Snowiest Day In RI History: Blizzard Of '78 Can't Be Beat

Rhode Islanders are famous for their love of talking about snow. Everyone's parents or grandparents have a story about climbing roof-high drifts or leaving their car abandoned on the road for days on end during the Blizzard of '78, the snowiest day in the state's history. Each time the forecast calls for so much as a flake, the "french toast brigade" turns out in full force, as the joke goes, clearing supermarket shelves of milk, bread and eggs.

On Feb. 2, 1978, 30 inches of snow fell in Providence county. While that's certainly an impressive amount of accumulation, that's not even half of the 76 inches of snow recorded in Boulder County, Colorado, on April 15, 1921.

According to historical weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, every state, including Hawaii, has seen snow. In February 1936, Maui saw 6.5 inches of snowfall. The only other time the tropical state has seen significant snowfall was December 1958, when 4.5 inches of snow on the Big Island changed the meaning of a"green and bright" Christmas season.

The Blizzard of '78 smashed single-day snowfall records in three of Rhode Island's five counties.

• Bristol County: 20 inches; Jan. 27, 1894
• Kent County: 20 inches; March 11, 1924
• Newport County: 20 inches; Feb. 7, 1978
• Providence County: 30 inches; Feb. 7, 1978
• Washington County: 21.3 inches; Feb. 7, 1978

With two months of winter left, there are plenty of chances to break those records. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted a cold, snowy winter throughout much of the United States, with at least seven big snowstorms from one coast to the other.

In our state, the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted a "wet and wild" winter throughout all of the northeast.

The competing Farmers’ Almanac predicts that the eastern two-thirds of the United States can expect a snowy ride through the rest of the winter.

At this point in the month, it's unlikely that Rhode Island will see '78-blizzard accumulations in January. Here's what to expect in the state in the next week, from the National Weather Service.

Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 37. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 21. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 45. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph.

Saturday
Rain, mainly after 9 a.m. High near 43. East wind 8 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Saturday Night
Rain, mainly before 2 a.m. Low around 35. East wind 11 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Sunday
A chance of rain before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. South wind around 11 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Sunday Night
A chance of rain before 8 p.m., then a chance of snow between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 39. North wind 9 to 11 mph.

Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. North wind around 8 mph.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. North wind around 7 mph.