate

3120-554: The second most populated city in New York State. The first trace of snow of the winter at the Buffalo NWS weather station in Cheektowaga, New York , occurred on October 9, while the first accumulating snow was on October 21. Elsewhere in western New York, lake effect snow was observed in two periods, with up to 4 in (10 cm) on October 17–18 and up to 12 in (30 cm) on October 21–22 (O'Connell 1977). By

3185-407: The snow on the ground (and frozen lake) did not consolidate into a form that would limit drifting. The new snow associated with the cold front and the snow that had accumulated on land and frozen Lake Erie were all blown by the strong winds and created drifts of over 25 ft (8 m) in metropolitan Buffalo. During the blizzard, about 12 in (30 cm) of "new" snow fell, and much of this

3250-507: The suspension of even emergency snowmobile traffic due to the power line danger. Many towns in western New York banned unnecessary travel for several days. Driving bans during the storm were imposed in the cities of Niagara Falls and Buffalo, Niagara County, and many other locations. Most roads in Cheektowaga were closed by snow overnight Sunday, and the fire department was "checking houses snow-covered to their roofs to make sure nobody

3315-400: The temperature at the Buffalo airport rose from 5 to 26 °F (−15 to −3 °C). Snow began around 5:00 am, with about 2 in (5 cm) of new snow prior to the beginning of the blizzard. At 4:00 am, the Buffalo NWS office indicated "very strong winds will once again produce near blizzard conditions beginning late this afternoon and continuing tonight". At 11:00 am, a blizzard warning

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3380-474: The week of the blizzard, James Lindner, Commissioner of Street Sanitation for the City of Buffalo, estimated approximately 20% of cars in the city of Buffalo were illegally parked or abandoned, limiting the ability of snowplows to clear side streets and making many of them impassable. A concentrated effort to plow (and tow as necessary) – called the "Snow Blitz" by the press – managed to make significant progress on Tuesday, January 25, and Wednesday, January 26, with

3445-483: The wind cannot pick up moisture from the lake's surface, convert the moisture to snow and then dump it when the winds reach shore. The wintry weather continued in January, with the monthly average temperature being 13.8 °F (−10.1 °C), the coldest on record (records began in 1870 in Buffalo). January's average temperature was 10 °F (6 °C) below normal. It never rose to freezing in Buffalo that month,

3510-407: The wind cannot pick up moisture from the lake's surface, convert the moisture to snow, and then dump it when the winds reach shore. Lake Erie was covered by a deep, powdery snow; January's unusually cold conditions limited the usual thawing and refreezing, so the snow on the frozen lake remained powdery. The drifted snow on roadways was difficult to clear because the strong wind packed the snow into

3575-555: The wind in city streets and struggled to regain footing, so pairs of policemen pulled them into buildings. People formed human chains from the Memorial Auditorium to people stranded in cars so the motorists would not get lost trying to find shelter. Locations west of Buffalo that were hit by the cold front only were affected for two to three hours, and western New York was thought to be the same. By 1:30 pm, Buffalo radar indicated almost no snow, and it became clear snow

3640-430: The world, however unlike other winter storms, topography either aids in their formation or prevention. The most important topographic element in a blizzard is the requirement for a vast amount of large open and relatively flat land. Any type of flora, especially coniferous forms, will catch any drifting snow reducing the blizzard's effects. The environment must also support temperatures cold enough to prevent any snow on

3705-418: Was also about 11 °F (6 °C) below normal. December's snowfall was 60.7 in (154 cm). Daily snow depth readings varied from 2 to 26 in (5.1 to 66.0 cm), with a maximum measured snow depth of 31 in (79 cm) at 3:40 p.m. on December 2. Lake Erie froze over by December 14; this was a record. An ice-covered Lake Erie usually puts an end to lake effect snowstorms, because

3770-465: Was being blown off frozen Lake Erie. Since the lake had frozen in December, the snow that fell had built up on the lake [recall the Buffalo airport reported 59.1 in (150 cm) of snow in January prior to the blizzard]. Lake Erie was reported to be covered by 'deep, powdery snow' at the beginning of the blizzard. During January, the unusually cold conditions limited thawing and freezing, and thus

3835-715: Was exceptionally mild: Anchorage averaged 20.2 °F or 11.2 °C above normal and was in fact 2.5 °F or 1.4 °C warmer for the month than Atlanta half the distance from the equator, whilst it was the warmest January since at least 1937 for the whole state except the North Slope and the Aleutian Islands . The Pacific Northwest, located under the strong ridge, experienced unprecedented drought , with all 29 climatic divisions of Washington , Oregon and Idaho experiencing their driest October to February period on record. During June through September,

3900-532: Was freezing or suffocating". The supervisor of the Town of Clarence, in addition to ordering all motorists ticketed, authorized the fire department to seize gasoline to prevent driving, if necessary. In Lancaster, only two north–south routes were open. An early Sunday morning helicopter tour by Erie County Sheriff Ken Braun had revealed about 125 cars and trucks almost totally buried in the Lancaster area, as well as

3965-519: Was hampered; 33 of the city's 79 snow plows were in for repairs. On the afternoon of Thursday, January 27, the National Guard had been called to the region with equipment to help clear the streets of snow. On Thursday, January 27, an Arctic front had swept southward through the northern Great Plains to the Midwest. Between 6:00 and 7:00 am on Friday, January 28, a wall of snow accompanied

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4030-456: Was issued, which was the first time the Buffalo NWS office had done this. That morning observers on the 16th floor of the M&;T Bank Building in Buffalo watched as a gray wall covered the city; it appeared white as it came closer. A blast of wind hit the building that caused the floor to move and the glass window to creak, and then the wall of white enveloped the building. It was 11:10 am. On

4095-519: Was recorded at the Buffalo airport (NWS Buffalo Office 2006a) and that night the wind chill fell to −40 °F (−40 °C) (NWS pre-2001 wind chill calculation method). At 8:00 pm, the National Guardsmen, in their cold-weather gear, began assisting the City of Buffalo Street Sanitation Department with clearing roads to Buffalo hospitals. Since Friday afternoon, walking multiple blocks had been necessary to reach most hospitals. Before

4160-407: Was set, breaking the old record set in 1885, and a peak wind gust of 51 mph (82 km/h) was recorded. During midafternoon, the lull in the storm ended and the winds once again blew strong, causing new drifting. The storm continued; the low-pressure center with which the cold front was associated stalled east of James Bay and then "moved back west over James Bay before finally moving east to

4225-438: Was thought to be from snow that had been in the snowpack on Lake Erie. The drifted snow from the blizzard was difficult to clear for reasons illuminated by NWS meteorologist Ben Kolker: "The wind was so strong that it packed the snow. It broke the snow crystals up so they really packed in solidly, almost like a form of cement". As discussed later in this article, normal snow clearing methods could not be used in many cases due to

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