In this episode, Mike rewinds the clock to January 1978 and relives one of the most legendary winter storms in Michigan history — not as an adult, but as the 12-year-old kid he was at the time. Join Mike as he shares what it was like watching the storm unfold on TV and Radio as the local weather team track the impossible, and experiencing the chaos, excitement, and wonder of a once-in-a-generation blizzard.
From the snow drifts taller than a kid to the surreal quiet of a world that completely shut down, this episode captures the Blizzard of ’78 as only someone who lived it — wide-eyed and bundled up — can tell it.
Mike sets the scene by sharing that he had just celebrated his birthday when the blizzard began, remembering how he had a pizza party at home after his father picked up Sicilian square pizza from a local place called Little Richard’s. He recalls the excitement in the air as TV news talked about the potential for a blizzard.
On the morning of January 26, schools were closed as drifts of snow created significant chaos. Mike describes how everything was completely buried under the snow, with even the antenna of his mother’s car barely visible. The storm had high winds, creating massive drifts and making travel impossible. He recounts the challenges of feeding horses at a nearby barn and how his family navigated the snow-laden landscape.
He humorously shares anecdotes about the struggles of shoveling snow with his cousin and their father using a 1970 John Deere lawn tractor equipped with a snowblower. After several days, the roads began to open again, and stories about neighbors and their interactions during the storm emerge, including a humorous tale about a front-end loader being used to deliver cigarettes to a stranded neighbor.
As the storm’s impact persisted, schools were closed for an entire week, and the community adapted to the extraordinary amount of snow with creative solutions like snowshoeing for transportation. Mike also describes his memories of hot soups simmering on the wood stove during the storm, a comforting detail from those winter days.
He revisits the enormous snowbanks that formed by the season’s end, making comparisons to today’s weather reactions and reminiscing about the blizzard’s lasting impact. Mike wraps up by inviting listeners who experienced the Blizzard of ’78 to share their stories and reflecting on how this blizzard remains a notable part of his childhood memory.
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