Friday February 4, 1972 Winter Weather

Winter weather in our area can begin in November and run until April. In February 1972 Dewitt records both electrical power outages and later in the month a multi-day storm that shut down much of the area. 

Dewitt’s Diary:

Friday, February 4, 1972

Two to three inches of new snow and blowing a gale this morning.

Our electric power went off at 3:40 this morning and never came on until 12:50 today.

The visibility was bad all day by blowing snow.

Wind from southwest makes it hard to keep house warm.

The wildest day of the winter.

Blowing and colder tonight. Snow plows running. About the first this winter, I guess.

Front of Dewitt's Bassett Road home
Dewitt's photograph album
 Interlaken Historical Society Collection

Saturday February 19, 1972

Temperature 30. The first big snow of the winter. Strong wind from the Northeast and very heavy snow, much blowing. Everything at a standstill tonight. Nothing on this road only snowmobiles since 11 o’clock this morning. I would say one foot of snow.

This is a very big storm all over the northeast.

Very poor visibility because of snowing and blowing. Not snowing so much tonight.

Sunday, February 20, 1972

Temperature 7. Very high winds and no visibility, and we are buried with snowbanks. Had a hard time getting to the barn. Three to four feet in barn yard all over. 18” of snow reported in Western NY. No snow plows running.

We had much new snow last night, but it does not appear to be snowing this morning. Only blowing snow.

Sun out just a very little. Temperature 10 at 2:30 this afternoon and gale winds.

Near zero tonight, wind down some. Roads in bad shape in the county.

Shoveled off some of the house where the snow melted and leaked a little. Snow not blowing so bad this evening.

Monday, February 21, 1972

Temperature 2. Warming up. We shoveled off the house over the front porch. Also over the dining room and south porch where it was three feet deep in places.

Windbreak and farm yard.
Note the top of a wagon wheel above the snow
Dewitt's photograph album
 Interlaken Historical Society Collection

There are some very big snow banks around the back of the barn.

Temperature in the 30s this afternoon.

Tuesday, February 22, 1972

Temperature 10. Cloudy and some snowflakes falling. Blowing all day.

We had Herb White dig out my driveway with tractor and scoop. Herb White lives 1 ½ mile south of here.

On a personal note, I recall the February 1972 storm as I was at college and had gone with a group of friends to attend a wedding. We ended up snowed in for the whole weekend and didn’t get back to college until Monday evening.

Share your memories of this storm or others in the comments.