A freight starting at noon, reached Black Hawk with difficulty, and a short distance below became stalled and was abandoned. Shops, government offices, courts, Wall Street businesses, and even the Brooklyn Bridge closed, and saloons, hotels, and prisons were overflowing with people who were seeking shelter. The high wind, the light snow and the somewhat severe cold made up a day altogether unpleasant. Thousands of men were sent to free trains blocked for days. It dumped more than four feet of snow in Albany and Saratoga Springs, New York, and Bennington, Vermont, according to snowfall statistics compiled in Caplovichs book. 1 Ten deadliest natural disasters by highest estimated death toll excluding epidemics and famines. The Ten Deadliest Blizzards In History - WorldAtlas The gruesome storm otherwise known as "The Murderous Blizzard" wiped out numerous places throughout the Midwest. The highest drift was recorded in Gravesend, Brooklyn at 52 feet or 16 metres. The Great Blizzard of 1888 killed over 400 people, making it the worst winter storm in U.S. history (death-toll wise). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The office was located in the Sweeney Building on the southwest corner of Main and Seventh Streets. Children were attending school when the blizzard started to make its way toward the prairie. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Lead City -10 The storm paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine, [1] [2] as well as the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Not that the movement of the trains is accompanied by any degree of pleasure, or even comfort. This blizzard took place in the prairies located at the Dakota and Nebraska frontier and was known as the "Great Blizzard." . The U.S. Army Signal Corps office had recently moved to Rapid City from Deadwood, with observations starting January 1, 1888. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: January 12.