Exemplification Essay: The Children's Blizzard Of 1888

When you think of a blizzard, you usually don’t think of tragic 40 below zero temperatures. You don’t always imagine extremely high winds blowing the snow every which way, making it very difficult to see what’s in front of you. You certainly don’t think of a blizzard to kill 235 people, including 213 children just trying to make it home from school. The Children’s Blizzard of 1888 included many details common to blizzards, had incredible devastation due to the welcoming conditions beforehand, and involved some very surprising circumstances. Blizzards are an extended, severe snowstorms, in which winds must reach a minimal of 35 miles per hour for at least three or more hours. There ae two different kinds of blizzards; Severe Blizzards, and Ground Blizzards. Severe Blizzards occur when winds are at least 45 miles per hour, the temperatures are at 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and there is near zero visibility. Ground Blizzards take place when there is no actual falling snow, but the snow on the ground is blown into the air by strong winds. One unknown fact about blizzards is that they are much less common than snow storms, tornados and even hurricanes. Blizzards make it next to impossible to travel and

Most children were being sent on their way home and most adults were working in their farms. The storm hit mostly rural areas in Nebraska, South Dakota, northern Kansas, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Winds were extremely high and temperatures fell to 40 below zero, the temperature dropped almost 100 degrees in 24 hours according to some accounts. The heavy snows created zero visibility. The blizzard was so severe it left trains unable to run for hours. The next day, parents could be spotted in five feet snowdrifts searching for children that had gotten caught in the terrible storm. Leaving 235 people dead, this blizzard is one of the worst to hit our