IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — “But the snow just kept coming,” said Brian Smith, recalling the Blizzard of 1966. Thanks to his father’s film camera, we can witness the epic storm that hit on January 30, 1966.
The storm dumped 27 inches of snow in just two days, with constant winds at 35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. Brian Smith, who lived through the blizzard as a child, shared his memories and the footage on YouTube. “As a child it was a blast for us kids,” Smith said.
Click here to watch the video of the Blizzard of ’66
The film captures scenes on Airinton Drive and Pine Oak Lane in Irondequoit of children playing in the snow, cars buried under drifts, and people tying ribbons to antennas to locate their vehicles. “It was a nightmare for mom and dad,” Smith said. “But for us kids it was nothing but fun.”
Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean showed the video to Erin Magee, head of public works in Irondequoit. “Wow,” Magee said, reacting to the footage of plows struggling against the snow banks. “Operations and information changes a lot so usually we wouldn’t let it build up anymore.”
Data shows winters in Rochester average out to be similar over the last six decades. But News10NBC meteorologist Rich Caniglia says the Blizzard of ’66 was so big and impactful, it’s often the reason why people think winters used to be worse.
“I remember as a child it snowed all winter. We didn’t see the grass until springtime it seems like,” Brian Smith said. “But now it seems like it’s melted enough where the grass starts to appear again in spots.”
The Blizzard of 1966 remains a record in Rochester with 27 inches of snow in two days. The 18 inches of snow on January 30, 1966 is tied for 6th most in the last 100 years.
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