Great Blizzard of 1888

By the title you know it must have been one of the worst blizzards on record hitting parts of New Jersey, New York and all of New England. The storm continued for three days, March 11th-14th with recorded snow falls of 40 to 50 inches. It was big news at the time and was reported or referred to in various literature for the rest of the century. Below are a couple comments about the blizzard.


The storm did not approach us with the severity which was exhibited in some other States, yet here it had the character of the blizzard. It was something more than an ordinary storm. The snow fell fast and was caught by the wild winds and hurled everywhere. The old highways and the railroads were rendered impassable. The snow came with such force into the eyes of the pedestrian as to blind him; melting near the eye, the other parts of the large bunches of snow would remain fixed and frozen fast to the eye, so that it was his constant work to protect his sight. The snow would follow the breath inhaled into the lungs, and, melting, fill them with water, nearly choking him, if not quite doing the work of strangulation. These are some of the conditions of the blizzard, and many reading this paper who were exposed in this storm will remember these peculiar traits of this blizzard in distinction from the ordinary storm, hence we have the right to give the storm the hardest name yet invented, the blizzard.
Source: Report Vol. 17 by New Hampshire, Dept. of Agriculture ©1888 pg405

During the blizzard of 1888, the coldest point that was reached was four degrees above zero. (New York)
Source: Great Round World and what is going on in it: Vol. 9 pg 236