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1969’s Lindsay Snowstorm

| February 9, 2013 @ 9:30 am

Headlines this morning in the Weather Department are all about the snowstorm in the Northeast.

Forty four years ago today, another major winter storm pounded the Northeast with heavy snow and gale force winds.

Mini skirts were the rage in 1969, but not good attire for a snowstorm.

Mini skirts were the rage in 1969, but not good attire for a snowstorm.

Bedford MA recorded 25 inches of snow. A total of 15.3 inches officially fell in New York City. Portland ME recorded 22 inches. Drifts would pile up to 20 feet!

The storm is nicknamed the “Lindsay Storm” because of the political fallout that resulted for New York Mayor John Lindsay when portions of the city were still not plowed a week after the storm.

Eight hundred cars were stranded on New York’s Tappan-Zee Bridge. Over 6,000 travelers were stranded on snowbound jets at Kennedy airport. Damages totaled over $10 million.

The intensity of the storm was not forecast correctly. Weather forecasters had called for light snow changing to rain. The forecasters had been tracking a low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley, but a secondary low formed off the East Coast and caused the heavy snowfall.

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Category: Met 101/Weather History

About the Author ()

Bill Murray is the President of The Weather Factory. He is the site's official weather historian and a weekend forecaster. He also anchors the site's severe weather coverage. Bill Murray is the proud holder of National Weather Association Digital Seal #0001 @wxhistorian

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