GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — West Michigan has long seen destructive weather, but there are three events over the past 50 years that stand out: the blizzard of 1978, the Kalamazoo tornado of 1980 and the derecho of 1998.
Storm Team 8 is revisiting those three events through the memories of those who covered them.
BLIZZARD OF 1978
There’s a snowstorm that’s reputation lies above the rest: the blizzard of 1978.
Heavy snow began to fall in West Michigan on Jan. 26. Over the next 48 hours, nearly 2 feet of snow would fall, with most of the area receiving well over a foot. In Grand Rapids, there were reports between 16 and 20 inches.
The blizzard of 1978: Commemorating the historic storm
“I remember the forecasts and talking about it and also being snowed in for four days at my house,” former WOOD TV8 weather anchor Andy Rent recalled the storm’s lead-up. “I lived way on the West Side, and nobody predicted that it would be, what, 19, 20 inches of snow and how long it would last. Because typically a storm would be 12 to 24 hours, maybe, and this was a 48-hour event. And it just kept snowing and it kept piling up.”