Blizzards hit the Great Plains from two winters starting in November 1886. By January 1887, the blizzard had buried the plains, inflicting huge losses on the cattle industry. On January 12, 1888, what came to be known as the Schoolhouse Blizzard or the Schoolchildren`s Blizzard struck. It arrived without warning and caught many children between their homes and schoolhouses, with many deaths.
The winter of 1888 wasn`t finished, however. In March 11, a huge blizzard struck the northeastern states, paralyzing New York City for days and leading to subsequent changes that included the development of the subway system and burying of cables to protect them from the elements.