le Blizzard Interminable (The Endless Blizzard)

Snow falls everywhere
For days and nights, it endures
Death comes for us all - Poem "le Blizzard Interminable" by Lucienne Michaux

le Blizzard Interminable or The Endless Blizzard (February 12-15, 89 P.C.) was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in Caibrox’s history. The storm paralyzed the Northeast region from the Ardent Golf (le Golfe Ardent) to the Bossard Mountains (Bossard Montagnes), the town of Fréllon with a population of just under 1,800 was situated in the affected area. The blizzard caused the shutdown of all roads and people were confined to their homes.

Storm Details

The weather was unseasonably mild just before the blizzard, with heavy rains that turned to snow as temperatures dropped rapidly. The storm began in earnest shortly after sundown on February 12 and continued unabated for a full three days. Snow fell from 15 to 52 inches (38.1 to 132 in.) in parts of Caibrox, and sustained winds of more than 40 miles per hour (64.5 km/h) produced snowdrifts more than 40 feet (12 m). Drifts averaged 30–40 feet (9.1–12.2 m), well over the tops of houses and buildings.

Impacts

In Fréllon food stocks were ruined and with trade completely shut down for weeks, starvation began to set in. It took almost two weeks for the roads to be cleared of snow and in the Ardent Golf more than 50 ships were either grounded or wrecked. More than 1,000 souls died from the storm, the ensuing cold and the famine that followed.
The following spring the thawing of snow caused the farmlands of Fréllon and the surrounding areas to flood due to its topography. This resulted in the inability to plant crops for the following year. By the end of 89 P.C. less than 100 souls remained in Fréllon.

Topographical map of Fréllon.

Type

Natural