A Winter to Remember

By Shannon in News on Jan 27, 2007 3:34PM

Where were you forty years ago? Chicagoist is betting at least a few of you weren't even a gleam in your parents' respective trousers. Those of you who were alive might remember that yesterday and today marks the anniversary of one of the worst snowstorms in Chicago history.

In typical Chicago fashion, it was 65 degrees on Jan. 24, 1967. But two days later, at 5:02 a.m. on Jan. 26, snow began to fall. And fall. And fall. And fall. At one point it was falling at two inches an hour. Winds gusted up to 53 mph, piling major snowdrifts as high as six feet. All told, 23 inches of snow fell on the city in 29 hours, stopping at 10:10 a.m. on Jan. 27. Chicago was effectively crippled. People were either stuck at home or stuck at work. Local stores were plundered within an inch of their lives. Looting was rampant, contributing to the accidental shooting death of a girl when police were trying to keep order.

The lack of transportation and short supplies of food was a horrible situation, to be sure. But oh, to be a kid at that time. Can you imagine? School closed for a week, at least. Climbing out a second story window and sinking in up to your waist. So much sledding to do! One of our coworkers was 10 when the storm went down; she regaled us with stories of how people would shovel sidewalks that became tunnels towering over one's head, of how traffic was nonexistent (now there's a first). Library records show that some of the snow was sent to south Florida so that kids could see it for the first time. Contrary to what another Chicagoista says, the kid in us says let's ditch these ungodly temperatures and bring on the white stuff ... in spades.

Image courtesy of Ms.Beetlebum.