Thank you for indulging my nightly dose of weather history…scroll down for more pertinent information about tonight’s icing threat…
– Bill
In January 1967, the City of Chicago had been basking in unusually balmy winter weather. Residents marveled at the string of beautiful sunny days, with temperatures even rising into the 60s. On the 24th, a record high of 67 degrees was recorded. But the next day, a cold front sent the mercury plummeting and snow was forecast for the 26th. Initial predictions called for one to two inches of the white stuff.
The snow started falling at 5:02 a.m. on January 26th. As people headed to work, the forecast was changed to up to four inches. The snow continued to fall throughout the day, and weather forecasters couldn’t keep up with it. Forecasts had to be constantly revised upwards until reports called for up to fifteen inches. Snow was falling at the rate of one inch per hour. Twenty-nine hours after it started, the unprepared city of Chicago was buried under twenty-three inches of snow. It still stands as Chicago’s greatest snowstorm.
Winds gusted to fifty mph, creating whiteout conditions and drifts up to twelve feet high. Thousands of cars and buses were abandoned by their drivers all over the city, making the job of plowing the streets nearly impossible. Commuters were stranded for days in downtown hotels. Officials reportedly shipped railroad cars of snow south to Florida for children who had never seen snow.
Looting erupted in the snowbound city. Damage totaled $150 million. Mayor Richard Dailey was facing an election in just a couple of weeks, and even though political infighting erupted over snow removal priorities, the storm was not an issue in the election and Daily was re-elected.
