Back in 1888, weather made headlines and history:

http://i.factmonster.com/images/blizzard.gif

"On March 11th, 1888, all along the East Coast, light snow began to fall at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. At first, the flurries were dismissed as just another light snow fall, but after time, when the levels of snow did not decrease, people became increasingly worried about their personal safety. After a grueling 96 hours without electricity and with snow drifts as tall as 50 feet, the worst blizzard in U.S. history finally came to an end, and marked a turning point in city-wide transportation."

"As the blizzard continued, the infrastructure vital to many east coast cities began to crumble. Many fires broke out, with firefighters and firetrucks unable to respond to emergencies. Power and telegraph lines were also downed, and communication between major cities was cut off, essentially isolating cities. With power lines ineffective, people were left without electricity, unable to get coal or wood for 36 hours, desperate citizens even resorted to burning their own furniture."

Link to more info about the Blizzard of 1888 and at this Media History blog.

For our current local weather, hear it before the weather channels tell it - at: http://theedgeweather.blogspot.com/.