Daylight Savings Time snuck up on me with little notice. My 8 year old son reminded me of it this past weekend. I thought “Yeah, Winter is finally over!”.

But, after doing some research, I realized that winter has been far from over in our history.

Today marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Great Blizzard of 1888; The most famous snowstorm in American history that lasted from March 11 to March 14, 1888. A storm that paralyzed the Northeastern US Seaboard killing over 400 people. New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut were home to major devastation as transportation was shut down and man people were confined to their homes for up to a week without services with over 40-50 inches of snow falling in a period of 4 days.

If anyone is prone to throwing themselves a pity party this time of year crying for winter to end, read more about how bad it was and could have been here (you pansy):

Impact of this Devastating Storm on New York Transit

Excerpt….” When the storm first hit New York City, the temperature was mild as a light rain began to fall on March 11th, gradually increasing in ferocity. By March 12th these torrential rains changed to heavy snow and buried the unprepared city in drifts of up to thirty feet deep! The temperature plunged and winds reached over eighty miles per hour. This continued for the next 36 hours. Sources vary on the total devastation caused by this massive storm, but over 400 people lost their lives, some 200 in New York City. This snow storm became legendary, earning the nickname “The Great White Hurricane,” after it paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine. Ships at sea sunk or were grounded, telegraph and telephone wires were down cutting off communication between major cities. All transportation was immobilized. An estimated $25 million was caused in property damage from fires alone. Many cities were hard hit by the blizzard, but New York City was hit hardest of all.”

The Stamford Historical Society’s Recount of the event….

Excerpt….“The most famous snowstorm in American history, the Blizzard of 1888, has acquired an almost legendary status. Although there have been many heavier snowfalls and significantly lower temperatures, this blizzard’s combination of inclement conditions has been unmatched in 110 years.

The ‘Great White Hurricane,’ as it was called, paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine……”

AND…Since I can’t seem to lay off the YouTube Videos in my blog, I need to ask if you would prefer a Medium Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard instead…?