5 Comparison of Halloween 

 Storm with Blizzard of 78 



The storm of 5-8 February 1978. commonly referred to as the "Blizzard of 

 '78," was, in many respects, similar to the Halloween Storm. Figures 21 

 through 28 show the surface and 500-mb analyses at 12-hr intervals starting at 

 1200 hr UTC, 5 Febniary 1978, and ending at 1200 hr UTC, 8 February 1978 

 (Fair and Feit 1978). Figure 23, the surface analysis at 1800 hr UTC, 6 Febru- 

 ary, shows a surface low located just off the northeast coast of the United 

 States and a strong anticyclone (1,054 mb) located near the Hudson Bay region 

 of Canada. Recall that the anticyclone accompanying the Halloween Storm 

 also was located over the Hudson Bay region and reached a maximum surface 

 pressure of 1,046 mb. 



Concurrently, an upp)er-level low was located over the eastern Great Lakes, 

 to the west of the surface low, as was the case with the Halloween Storai. 

 One day later at 1200 hr UTC, 7 February (Figure 25), the surface low had 

 drifted slightly to the north but not intensified significantly. The upper level 

 low moved eastward and was co-located with the surface low (Figure 26). At 

 1200 hr, 8 February (Figures 27 and 28), the system intensified, with the sur- 

 face pressure dropping from 992 mb to 981 mb. During the previous day, the 

 system had drifted to the east-northeast, and the upper level and surface lows 

 were still co-located. 



Elements common to both the Halloween Storm and the Blizzard of '78 

 include (a) the presence of a strong anticyclone over the Hudson Bay region of 

 Canada, (b) an upper-level low to the west of the maritime surface low, and 

 (c) strong temperature contrast between the cyclone and anticyclone. In the 

 case of the Blizzard of '78, the temperature difference was 20 °C (-20 °C to 

 -40 °Q. 



Chapter 5 Comparison of Halloween Storm with Blizzard of 78 



27 



