Lawrence and frankin counties during the ice storm in upstate new york. Northern new york battles ice damage the new york times. From 4 through 10 january 1998 a severe ice storm impacted northern new york and new england. Ice storm in northern new york knocks out power for more than 17,000 national grid customers updated jan 04, 2019. Images tell the story of the january 1998 ice storm that encased the state and whose effects were felt for months and even years. Tom bowman, jefferson countys director of emergency management, talked to the poststandard the day after. The january, 1998 ice storm took people by surprise, an unremarkable weather front that turned lethal when it stalled over the border country of northern new york and southeastern canada, dropping. In other parts of the country, the storm caused floods across the south and spread thick, clinging ice across the northeast and the eastern third of canada. Ice storm in northern new york knocks out power for more. Forestland covers 40 million acres of this region, and 17 million acres of those forests were damaged by the storm. On janaury 8, 1998 40 wmsa radio was the only station on the air in st.
The storm dumped more than 30 inches of snow in parts of upstate new york. Another ice storm 1998 video, this time from my dads point of view. Liquidequivalent precipitation totals, which fell exclusively as freezing rain, reached as high as 11 cm at some observing sites in northwestern new york. January 20 marks the 15th anniversary of the devastating ice storm that struck our region in 1998. The ice storm affected a large part of eastern ontario, southwest quebec, and new york state. The north american ice storm of 1998 also known as great ice storm of 1998 was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms in january 1998 that struck a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern ontario to southern quebec, new brunswick and nova scotia in canada, and bordering areas from northern new york to central maine in the. The worst ice storm in decades paralyzed wide sections of western and northern new york state yesterday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and shutting down businesses, schools, government offices and transportation over wide areas. Chazy the morning the 1998 ice storm hit hardest, alex and said. N january of 1998, a series of ice storms blanketed northern new england and new york with up to three inches of ice. A huge ice storm in early january 1998 caused severe damage in northern new york and parts of maine and canada. Residents of watertown, ny, who are used to heavy snows and frigid temperatures, are. Pennsylvania closed all of six major interstate highways. Many of the lessons learned from the 1998 ice storm were technical in nature. The worst 25 snowstorms in the northeast in the past 60.
New years eve 1978 was the worst ice storm in north texas in three decades. But it could be argued that nothing will ever compare to the ice storm which struck the north country in january 1998. The turmoil caused by that natural disaster is still felt in many local communities today. Remembering the 1998 ice storm in upstate new york and. An ice storm paralyzes western and northern new york. Amish farms in northern new york state that refused to be. Gov george e pataki mobilizes national guard troops and state rescue workers in one of states largest emergency responses ever to ice storm that. A serious ice storm in northern pennsylvania, northern new jersey and southeastern new york caused widespread power outages and accidents. Climatic perspective and impacts of the 1998 northern new. Heavy rains and winds up to 90 mph caused damage and flooding.