9 inches of snow hit St. Louis 45 years ago today, capping the worst winter we'd ever seen.
With another 9 inches of snow on March 8, 1978, many St. Louisans were wondering if a grumpy Old Man winter was saving his worst for last in perhaps the worst winter St. Louis had ever seen.
For persons who were statistics conscious, the new snowfall brought to 64.4 inches the total for the year, just short of the record for one season of 67.6 inches, in the 1911-12 winter.
The new fall continued the year's record number of consecutive days with snow on the ground, with March 8 being the 59th. The snow would stay on the ground for 19 more days.
The March 8 storm was the ninth major snowstorm of the winter, according to Weather Service records. The winter began with 6.3 inches on Nov. 26-27, followed by 6.6 inches on Dec. 5, 3.9 inches on Dec. 8, 12.5 inches on Jan. 16-17, 7.5 inches on Jan. 25, 3.4 inches on Feb. 12, 13 and 14 (including more than an inch of sleet), 3.4 inches on Feb. 27-28, and 4.5 inches on March 2.
Note: Corrects that snowfall was 45 years ago.
Snow-pelted riders wait for a bus on March 8, 1978. J.B. Forbes photo
Snow is piled high along California Avenue near Russell in January of 1978. Bill Kesler photo
A plow line hits the St. Louis streets during January of 1978. Ted Dargan photo
A worker at Lambert Field tries to clear runways during January of 1978. Scott Dine photo.
A car equipped with a snow blade clears 10th street downtown in January of 1978. Ted Dargan photo
Glenda Pool digs out of her driveway with more than three feet of snow on it in January of 1978. J.B. Forbes photo
Snow-capped wooden stakes appeared as another form of nature at the Botanical Garden in 1978. Lynn T. Spence photo
An accumulation of ice and snow is removed from Highway 40 in 1978. Lynn T. Spence photo
Snow caused this 7-car pileup in Feb. 1978 on Highway 44 near Elm in Webster Groves. Bill Kesler photo
Barbra Kerls of Spanish Lake takes a stroll with her children during January of 1978.
Rick Hourigan, 15, of Chesterfield, romps in the snow at Queeny Park in January of 1978. Bill Kesler photo.
Nowadays it would be treated as snowmageddon. But the heaviest snowstorm St. Louis has ever recorded did not even make front-page news on March 31, 1890.