The Massive Illinois Blizzard Of January 1967 Will Never Be Forgotten

After an unseasonably warm day on Tuesday, January 24th, 1967, the temperature began to drop. On Wednesday, Northern Illinois residents were warned that there would likely be a couple inches of snowfall on Thursday, but nothing earth-shattering. Then, on Thursday at about 5:00am, the snow storm began. This somewhat unexpected event turned into what many remember as the largest blizzard in Illinois. It was the fact that the storm became much larger than what was expected that made it so catastrophic and one of the biggest snowstorms in Illinois history.

Since no one expected the storm to be bad, everyone went off to work and school as planned that day.

As the day progressed, snow continued to fall. When the school and work day ended, chaos ensued.

Though people were stuck all over the northern part of the state, reports say that over 50,000 cars were abandoned on the streets and highways of Chicago.

The 23 inches of snowfall wasn't the only problem; wind gusts up to 53 mph caused huge snowdrifts to build up.

Snow removal equipment was sent in from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan to help clear the streets.

During the blizzard, 26 people died from a variety of causes, including heart attacks experienced when shoveling snow.

The cities and towns were moving again by the following Tuesday, but it took a full three weeks for the snow to be completely cleared.

Do you remember this storm as the largest blizzard in Illinois history? Did your parents tell you about it? Share your stories with us in the comments and feel free to share memories of any of the other biggest snowstorms in Illinois.

And for more memorable weather events, check out the 9 worst storms in Illinois history.