The blizzard of '88

the long version

"On March 12, 1888, one of the worst blizzards in the nation's history struck the East Coast from Washington to Maine and wreaked havoc on both land and sea. Particularly hard hit by the three-day storm was New York City, which more than any other urban center of the time relied on modern technology, and Cable concentrates on that city. Although the actual snowfall was less than two feet, furious winds drove it into drifts as high as 20 or 30 feet; ice was a further problem, paralyzing the extensive elevated railway system and, together with the wind, bringing down electric and phone wires."--Publisher's Weekly.