Blizzard of ’78
Named one of the worst winter storms in Connecticut history, the famous Blizzard of 1978 left many areas in a state of emergency, yet students at UConn seemed far from worried. Students dove into two feet of snow, had epic snowball battles, spent hours sledding down Horsebarn Hill, and were reported to have done a good amount of “skin diving,” a reportedly common Nor’easter sport that entailed jumping off ledges or from windows into piles of snow while wearing little or no clothing. (Do not try this at home.)
Throughout the Blizzard of ’78, University health services treated 20 students due to snow-related injuries, including a window jumper who broke his foot leaping from his dorm room into a not-so-fluffy pile of snow. — camila vallejo ’19 (CLAS)
I was a Freshman during the Blizzard of 1978, but I had a car on campus. Unfortunately, I was very ill that week with the flu, running a fever of 102+. Lucky for me I had wonderful dorm-mates. Several were nursing students who cared for me, while others dug out my car and drove me to the infirmary, where I spent the next several days.