Buried: How Extreme Snow Crippled the Ohio Valley in 1950

The Great Appalachian (Thanksgiving) Storm of 1950 ("Superstorm 1950") was one of the most deadly, destructive, and expensive winter storms of the twentieth century. Killing more than 350 people—a total not exceeded again by a single event for 55 years—this storm brought incredible snow and ice to the Ohio Valley, record cold to the South, and hurricane-force winds and flooding to the Northeast. All states east of the Mississippi River were affected by the storm, disrupting normal life for more than two-thirds of the U.S. population.

The surprise nature of the storm rendered governments helpless, and the general public was unable to prepare. Record setting snow of 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm) buried western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, crippling the region and halting all normal activity. The snow shut down the steel mills of Pittsburgh and the coal mines of West Virginia, temporarily idling hundreds of thousands of workers. Thousands of travelers were stranded for days at farmhouses, churches, bars, and other unusual locations when all major roads became impassible. Dozens of (mostly) men died from heart attacks, primarily from shoveling snow but also from exertion, exposure, and car accidents. Milk and egg supplies ran low when farmers could not bring their goods to market, and National Guardsmen were deployed to deliver crucial supplies to trapped families.

The storm also brought out the best in people. Babies were delivered in homes, cars, and snowdrifts by whomever was available, and complete strangers carried people with medical emergencies to the nearest hospitals. Shoveling “block parties” would clear local streets, and thousands of temporary workers would answer the call to help cities clear major arteries.

This presentation will tell the story of the effects of the storm and how society responded. It will situate these in the context of 1950 and speculate on how a similar storm today would have different effects.