January 1966 North American blizzard
natural disaster in Canada and the US
The Blizzard of 1966 was a nor'easter that impacted the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada from January 29 to February 1, 1966. Heavy lake effect snows preceded the cyclonic storm southeast of Lake Ontario. In and around the Lake Ontario snow belt, the storm period is considered to have lasted from January 27 to February 1, 1966, and the blizzard was a combination nor'easter and lake effect event in this region.
Preceding weather
On January 22–23, 1966, a cyclone that preceded the Blizzard of 1966 impacted Western New York and Southern Ontario. Toronto received 44 centimetres (17 in) of snow. The city of Batavia, New York, and Genesee County had 2 feet (0.61 m) of snow fall on that Saturday night alone. The only thing that prevented that snowstorm from becoming a true blizzard like this infamous one of the very next weekend was the lack of high winds.
Prior to the event, temperatures plunged to record low levels in central and northern New York as Arctic air dominated in the wake of an earlier cyclone. Syracuse, New York, tied its official record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) on January 26.
The blizzard
Within days, at least 142 people would be killed.
The public source identifies “January 1966 North American blizzard” as natural disaster in Canada and the US. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around January, North and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “January 1966 North American blizzard”, the useful work is to connect “natural disaster in Canada and the US” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7053906. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1966.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “January 1966 North American blizzard”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow January 1966 North American blizzard primary sources, January 1966 North American blizzard archive and January research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “January 1966 North American blizzard”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “January 1966 North American blizzard” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.