Winter Storm Hit Erie in December 1983

Storm clouds hugged Erie in its icy grip over the Christmas holiday in 1983. The storm hit on December 24, 1983, just as travelers were making their way to visit family and friends. Depending on where you lived, you likely had between ten inches and 1.5 feet of snow in your yard, not counting snow drifts of 3-4 feet in some areas. And the wind? Brrrrr! Cold enough to freeze exposed skin in less than a minute.

"Finally, it looks as though people around here will stop talking about the Thanksgiving snowstorm of 1956- chances are it will be the Christmas snowstorm of 1983 they'll be talking about for the next 30 years or so," wrote Jack Grazier in the Erie Times-News.

Well, it's 30 years later, and guess what? They're still talking about Thanksgiving of 1956 as if it were yesterday. 

The 1983 storm, on the other hand, is getting a little hazy, at least in my household. Me: "Remember when you came to pick me up but couldn't get on our street because there was too much snow?" My husband: "No."

"Don't you remember, you had to park on 21st and Ash and walk to my place?" Still nothing.

Oh well. Enjoy more fun facts about Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie