I remember it well. I was a junior at Oak Hills High School and thrilled that we missed several days of school because of it. If you weren't living in the Tri-State at the time or need a refresher course, here are some frozen factoids...
Blizzard Warnings were issued on January 26th, 1978. It was the worst blizzard in the history of the Tri-State with wind gusts up to 50mph and wind chills at 52 below zero. There were 10 inches of snow on the ground and reports of 7 foot snow drifts in Boone County...15 ft drifts in Clermont and Adams counties. The mayor of Cincinnati was Jerry Springer and he urged all businesses to remain closed until the roads improved. Roads were like skating rinks covered with a combination of snow and ice. Snow plows were being damaged by all the ice on the roads and maintenance crews were scrambling to find replacement parts. It was too cold for any of the road salt to work and the strong winds blew the sand that road crews put down away from the streets. Police cruisers had to put chains on their tires to get around town. Metro buses had a tough time trying to maneuver past all the stranded cars on the roads. The airport closed, stranding about 200 people who had to sleep on cots in the terminal. Not only was the bitter cold and snow and ice a problem but the Ohio River rose to 2 feet above flood stage.
We were staying indoors listening to these songs on the radio...the top 5 from the week of the Blizzard of '78...
5) Slip Slidin' Away Paul Simon (we were certainly doing that)
4) You're In My Heart Rod Stewart
3) Stayin' Alive BeeGees ( the Gibb Brothers knew what we were going through)
2) Short People Randy Newman
1) Baby Come Back Player
Shows we were watching that week on TV were Wonder Woman, Chico and the Man, Quincy, Rockford Files, Donny & Marie Show, Rhoda, All in the Family, Alice, 6 Million Dollar Man and the Carol Burnett Show.
It makes you appreciate this mild winter, doesn't it. I'm celebrating with a Blizzard from my nearby Dairy Queen.