6 –36-41

lornajarrettblanchard January 15, 1960

–19 UPI. “Midwest has snow, east gets rain.” Columbus Daily Telegram, NE. 1-16-1960, p. 3.

Summary of Snowstorm and Cold Related Fatalities by State

Colorado (1-5)
Illinois ( 4)
Kansas (3-4)
Nebraska ( 10)
New York ( 6)
Texas ( 1)
Wisconsin ( 11)
Total 36-41

Breakout of Snowstorm and Cold Related Fatalities by State and Locality where noted:

Colorado (1-5)
–5 AP. “Raging Blizzard Covers Midwest…” Lawrence Daily Journal-World, KS. 1-18-1960, 1.
–1 Trinidad area. Car skids on icy county bridge, drops into Purgatoire River; Bensencio Vigil, 54.
–5 Locales not noted. “Five traffic deaths in Colorado were blamed on the storm.”

Illinois ( 4)
–4 AP. “Raging Blizzard Covers Midwest…” Lawrence Daily Journal-World, KS. 1-18-1960, 1.
–4 Locales not noted. Traffic deaths blamed on the storm.

Kansas (3-4)
–4 Jan 16-17. Heavy snow. Weather Bureau Storm Data Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan 1960, p. 2.
–1 Belleville area. Car skids on icy US 36, into bridge; Hixton T. Bowersox, 70.
–2 Phillipsburg area. Three-car accident where visibility was hampered by snow; McKee & Clark.

Nebraska (10)
–10 Jan 14-17. Blanchard tally.
— 8 Jan 17. Blizzard. Weather Bureau Storm Data Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan 1960, p. 3.
— 7 AP. “Second storm in four days jams scarcely opened roads.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 1-18-1960, 1.
Breakout of Nebraska winter snow and cold related deaths by locality and cause of death:
–2 Bradshaw. One-car crash on slippery highway; Dennie Gierhan, 21, and Carol Bangert, 18.
–1 Falls City, Jan 18. Exposure; body of Mrs. Carol Martney, 25, found in field.
–1 Fremont, Jan 15. Heart attack shoveling snow; Rev. E. G. Wood, 56.
–1 North Platte area, US 30, Jan 15. Car skids on snow-packed road, rolls over, hits pole; Everett L. Wilson, 34.
–1 Plattsmouth. Injures from snowstorm-related traffic accident; Mrs. Josephine Ulrich, 74.
–1 Polk. Heart attack preparing road maintainer for snow plow service; Paul Holmes, 59.
–1 St. Paul area. Heart attack at home; Fire Dept. took 4 hours to respond due to 10-12 foot drifts.
–1 Superior, Jan 14. Car slid into highway maintainer; Mrs. Lawrence Travis, 64, of Hildreth.
–1 Wausa. Truck stuck in snow; heart attack attempting walking to safety; Gunnar Carlson, 54.

New York ( 6)
–6 Jan 15-16. Freezing rain/sleet/snow. Weather Bureau Storm Data Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan 1960, 3.
–6 UPI. “Midwest has snow, east gets rain.” Columbus Daily Telegram, NE. 1-16-1960, p. 3.

Texas ( 1)
–1 Amarillo. Exposure; woman.

Wisconsin (11)
–5 UPI. “Midwest has snow, east gets rain.” Columbus Daily Telegram, NE. 1-16-1960, p. 3.
–4 Locales not noted. Heart attacks shoveling snow. Associated Press. 1-16-1960.
–1 Brussels area. Car goes out of control on slippery hill and overturned; Sylvester M. Thiel, 53.
–1 Kenosha. Heart attack while shoveling car out of drift on Hwy. 41; John Grigorick, 68.
–1 McFarland. Car falls off jack while snow chairs were being put on; Arthur L. Otteson, 16.
–6 Milwaukee area [perhaps including Kenosha]. Heart attacks “connected with the heavy snow.”
–1 Tomahawk area. Car skids on icy road into tree; Charles Rhode, 34.
–1 Waterford. Heart attack after pushing car which became stalled in the snow; man.

Narrative Information

Weather Bureau Storm Data on Kansas: “Most of State…16-17 [Jan]…4 [killed]…Heavy snow, some glazing, strong winds.

“Hardly had roads been opened and some telephone and power circuits restored after the storm of Jan 13-14 until a second storm brought snow to all the state. Another 5 to8 inches of snow was spread over the western counties with 1 to 4 inches in the central and east. High winds accompanied this snow and drifted it badly. In northern Russell County drifts were reported 15 feet deep. All major highways were closed in the west for various lengths of time. Side roads were blocked for as much as a week. The high winds again damaged many telephone lines in north central Kansas. Numerous automobile and truck accidents were reported. Some rural schools had no sessions for more than a week.” (Weather Bureau Storm Data Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan 1960, p. 2.)

Weather Bureau Storm Data on Nebraska: “East and southern portions of State…17 [Jan]…All day and evening…8 [killed]…Blizzard.

“Most roads blocked in storm area. Deaths caused by exposure, one was lost in the field, some in stalled cars, and some from exhaustion from shoveling snow. Snow heaviest in southeastern Nebraska.” (Weather Bureau Storm Data Vol. 2, No. 1, Jan 1960, p. 3.)

Newspapers

Jan 15, Daily Telegram, Columbus, NE:

“14 at 1 p.m. today.
“ 6 low this morning.
“32 high Thursday [14th]
“15 high year ago.
“ 8 low year ago.
“12 inches of snow…

“Old Man Winter cut loose with his hardest snow punch in many years when he dumped 12 inches on Columbus Thursday and this morning. It was the heaviest single snow recorded here since Feb. 23-24, 1942, when a similar 12-inch fall was received. The heaviest snow of 1959 was 10 inches on March 4.

“The storm, accompanied by gusting winds up to 50 miles per hour which piled up deep drifts and lowered visibility at times to almost ‘nil’ disrupted in-town and highway traffic, loaded hotels and motels with stranded travelers and commuters, closed schools, caused high absenteeism at many establishments, and in general had people wondering why they choose to live in Nebraska.

“Local, county and state road crews were on the job and making good progress in view of the difficulties, but much remained to be done. Most highways and tributary roads in and out of Columbus were blocked at one time during the night or morning and many were still not open to traffic at noon today. U.S. Highway 81, between Madison and Columbus, was still blocked at midday and 81 south of Osceola was also closed. U.S. Highway 30, east to Schuyler was open but road maintenance engineers said that travel was nearly impossible due to the great number of stalled cars and trucks. The highway east of Schuyler was blocked intermittently….” (Daily Telegram, Columbus, NE. “12 inches of snow falls in Columbus, heaviest since Febr. 23-24, 1942; highways hazardous. Storm is accompanied by winds gusting to 50 mph.” 1-15-1960, p. 1.)

Jan 16, UPI: “Foot-deep snowdrifts blanketed the Midwest today and freezing rain and ice turned eastern highways in glazed death traps, but the storm that caused it all appeared to be blowing itself out to sea.

“The storm – the third major wintry blast of the season – swept out of the Colorado Rockies Thursday night [Jan 14] and laid a thick coat of white across Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan before slamming the Northeast with a mixture of heavy snow, rain and ice.

“At least six persons were killed on ice-slicked New York highways. Four elderly men were among the five to die in Wisconsin snows. Eight other deaths were attributed to the storm for a nationwide total of 19.

“Although the snow diminished to scattered flurries today, the U.S. Weather Bureau warned New England drivers of more freezing rain and dangerous driving to come.

“On its way to the east, the storm closed 20 schools in Michigan’s Saginaw County alone, stranded the 12-man Norbert College basketball team in its bus for six hours near Hazel Green, Wis., and churned three-foot drifts which closed 300 schools across Iowa.

“A truck jack-knifed on the super slick New Jersey turnpike and 30 cars piled up behind, injuring six persons and blocking the north-bound lane for an hour and a half.

“The snow padlocked schools in upper and central New York state. School bus service was suspended when western Connecticut roads iced over.

“Sioux City, Iowa, was isolated by a foot of snow which kept planes and trucks out of town. Snow plows struggling to reach scores of abandoned cars in Iowa finally gave up when 50 m.p.h. winds whipped the snow over the roads as soon as they were cleared.

“Heavy fog crept over New York, shutting down La Guardia and Idlewild airports. Incoming flights were diverted as far away as Nashville, Tenn., and Jacksonville, Fla., and customs inspectors in Boston reported one of their busiest days as 700 New York-bound travelers from Europe were shunted to the city’s Logan Airport.

“The Bureau predicted snow flurries or drizzle today over the Pacific Northwest and Rockies and from western Texas through Kansas and Nebraska.” (United Press International. “Midwest has snow, east gets rain.” Columbus Daily Telegram, NE. 1-16-1960, p. 3.)

Jan 18: “A windy snowstorm thrust eastward across the lower Great Lakes region today, leaving the Plains and Midwest heaped with drifts that blocked roads and closed schools. Snow, sleet and freezing rain spread along the northern Ohio Valley into Pennsylvania, and rain reached into the middle and south Atlantic states.

“The storm, blamed for at least 17 deaths, dropped up to six inches of new snow on northwestern Illinois during the night. Strong northerly winds buffeted the plains and drew sub-zero air into the northern Rockies. Drummond, Mont., had a low temperature of 21 degrees below zero.

“Although snow abated in Kansas after spreading up to 4 to 8 inches, winds continued to cause drift trouble with blockages of several major highways reported, including U.S. 40, 36 and 24.

“In Nebraska, where seven deaths were attributed to the storm, schools remain closed in the four largest cities. Many schools throughout the belt of snow were shut, including those in Cloudcroft and Mayhill, N.M., where roads were blocked in the mountainous south central part of the state by accumulations of 20 to 30 inches.

“Winds up to 40 miles an hour greatly reduced visibility and heaped new drifts on Nebraska. Bus travel was suspended west of Omaha where 5 inches of fall left an accumulation of one foot.

“The storm, starting Friday [Jan 15] in New Mexico, hit the Texas Panhandle with up to 9 inches of snow and spread as much as 12 inches on southeastern Colorado.

“Five traffic deaths in Colorado were blamed on the storm, and four in Illinois. A woman died of exposure in Amarillo, Tex.

“Overnight snow of 2 to 4 inches in southern Iowa and extreme northern Missouri, left 4 to 8 inches on the ground. The mantle covered southern Wisconsin with 3 inches.” (AP. “Raging Blizzard Covers Midwest; 17 Deaths Result.” Lawrence Daily Journal-World, KS. 1-18-1960, 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Four Dead on Kansas Roads. Bad Weather is Factor. “ Arkansas City Traveler. 1-18-1960, p. 1. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/arkansas-city-traveler-jan-18-1960-p-1/

Associated Press. “North Platte Man Killed. Skidding Car Strikes Pole.” Lincoln Evening Journal and Nebraska State Journal, 1-16-1960, p. 9. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-evening-journal-jan-16-1960-p-9/

Associated Press. “Raging Blizzard Covers Midwest; 17 Deaths Result.” Lawrence Daily Journal-World, KS. 1-18-1960, p. 1. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lawrence-daily-journal-world-jan-18-1960-p-1/

Associated Press. “Second storm in four days jams scarcely opened roads.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 1-18-1960, p1. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-jan-18-1960-p-1/

Associated Press. “Separate Road Crashes Kill 2.” Greeley Tribune, CO. 1-16-1960, p. 10. Accessed 11-28-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/greeley-daily-tribune-jan-16-1960-p-10/

Associated Press. “Snows Sweep Midwest: Highways Are Clogged.” Chicago Tribune. 1-16-1960, p. 5. Accessed 11-28-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-tribune-jan-16-1960-p-5/

Associated Press. “Snowstorms Are Blamed For 8 Deaths in State.” Lincoln Star, NE. 1-19-1960, p. 12. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-star-jan-19-1960-p-13/

Associated Press. “Two Killed, Five Injured in Crash Near Phillipsburg.” Salina Journal, KS. 1-18-1960, p. 2. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salina-journal-jan-18-1960-p-2/

Daily Gazette, Sterling-Rock Falls, IL. “Snow, Sleet Brings Hazardous Driving to County, State.” 1-18-1960, p. 4. Accessed 11-28-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-daily-gazette-jan-18-1960-p-4/

Daily Telegram, Columbus, NE. “12 inches of snow falls in Columbus, heaviest since Febr. 23-24, 1942; highways hazardous. Storm is accompanied by winds gusting to 50 mph.” 1-15-1960, p. 1. Accessed 11-26-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/columbus-daily-telegram-jan-15-1960-p-1/

Janesville Daily Gazette, WI. “Thiel, Father of Chevrolet Employee, Killed.” 1-18-1960, p. 2. Accessed 11-28-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/janesville-daily-gazette-jan-18-1960-p-2/

Kenosha Evening News, WI. “Roads in Poor Shape; Good Weather Ahead.” 1-166-1960, p. 1. Accessed 11-28-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/kenosha-evening-news-jan-16-1960-p-1/

United Press International. “Find body of Falls City woman in pasture.” Columbus Daily Telegram, NE. 1-19-1960, p. 5. Accessed 11-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/columbus-daily-telegram-jan-19-1960-p-5/

United Press International. “Midwest has snow, east gets rain.” Columbus Daily Telegram, NE. 1-16-1960, p. 3. Accessed 11-26-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/columbus-daily-telegram-jan-16-1960-p-3/

Weather Bureau. Storm Data, Vol. 2, No. 1, January 1960. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 11-26-2022 at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-7B6A33D8-5314-490D-A70C-63BB0FDCB9D0.pdf

Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “Storm Slugs Milwaukee, Other Cities.” 1-19-1960, pp. 1-2. Accessed 11-29-2022: https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-jan-19-1960-p-1/