(01-02-2018 12:11 AM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  I went out to lunch today and saw some guy wearing shorts. It was 9 degrees. Got to thinking about it, and I was wearing sweats, along-sleeved shirt, and a hoody. As long as I wear a warm hat I’m fine. Very little of this cold has bothered me. I found myself wishing for more snow.

Better this than 35 degrees with cold rain.

Must have been that dork with ears that used to own JCs.

Okay, it is time for one of the old timers to tell you about the winter weather of Jan 77.
I was in grad school. A classmate from Atlanta looked at the forecast and said " this won't be so bad". About 10 inches of snow the next day, and more followed over the next several weeks. That snow did not melt until sometime in February. Mid January was when we had the back to back -24 and -25 nights, with plenty of other days were the temps never broke zero.

The next year, Feb 78, was the big blizzard. Record low barometer readings. High howling winds, heavy snows, and temps dropped quickly below zero and stayed there for a while. The city was truly closed up for nearly a week.

We really have not had anything quite like those two events since, but this cold spell does put me in mind of it.

I didn't have to walk uphill in the snow both ways, but it felt a bit like it.

You should have talked about all the ice that formed on the Ohio river those years was a site to see. it has to be pretty cold for it to form on moving water.

(01-02-2018 09:13 AM)ucbandguy Wrote:  Okay, it is time for one of the old timers to tell you about the winter weather of Jan 77.
I was in grad school. A classmate from Atlanta looked at the forecast and said " this won't be so bad". About 10 inches of snow the next day, and more followed over the next several weeks. That snow did not melt until sometime in February. Mid January was when we had the back to back -24 and -25 nights, with plenty of other days were the temps never broke zero.

The next year, Feb 78, was the big blizzard. Record low barometer readings. High howling winds, heavy snows, and temps dropped quickly below zero and stayed there for a while. The city was truly closed up for nearly a week.

We really have not had anything quite like those two events since, but this cold spell does put me in mind of it.

I didn't have to walk uphill in the snow both ways, but it felt a bit like it.

one of my favorite board games growing up

I vaguely remember some bozo driving a VW Beetle across the ice on the river in 77'.

(01-02-2018 09:13 AM)ucbandguy Wrote:  Okay, it is time for one of the old timers to tell you about the winter weather of Jan 77.
I was in grad school. A classmate from Atlanta looked at the forecast and said " this won't be so bad". About 10 inches of snow the next day, and more followed over the next several weeks. That snow did not melt until sometime in February. Mid January was when we had the back to back -24 and -25 nights, with plenty of other days were the temps never broke zero.

The next year, Feb 78, was the big blizzard. Record low barometer readings. High howling winds, heavy snows, and temps dropped quickly below zero and stayed there for a while. The city was truly closed up for nearly a week.

We really have not had anything quite like those two events since, but this cold spell does put me in mind of it.

I didn't have to walk uphill in the snow both ways, but it felt a bit like it.

And who else was around back then to remember Channel 5 meteorologist Tony Sands selling out to do Jeep commercials for 1979 promising even more blizzards which never materialized?

To Funny remember him but not the commercials. But I watched 12 back then the most.

(01-02-2018 10:20 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(01-02-2018 09:13 AM)ucbandguy Wrote:  Okay, it is time for one of the old timers to tell you about the winter weather of Jan 77.
I was in grad school. A classmate from Atlanta looked at the forecast and said " this won't be so bad". About 10 inches of snow the next day, and more followed over the next several weeks. That snow did not melt until sometime in February. Mid January was when we had the back to back -24 and -25 nights, with plenty of other days were the temps never broke zero.

The next year, Feb 78, was the big blizzard. Record low barometer readings. High howling winds, heavy snows, and temps dropped quickly below zero and stayed there for a while. The city was truly closed up for nearly a week.

We really have not had anything quite like those two events since, but this cold spell does put me in mind of it.

I didn't have to walk uphill in the snow both ways, but it felt a bit like it.

And who else was around back then to remember Channel 5 meteorologist Tony Sands selling out to do Jeep commercials for 1979 promising even more blizzards which never materialized?

I remember that. I never liked Tony Sands to begin with, but that lost him all credibility.

I was in 8th grade at the time. I remember not going to school much that winter. It didn’t go above 32 degrees from New Years until Feb 15. The Cincinnati Enquirer has icicles down from its name on the newspaper.

I remember the Blizzard of 1977 and 1978. And, I survived...

I was in the 1st grade and my 17 year old brother had me walk over the frozen Ohio River with he and his friends. I think he got his butt kicked by mom until first thaw.

The '77 one I remember the most. It was like being on the set of one of those old Irwin Allen disaster films (Airport, Towering Inferno, Earthquake). For 2-3 days it was just white and gray everywhere. The only way you could get around was on foot or by snowmobile. Drifts up to first story gutters and higher in some places. No electricity. Bitter wind chills. Real wrath of God stuff. I'm embellishing a bit, but guess what, I was out playing in it because that's just what kids did in those days. IIRC, '78 was a series of storms over several days.

(01-02-2018 08:46 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  The '77 one I remember the most. It was like being on the set of one of those old Irwin Allen disaster films (Airport, Towering Inferno, Earthquake). For 2-3 days it was just white and gray everywhere. The only way you could get around was on foot or by snowmobile. Drifts up to first story gutters and higher in some places. No electricity. Bitter wind chills. Real wrath of God stuff. I'm embellishing a bit, but guess what, I was out playing in it because that's just what kids did in those days. IIRC, '78 was a series of storms over several days.

(01-02-2018 08:58 PM)TubaCat Wrote:  

(01-02-2018 08:46 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  The '77 one I remember the most. It was like being on the set of one of those old Irwin Allen disaster films (Airport, Towering Inferno, Earthquake). For 2-3 days it was just white and gray everywhere. The only way you could get around was on foot or by snowmobile. Drifts up to first story gutters and higher in some places. No electricity. Bitter wind chills. Real wrath of God stuff. I'm embellishing a bit, but guess what, I was out playing in it because that's just what kids did in those days. IIRC, '78 was a series of storms over several days.

Yep. That's where I took the quote from. Classic...

I was 12 in 78. Thought the blizzard was great. We were off school for a least a week and a half.

Somebody with a snow mobile did grocery runs for neighborhood families. Most people had big pantries so nobody was going to starve but with each family having 4+ kids, families went through milk fast.

I'm sure everybody's parents were going nuts being snowbound with kids stuck indoors due to the cold but that's what beer taps and cocktails were for.

you people didn't have electricity during that freakin' storm?

We did not have electricity for several days after the big blizzard (77, 78 or whenever).

My grandparents had about six houses worth of neighbors come over to their house, where they used their gas grill (the neighbors brought over the tanks from their grills) to provide heat for the house. Then I think they had a 2-3 day long drinking party.

I know we used the wood stove in the living room a lot and ran the gas stove in the kitchen with no food on it. Plus running a kerosene heater those where the good old days. We would go out and build a snow fort and then come in and get warm by the fire or stand over the heater vents on the floor from the gas furnace. I think that some of the snow fort lasted until march maybe.

(01-03-2018 02:06 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  We did not have electricity for several days after the big blizzard (77, 78 or whenever).

My grandparents had about six houses worth of neighbors come over to their house, where they used their gas grill (the neighbors brought over the tanks from their grills) to provide heat for the house. Then I think they had a 2-3 day long drinking party.

i was just up there last weekend. the wind is incredible