Blizzard opens the Hard Winter of 1880–81 in North America

Background. A blizzard is defined as a severe snowstorm with strong sustained winds and low visibility, typically lasting at least four hours. In the United States, such storms form when cold polar air clashes with warm humid air. The winter of 1880–81 is widely considered the most severe winter known in many parts of the United States, with the initial blizzard in October 1880 setting the stage for this extreme season.

Event Scope. The event focuses on the October 1880 blizzard that marked the beginning of the Hard Winter. While the legacy row mentions De Smet, South Dakota, the supplied passages confirm the blizzard occurred in eastern South Dakota (then Dakota Territory). The scope excludes the entire winter's course, literary accounts, or later weather events, focusing strictly on the initial onset and its immediate characteristics.

Meteorological Conditions. The initial blizzard of October 1880 brought snowfalls so deep that two-story homes experienced accumulations, as opposed to drifts, up to their second-floor windows. This exceptional depth of snow at the season's start set the tone for the harsh winter that the press came to describe with the term 'blizzard'.