comment: >
  
  I think climate change has something to say about these, "once in a lifetime weather events" we're having these days, i have a strong suspicion we'll see these storms again before too long
context: Blizzard of 77
  fun times, snowed in at Grandparents house, middle of nowhere
  mom got car stuck on road, taken in by kind stranger
  dad stuck at the factory >
  
  My entire family never ever stopped talking about that storm. >
  
  I think technically 1983 was worse, but since 77 happened during the work week, its perceived as the "Worst"
  Then maybe 2001, Buffalo got 7 feet. Took them a month to get things cleared properly >
  
  The southern parts of Buffalo got 6 or 7 feet just a couple of weeks ago. This is the second massive storm in less than a month. >
  
  I don't miss visiting my old office there. Can't see people backing out of their driveways because of giant snow piles.
  People walking the streets, because the sidewalks are still covered. >
  
  less cars out there than when we were quarantined
  I figured at least I would see a pizza delivery guy or two >
  
  Does the state have mandatory shelter in place for homeless people during storms like this? >
  
  There was for almost everyone. Anyone local that was driving probably should not have been. Expect citations. >
  
  This is kinda half true. They waited to get everyone to work then called the driving ban. Was bullshit. Considering buffalo was there last pick to place state assets because it’s buffalo. They were more worried about Syracuse Albany and NYC. They blamed white out conditions on why no one could move or help anyone. I think we need to take a deeper look as to why Buffalo endured the same storm as anyone else and why Buffalo could not get the snow out. There were no plows before the storm putting down salt. It felt like all the assets across the state were no where near buffalo. They didn’t seem to care and only blamed civilians for getting stuck and blaming careless decisions on us. All of this seemed to pander to jobs staying open and less assets for buffalo compared to them sending them elsewhere. >
  
  Did quick subtraction and yep - just as I suspected; The Blizzard of ‘77! >
  
  Here in province of Quebec, the blizzard of 71 is legendary!! >
  
  Or the ice storm of 98 >
  
  Former Mainer, Ice storm of '98 was a doozy! >
  
  Buffalo can handle snow, even 6 feet of it.
  Hurricane force winds and frigid temperatures made this storm much more deadly.
  /r/buffalo >
  
  Nova Scotia had a similar storm in 04 (white Juan), I remember how bad it was. The only thing that saved a lot of lives here is the abundance of wood stoves and generators. >
  
  We had some wind-fallen trees earlier this year and redid the fireplace so it was wood burning instead of gas maybe 14 months ago.
  Lived here 15 years and never had a power outage that lasted a whole day. This event? 55 hours. No way to leave for the first 50 hours. We rationed the wood, but it was looking pretty grim by the time the power came back on. We might have been all right another 8-10 hours, but the cats probably would have died.
  We were lucky beyond all reason. I can't imagine the hardship that folks just streets away were dealing with. >
  
  White Juan had power out for 5 days. I didn't get out of my driveway for three. But wood heat is big here, so people's basements are full of firewood. My parents for example have the entire winter's worth of firewood stored inside. 
  We are prepared in Nova Scotia because of our climate and awful power infrastructure, so it's scary to think about those people who are not. Glad to hear you are alright though. >
  
  We lost about 500 people in Texas from a storm you lot would consider Spring weather.  We just aren't prepared to heat our homes without power.  Most of the few houses I've seen with fireplaces aren't even functional.  Everyone stay safe. >
  
  I heard all about that, it's so horrible.
  Preparation is key. Canadian winters are brutal (Alberta can easily get down to -60°f, while Nova Scotia can get between 60 to 160 inches of snow each winter, depending on the region), but we expect that and prepare for it. A Canadian house in Texas would be considered overkill, but it's necessary here. So when places get severe weather for their region it can become deadly. 
  The storm I mentioned earlier, that knocked out power for 5 days, had a temperature of -8°f with zero deaths. But like I said earlier, we need and expect to be prepared. In Nova Scotia over 6 months our temperature can shift from 100°f to -5°f, and that's normal.
  As our weather keeps having wild swings in North America I would recommend everyone do something to prepare, add a wood stove or buy a generator. It literally could save your life. >
  
  Yeah, the 1977 blizzard was nasty. I was in Ontario on the north side of Lake Erie. Will never for get it. >
  
  Sweet! Now those fuckers can't say, "Back in my day" any fucking more!!
  RIP to those who perished, sad state of affairs. >
  
  Oh, well, we can expect that to happen a bit more now. The next century will bring a nice transition Phase of hot, dry summers and blizzards in Winter:)
  Fun,fun,fun >
  
  And just the opposite for winters. We got (kinda) buried here in Peterborough, Ontario. Other parts got absolutely obliterated. And it's only going to get worse.
  You can see pics all over r/ontario and other subs dedicated to affected cities and towns. r/cobourg, r/toronto, r/oakville and theres others. >
  
  I’m moving back to London in 2023. Can’t wait to hear people complain about the snow. They know NOTHING. >
  
  Tell them of this accursed land >
  
  This was the worst thing that could have happened on Christmas.  Cause I had to listen to HOURS of snow storm stories of a by gone era.  We're talking 7 inches in central Alabama kind of dragging convos.  "ain't as bad as 93.  I was in Sheboygan back in 77." >
  
  I feel you! I am always so shocked how older generations have such an acute memory for weather events. I'm 32 and literally couldn't recount a single year that an adverse weather event occured. My parents/grandparents, on the other hand, can go on and on about the specificities of heatwaves, blizzards, floods, windstorms etc etc. and remember exactly when and where they were. >
  
  Brother is currently driving back to Alabama from Central NY. Had to plot out an alternative route. >
  
  Live here in Buffalo, can confirm, this sucks. >
  
  “Shuffling off to Buffalo” does mean something explicit. Grew up in Appalachia, upper elevation north west facing lakes Erie and Huron. When you guys got hammered so did we. My mother would cry at the first snow fall and celebrated the first Robin. 
  Your “it sucks” hits close to home! I’ve lived through it myself more than once. >
  
  My first thought is one of my team mates was supposed to be in buffalo this weekend but thought better of it and stayed in Syracuse. I see it was a wise choice. >
  
  I tried driving nearby on Saturday while going home for Xmas. It took about 2 hours to find a way out. At one point the road was completely gone and covered with a 6 ft snow drift, and the person in front of me had gone in the ditch. Luckily a cop came and rescued them and led me out.
  My 9 hour road trip to Michigan ended up taking 16 hours. >
  
  Yeah, my neighbors drove from Atlanta to Chicago on Friday, starting at 4am, and it took them 18.5 hours (Google maps predicted 10hrs).  They were driving through Indiana while the wind chill there was -26°F. >
  
  Chicago also had a Blizzard of ‘77, as well as ‘78.  We were snowed in -completely.  Opened the front door to a snow drift and 6’ high snow banks.  Kids loved it, grownups found a valid reason for day drinking and listening to Molly Hatchet. >
  
  That's the one where everyone just left their cars in the middle of the roads all over Chicago and the suburbs.  We had just moved east from Chicago a year before. >
  
  Just wait till next year 😂 >
  
  Yeah I've seen a ridiculous amount of "once in a lifetime" storms, probably should call them "the worst, for now" storms. >
  
  So I’m gonna be a little nerdy about this, but the point you’re raising is a really interesting one when defining disasters! You may have heard the term “100 year flood” and wondered what that means. The answer is that what it means really depends on how you define the area you’re evaluating!
  Generally, the more specific of a geographic area you look at, the higher the “return period” (e.g. 100 years, 150 years, 10 years, etc.).
  Consider this blizzard. It may be a 1 in 50 year event for Buffalo, but a 1 in 30 year event for New York state, or a 1 in 10 year event for the U.S. (I’m picking arbitrary numbers here). That’s because the more area you include, the more places there are for these events to happen over time. So when someone says “this is a 1 in 100 year event”, you really have to ask: “1 in 100 year event for what geographic scope?”. >
  
  Also the odds don’t mean once every hundred years they mean in any year there’s about a 1% chance >
  
  Where I grew up there was an area people called a hundred year flood plain.
  That I saw underwater at least 3 times >
  
  My favorite is this quote “the odds of a baseball hitting a bird are 1 in a billion but I’ve seen it 4 times” haha >
  
  I still remember the one around 09-10 that a freeze was so bad. I didn’t go to school for almost a week. >
  
  that was bad! I don't recall seeing very many cars after taking a walk around the neighborhood. >
  
  I live there, it’s fun the snow is up to the top of my chest and I’m 5’8 >
  
  The city announced during the worst of it that there were to emergency services available in the entire city and the surrounding suburbs. Residents organized extensive rescue efforts on their own. The city is now responding to a backlog of 911 calls days old.