Great Snowstorm (1888)
The Great Snowstorm of 1888 (March 11 - March 14, 1888) was one of the most violent blizzards in United States history since weather records began, with snow drifts over 15 meters high. Everywhere on the east coast there were snow depths of up to 1.30 m.
The Great White Hurricane , as it was also known, paralyzed the east coast of the United States from Chesapeake Bay to Maine . The telegraph infrastructure was suspended, isolating New York City , Boston , Philadelphia , Baltimore, and Washington, DC for days. 200 ships ran aground and at least 100 sailors died. The fire brigade was not operational due to the weather. The damage caused by fire alone was estimated at $ 25 million. 100 people were killed in New York City alone. A total of about 400 people died.
The records show that the previous weather was unusually mild with heavy rains, which turned into snowfalls with the steeply falling temperatures. The storm lasted uninterrupted for a day and a half. Food and coal became scarce, but fresh bread and other groceries were brought into town every day. The citizens of New York City formed groups to shovel snow into the Atlantic Ocean . The National Meteorological Service stated that the snow masses covered Connecticut and Massachusetts about 1.3 m high and New York and New Jersey 1 m high. The wind was up to 77 km / h and built up the snowdrifts from 12 m to 15 m in height.
Subsequent traffic problems ultimately led to the construction of the New York Subway , which was confirmed in 1894 and began in 1900.
The big snow storm was described by José Martí a short time later in his article New York under the snow in the Argentine magazine La Nación .