Groundhog Day gale of 1976
Overview
 
The Groundhog Day gale was a severe winter storm which hit the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada on February 2 (Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end...

), 1976.
An upper cyclone was stationary on January 28 across the Desert Southwest of the United States. A system in the northern branch of the Westerlies known as a Saskatchewan Screamer, similar to an Alberta clipper
Alberta clipper
An Alberta clipper is a fast moving low pressure area which generally affects the central provinces of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Most clippers occur between December and February, but can also occur occasionally in the month of November...

 but originating as a frontal wave in the next Canadian province to the east, moved east-southeast across Canada beginning on January 30, luring the system in the United States eastward.
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