1971 — Feb 8-9, Snowstorm/Arctic Cold, Midwest to East and New England, esp. OH– 19

–19  Blanchard tally from State breakouts below.

 

New York       (  4)

–1  Canandaigua, Feb 9. Exposure (alcohol consumption contributing factor); Judy Olivares.[1]

–1  Geddes, Feb 8. Heart attack after shoveling snow; John S. Griffin, 75.[2]

–1  Syracuse, Feb 8. Heart attack clearing snow and ice from car; Nicholas Hardy, 61.[3]

–1  Syracuse, Feb 8. Heart attack after using snowblower; Durward B. Milewski, 59.[4]

 

Ohio               (14)

–14  Schmidlin and Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland. 1996, pp. 54-55.

–11 Heart attack deaths.

—  7  Blanchard tally from breakouts below.

Breakout of fatalities by locality and/or cause where we have seen reporting:

–1  Chesterland, Feb 8. Pinned between car stuck in snow and tow-truck; Harry White, 42.[5]

–2  Cincinnati, Feb 8. Heart attacks shoveling snow.[6]

–1  Cleveland, Feb 8. Heart attack driving in heavy “snarled” traffic in snow storm (N. N. Freyer).[7]

–1  Cleveland, Feb 8. Heart attack walking through heavy snow; Arnold Stills, 47.[8]

–2  OH residents in KY when car skidded on ice into theirs; Robert W. Macke, 23, Michael Kean, 25.[9]

 

Pennsylvania (  1)

–1  Lock Haven, Feb 8. Heart attack shoveling snow; Charles B. Brickley, 65.[10]

 

Narrative Information

 

Feb 8, KY: “A severe snowstorm blew across most of the state today, leaving two persons dead and paralyzing traffic. Schools were closed in at least 36 counties because of dangerous driving conditions. All state offices were dark in Frankfort, where the depth reached an estimated six inches.

 

“The snow was spread over Western and Central Kentucky west of a line from Inez to Williamsburg. A mixture of drizzle and freezing rain and snow was reported throughout Southeastern Kentucky. The Weather Bureau predicted the accumulation, statewide, would reach about four inches by evening.

 

“Two Ohio residents were killed on Louisville’s Watterson Expressway after another auto skidded on ice and smashed into their vehicle. The dead were listed as Robert W. Mackie, 23, of Gahanna, and Michael Kean, 25 of Alexandria.

 

“A State Police dispatcher at Elizabethtown reported that highways ‘are in horrible condition.’ He said they were passable if motorists took their time and ‘didn’t get any ideas about going lickety-split or jamming on their brakes.’

 

“Classes were suspended in all Jefferson County Schools and a number in Louisville also were canceled….” (Associated Press. “Traffic Paralyzed by Heavy Snow Fall.” Harlan Daily Enterprise, KY. 2-8-1971, p. 1.)

 

Feb 9, overview: “….Heavy snow warnings and travelers warning were posted today for Western New York, New Hampshire, Western Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. The snow was wet and slushy and the Rochester-Monroe County Airport at Rochester, N.Y., was closed because of snow up to six inches deep.

 

“Cold wave warnings were issued for much of the area from Kentucky to the Florida Panhandle, and a hard freeze was expected in most of the Gulf Coast by dawn.

 

“In Houston, Tex., lows of 18 degrees were expected, the lowest in the city in eight years.

 

“Cincinnati, Ohio, declared a snow emergency Monday for the first time in more than three years. One man collapsed and died while shoveling snow. When an eight-inch snowfall at Steubenville, Ohio, made a hill leading to the Ohio Valley Hospital unnavigable, a city policeman abandoned his car and carried an injured 10-year-old boy up the nearly mile-long grade. At the top, the policeman flagged down a car and the boy was taken to the hospital.

 

“Pittsburgh expected four inches of snow and near-zero temperatures. Up to 18 inches of snow fell Monday in Greene County, N.Y., southwest of Albany. Dozens of schools in the Albany and Eastern New York area were closed. At Buffalo, N.Y., three inches of snow fell early today, and freezing rain produced treacherous conditions in New England.

 

“A chilling blast of Arctic air poured southward across the Great Plains and Midlands Monday [Feb 8], posing threats to citrus crops…” (New Castle News, PA. “Area digs out of big snow.” 2-9-1971, p. 3.)

 

Feb 9, OH: “A near blizzard that swept across Ohio Monday sent temperatures to near the zero mark early today, closed hundreds of schools and created both traffic and telephone emergencies in several major cities. The quick hitting storm dumped up to 11 inches of snow in some areas and caught motorists by surprise. City streets were lined with abandoned and snow covered autos. The snow also caused a telephone emergency as many workers were late getting home and service stations were flooded with calls for help. The Cincinnati and Suburban Bell Telephone CO. declared a ‘telephone crisis’ and went on television and radio to ask customers to stop using telephones except in case of emergency. A spokesman said the utility normally handles about 700,000 calls in an afternoon but handled about 2 million calls late Tuesday….

 

“Additional snow depths reported today ranged from four inches at Chesapeake to 11 inches at Youngstown. The National Weather Service said unofficial reports showed an additional foot of snow in Summit, Stark, Wayne, Holmes and Portage Counties. The Weather Service said one notable exception to the general snowfall was Northwestern Ohio with only one to two inches reported from that section. Central Ohio got a total of about nine inches on the ground in a 24-hour period ending early today [Feb 9], the heaviest snowfall in nine years. Youngstown and Cincinnati were among cities to declare a snow emergency which meant the closing of certain streets, to facilitate the flow of traffic….

 

“Cincinnati got about nine inches of snow and two persons died of heart attacks as they attempted to shovel snow from sidewalks at their home….

 

“Interstate 75 in Kentucky was closed to all tractor-trailer truck traffic Tuesday, causing a backup of trucks in the Cincinnati area….

 

“The National Weather Service said considerable drifting is expected and one to three inches of snow is forecast the th snow belt area of northeastern Ohio. Forecasters said much colder arctic air continued to flow into Ohio today and Dayton had a low of one above at 6 a.m. while Mansfield had a reading of four above and Cincinnati and Columbus six above.” (United Press International. “Sudden Storm Belts Ohioans,” Norwalk Reflector, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 1.)

 

Feb 9: “New York City Police called for boats to rescue stranded motorists from flooded expressways, heavy snow piled up in upstate New York and New England, and up to four inches of snow caused hazardous driving in parts of the Southeast Monday as winter weather continued to plague the nation.

 

“The Upper Midwest was so cold even the Detroit Zoo’s polar bears didn’t like it.

 

“The National Weather Service posted heavy snow warnings for a large area from Western Massachusetts and Southern and Western New York south to Virginia. By early Monday, Binghamton and Albany, N.Y., each reported seven inches of new snow and several other upstate cities had as much as four inches.

 

“Travelers warnings were posted as far south as the Gulf Coast states.

 

“New York City and Long Island had heavy rains. As much as four feet of water stood in some expressways in the area and police called for small boats to rescue drivers on the Southern State Parkway. Parts of the Belt Parkway and the Harlem River Drive also were closed because of high water….” (UPI. “Winter Rubs it in All Over Nation.” Wayne Independent, Honesdale, PA. 2-9-1971, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Rule Judy Olivares Death Accidental.” Palladium Times, Oswego, NY. 2-10-1971, p. 2. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oswego-palladium-times-feb-10-1971-p-2/

 

Associated Press. “Three Cleveland Deaths Linked to Heavy Snow.” Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 18. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hamilton-daily-news-journal-feb-09-1971-p-51/

 

Associated Press. “Traffic Paralyzed by Heavy Snow Fall.” Harlan Daily Enterprise, KY. 2-8-1971, p. 1. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/harlan-daily-enterprise-feb-08-1971-p-1/

 

New Castle News, PA. “Area digs out of big snow.” 2-9-1971, p. 3. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-castle-news-feb-09-1971-p-3/

 

Post Standard (Louis Rappaport) Syracuse, NY. “Three Men Die as Snow Renews Attack on City.” 2-9-1971, p. 8. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-post-standard-feb-09-1971-p-8/

 

Schmidlin, Thomas W. and Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio. Kent State University Press, 1996, 362 pages.

 

The Express, Lock Haven, PA. “Deaths and Funerals.” 2-8-1971, p. 8. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lock-haven-express-feb-08-1971-p-8/

 

United Press International. “Sudden Storm Belts Ohioans,” Norwalk Reflector, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 1. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/norwalk-reflector-feb-09-1971-p-1/

 

United Press International. “Winter Rubs it in All Over Nation.” Wayne Independent, Honesdale, PA. 2-9-1971, p. 1. Accessed 11-24-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/honesdale-wayne-independent-feb-09-1971-p-1/

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Associated Press. “Rule Judy Olivares Death Accidental.” Palladium Times, Oswego, NY. 2-10-1971, p. 2.

[2] Post Standard (Louis Rappaport) Syracuse, NY. “Three Men Die as Snow Renews Attack on City.” 2-9-1971, p. 8.

[3] Post Standard (Louis Rappaport) Syracuse, NY. “Three Men Die as Snow Renews Attack on City.” 2-9-1971, p. 8.

[4] Post Standard (Louis Rappaport) Syracuse, NY. “Three Men Die as Snow Renews Attack on City.” 2-9-1971, p. 8.

[5] AP. “Three Cleveland Deaths Linked to Heavy Snow.” Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 18.

[6] United Press International. “Sudden Storm Belts Ohioans,” Norwalk Reflector, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 1.

[7] AP. “Three Cleveland Deaths Linked to Heavy Snow.” Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 18.

[8] AP. “Three Cleveland Deaths Linked to Heavy Snow.” Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH, 2-9-1971, p. 18.

[9] Associated Press. “Traffic Paralyzed by Heavy Snow Fall.” Harlan Daily Enterprise, KY. 2-8-1971, p. 1.

[10] The Express, Lock Haven, PA. “Deaths and Funerals.” 2-8-1971, p. 8.