April Fools' Day blizzard

The April Fools' Day blizzard was a major winter storm in the Northeastern United States on March 31 and April 1, 1997. The storm dumped rain, sleet, and snow from Maryland to Maine leaving hundreds of thousands without power and as much as three feet of snow on the ground. Due to the date many people disregarded the storm warnings, believing them to be a hoax.However, this ended up being one of if not the greatest spring snowstorm ever to affect the northeastern United States, especially the Boston metropolitan area.

The 25.4 inches that fell at Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS) was the biggest April snowstorm in the city's history and made April 1997 the Boston's snowiest April on record (the previous record being a mere 13.3 inches). In the Allston/Brighton area totals of 30.1 inches were recorded. It also set a record for Boston's greatest April 24-hour snowfall. At the peak of the storm from about 11 pm March 31 to 3 am April 1 snow was falling at an almost unheard-of rate of three inches per hour. Numerous lightning strikes and thunderclaps accompanied the extremely heavy snow, which accumulated one foot in just that four hour period. This was too fast for road crews to keep up with, and roads became impassable. In fact, some of the narrow side streets of Boston were simply buried. No one had any hope of going anywhere, until road crews could remove the trememdous amount of snow, which took several days in many cases.

In addition to unpassable streets and avenues for cars and trucks; Boston's rapid transit system (MBTA,)also known as the "T", could not run on its above ground rails. Many trains, especially on the Green line failed at traffic lights and uphill grades. Major crosstown arteries such as Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon and Huntington streets were blocked.

Not only was the snow falling at an incredibly fast rate, but the snow was very heavy and wet, which caused tree limbs and even whole trees to come down. Some fell on power lines, and many lost power. Many ski areas also benefited from the snowfall. Hunter Mountain received 37 inches of snow.