The Schoolhouse Blizzard-By Hannah

The common conditions of a blizzard are strong winds and intense snowfall for a period of days. The three things needed for a snow storm to form are cold surface air, lots of moisture, and lift. Warm air must also rise over cold air. Before the Schoolhouse Blizzard hit the weather was fairly nice, however temperatures plunged as much as 18 degrees in minutes. An Arctic cold front collided with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. With tornado like winds of 73 miles per hour, this fierce storm roared for days.

There are several tools or weather instruments used to predict blizzards. However, back in the 1880's they had to rely on signs from animals or other changes in the air. In the 1880's weather reports were sent out in the newspaper and that's why some people living in rural areas had little warning of sudden storms approaching. Today, though, blizzards can be predicted using simple tools such as thermometers and barometers to more advanced tools like satellite and radars.

Some safety precautions to take during a blizzard are to find shelter from the harsh winds, cover all exposed skin, and try to stay dry. During the Schoolhouse Blizzard some precautions taken were by teachers who made their students stay at school for 2 days. Other precautions were made by people who went searching for others who were lost. One way they tried to stay safe was by tying a rope that connected themselves to their shelter as they ventured out.

Some of the damages that the Schoolhouse Blizzard caused were buildings that roofs crashed in due to the heavy weight of the snow. The worst damage this storm caused was the amount of lives lost. About 235 people, who were mostly children, lost their lives because of this dreadful blizzard.

An interesting fact about the Schoolhouse blizzard is that it traveled through Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Montana, and both of the Dakotas. There are many different stories of brave people traveling through the storm and either getting lost on the way or reaching their destination. However, one of the most famous stories is about a 19 named Minnie Freeman, who taught in a sod Nebraska schoolhouse in Ord. Her story is about how she successfully led her 13 students through the storm to a farm a mile away from the schoolhouse after the school's roof crashed in.