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* My brother Darian was born just before the Great Blizzard of 1967. He was born premature, so he had to stay in the hospital and the storm hit about the time he was supposed to come home. I don’t remember much about that blizzard except that we were all bummed out that our new brother was still at the hospital.
That storm was a biggie. Huge. 77 Midwesterners died during that one. Here’s a great video documenting its Chicago impact…
The blizzard of 1979 is infamous for bringing down Mayor Bilandic. Here is a wonderful short film about “dibs” back then….
* OK, enough of this cold, snowy stuff. How about something to warm you up? Remember this video from the State Fair?…
Ah. I feel better already.
* Click here for all snow-related news updates. But make extra sure to read this one. Heh. Cub Park just can’t take it.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 4:36 am
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Mmm… funnel cake. That would go good with my coffee.
Comment by drew Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 5:29 am
I was pretty young in ‘67 and don’t recall that much of it. Definitely remember ‘79 and this one tops it. I think the difference was the high winds. At least the weathermen (and women) called this one correctly!
Comment by stones Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 5:39 am
The folks who were around downtown in ‘67 said there was virtually no warning that it was coming. The forecasting and communications have come a long way.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 7:13 am
‘67 was a with no warning storm. which is why one wonders what the blug happened on LSD last night? bus accident plus 2 more accidents plus three more could spell a thousand cars stuck and 185 people taken to St. Joe’s for a check up.
but I’ll bet Richard M. Daley is thanking the No vote on the Olympics that probably told him not to run right about now. cause the newsies are right….his name on the ballot would be mud now.
three foot drifts at my back door.
Comment by amalia Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 7:52 am
Downtown a bit a ghost town right now.
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 7:55 am
Not going anywhere in the Patch today either. The snow seems to have stopped but there’s still a lot of digging out to do. Very few accidents/strandings reported also. And, kudos to CWLP for keeping the juice flowing too!
Comment by Secret Square Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:12 am
First round of shoveling. Up north here, the snow is very dry and powdery at least, not the heavy wet stuff that makes for great snowballs and Big Grippers.
It let up for a while, but now is coming down again pretty hard, with strong winds (but not like last night).
Stay home, if you can. Cheers to the folks who’ve been working all night and have a long day ahead of them still.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:52 am
Kane County, West of St. Charles, IL at 08:00 AM
Roads are paths (where even remotely plowed), no cars on road, very few trucks & big SUV’s. Secondary roads - forget it.
Wind still in 20+/- MPH range, looks to measure out around 14-15″ of snow, 2′- 3′, and larger snow drifts are all around. Not much moving.
Going West of Randall is probably tough, but going West of Route 47 is probably a really, really bad idea right now.
Ah, didn’t plan on getting into work today anyway.
Comment by Judgment Day Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:56 am
Rich, if you’re posting State Fair vids, this one is my personal favorite.
http://www.youtube.com/capitolfax#p/u/80/W4YWw3Sgy0A
Comment by winner Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:56 am
Blaming the mayor for what happened last night on LSD– at least at this point —seems a little harsh.
But with all the publicity I must admit that I can’t get that great catchy old song “Lake Shore Drive” out of my head this morning.
Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 9:03 am
–But with all the publicity I must admit that I can’t get that great catchy old song “Lake Shore Drive” out of my head this morning.–
Yeesh, a quick hammer blow to the cranium will cure that affliction and be much less painful.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 9:05 am
Thanks for the State Fair videos, for some strange reason it did make me feel a little warmer this morning.
Comment by It's Just Me Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:03 am
I’m trapped in my hotel in Milwaukee. The hotel was kind enough to shovel its sidewalk. Of course, where the hotel building ends, the cleared path ends. I walked up to the end of the cleared path, and it was well over a foot high. The drift/pile between the sidewalk and road is over 3 feet.
The main road in front of the hotel is clear, so I could brave walking in the street. The hotel connects to a mall/skyway thingie that connects up several downtown buildings by day. It’s locked up tight, so no easy access to Wisconsin Street.
The hotel only has breakfast service. Not sure what to do for lunch at this point. I guess I can start trudging when the time arrives. Hopefully the pedway/mall will open and I can just cut through there.
Comment by jerry 101 Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:07 am
“A panel of the Wrigley Field roof above the press box was damaged by extreme winds…” what, the winds of the Ricketts
family spin on the team?
Comment by amalia Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:30 am
Nitpicking LSD?? I mean seriously folks:
“State police said all other Chicago area expressways were “impassable” and that ramps had three- to four-foot-high drifts.”
Most of the scanner traffic last night were first responders looking for trapped vehicles, getting stuck and waiting for the plows to show up.
Comment by HappyToaster Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:52 am
Updated information:
Looks like IL Route 64 west of Randall Road is “recommended” as being “not passable”. Both IL 64 and IL 38 West of IL Route 47 are certainly not passable (unless you are on a snowmobile).
The announced snowfall for St. Charles is right around 20″+/-, and that’s probably realistic. Nothing much is moving.
Comment by Judgment Day Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 11:03 am
FYI, People’s Gas just said on the news to dig out your meter/regulator if it’s snow-packed because it could freeze the works. Never heard that before, and had to go out with the shovel again.
It’s stopped snowing and is sunny in the western burbs.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 11:15 am
Beer, a hill, someone else’s golf cart, and the state fair = it could be contest time.
Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 12:04 pm
I have not seen Mayor Daley yet. Very odd. I know he is lame duck and all that, but he is nowhere to be found.
Comment by Jake l Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 12:22 pm
Rich:
Thanks for the link to “Chairs”. A great period piece. It was created by John Mabey and Nick Despota, videographers in the city’s Artist-in-Residence Program at the time. I still have a carved wooden chair I bought from John when he moved out of town a couple of years later.
Comment by Way Way Down Here Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 12:59 pm
I was seven during the 67 blizzard in Chicago. I remember nothing but fun good times, then again, I wasn’t busting my hump shoveling it. The chairs to mark your parking “dibs” was a very serious thing, and remains so to this day, legal or not. But mostly I remember the snow tunnel/trench from the back of the two-flat to the alley, it looked like the Hoth Rebel snow base in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back. We made snow caves in the back yard, dozens of snowmen, and we have pictures in the family album of mom towing us kids around on a toboggan in the streets.
The 79 storm wasn’t as bad, and we’d moved to the suburbs by then. I do remember watching Bilandic in a coat and ridiculous european styled fur hat, sweltering uner the hoy studio lights while figuratively also getting grilled mercilessly in the newsroom by a semi-hysterical Walter Jacobsen. From that day onward, every day people were saying “Bilandic is toast, he let us down, not gonna vote fer DAT guy again…”
Yesterday’s storm doesn’t look so bad in Springpatch. I can dig out my driveway okay, but the street had never been plowed since the *previous* deep snowfall hit town. No way to get the car out to the main streets until the plows come.
Comment by Gregor Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 1:38 pm
I was a tot playing in the snow with a pail in the aftermath of 67, and I remember the 78/79 snows. I don’t remember chest-high snow like I’m seeing now, in my walkway. My back yard was a snow trap, and the snow is the deepest I’ve ever seen–much deeper than the streets. It was kind of cool to jump in the chest-high stuff and start trying to clear it out. Luckily it’s the drier, fluffy variety, so it’s easy to move.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 2:50 pm
I’m wondering if someone like Pat Robertson will say something stupid like the disaster is God’s wrath for Quinn enacting civil unions.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 2:58 pm
I live out in the middle of farm country. The wind cleared my drive to the gravel, the wind break has snow drifts up to five or six feet deep, and the snow plow took out my mail box. I’ll head out for a drive in an hour or so to see what I can see.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 3:09 pm
sad news from the snow day….The White Stripes will play no more live shows or record any new material. Kind of fitting that it comes on this cold and snowy day, as that concert tour of Canada is viewed frequently at my house. only saw them once live, truly epic. so few great bands that give us the beat and the bone rattling guitar like we got from Meg and Jack. Seven Nation Army will always be a rallying song in my book.
Comment by amalia Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 3:12 pm
==People’s Gas just said on the news to dig out your meter/regulator if it’s snow-packed because it could freeze the works.==
Yet, exposure to sub zero air won’t? Sounds like they’re just trying to get people to clean off their meters so they can be read by their employees.
Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 4:14 pm
Did anyone else get the email today from Illinois Tollway reminding us not to text message while driving? Umm…hello. Worst storm in 30 years. 7 deaths. And this is what they are talking about.
Comment by I (used to) like Pat Quinn Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 6:09 pm
Oak Park just called off all K-12 for Thursday. Didn’t see that coming.
Chicago Tonight can’t even put on a live show; they’re rerunning last month’s mayoral forum.
Syracuse-UConn will do the trick.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 7:03 pm