An April Fools’ snowstorm in 1997 dropped up to two feet of snow in parts of New England. The heavy, wet snow took down tree limbs, caused power outages and left many stranded on closed highways for hours.
April snowstorms are not that unusual in Connecticut. The April 6, 1982 blizzard was one of the most severe on record. Heavy snow, high winds, and lightning crushed the state with one to two feet of snow and gusts to 70 mph. Vivid lightning and thunder accompanied the snow along with unusually cold temperatures.
Fifteen years later it was the March 31-April 1, 1997 blizzard that crushed southern New England. 33.1" of snow well in Worcester with nearly that much in Boston. The snow was like concrete that shut down eastern Massachusetts for days. Locally, the storm wasn't that intense but was still a beast.
21" of snow fell in Putnam and Norfolk with about a foot in the Hartford area. Along the shoreline there was a few inches right at the coast but just inland as much as a foot fell in some towns. 100,000 utility customers were knocked into darkness by the weight of the snow.
