The heaviest March blizzard since 1888 hit the Boston area last night with an estimated snowfall of 10 to 12 inches.

The only damage suffered by the University was the breaking of a quarter-inch thick plate of glass in the front door of the Widener Library. The full-size pane broke at about 9:15 p.m., as the wind blew the swinging door shut after a reader entered the building. No one was injured.

"The storm only sprung a couple of doors, but caused no major damage," according to the night watchman for the Department of Buildings and Grounds.

Lieutenant J. Harry McCaffrey of the Cambridge Police called the blizzard "the worst we can remember." Fifteen tow-trucks which had been continuously at work since 6 p.m. could not cope with all the cars that broke down on streets,

The lieutenant reported there had been no "serious accidents" in the city. An official of the Metropolitan District Police concurred that accidents had been successfully prevented.

The Metropolitan Police sent out all available snowfighting equipment to clear the slippery roads. "Snow on the roads varies treacherously," it was explained, "because of the heavy winds."

All means of transportation were hampered by the storm. Flights at Logan Airport were cancelled at 2 p.m., and the field is not scheduled to reopen before 7 a.m. this morning.

Cambridge taxi service had all but disappeared by late evening. The cabs of the Cambridge and University Cab Companies were not running by 5 p.m. Cambridge Tech taxis remained in circulation during the afternoon, but could not be contacted through the central office.

All M.T.A. surface transportation had been stalled by mid-afternoon. Subway cars from Boston were delayed up to an hour by the snow that had piled up on the bridges.

The staff at the Blue Hill Observatory concluded that there have been only three blizzards of similar ferocity since the storm of 1888.