Blizzard of 1967: Monday marks anniversary of Chicago's biggest snowstorm

ByDanny Tag WLS logo
Monday, January 27, 2020
Chicago's top 5 biggest snowstorms
Take a look at the top 5 biggest snowstorms to hit Chicago.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Monday is the 53rd anniversary of the biggest snowstorm in Chicago history, according to the National Weather Service.

On Jan. 2, 1999, the storm dumped a total of 21.6 inches of snow on the city over two days. The one-day total for Jan. 2 was about 17 inches of snow.

The blizzard paralyzed the city. Immediately after that storm, the Chicago area saw temperatures below zero.

Here are the other biggest snowstorms to hit Chicago:

5. Super Bowl Blizzard of 2015 - 19.3 inches from January 31 - February 2nd. The 5th largest snowfall had people across the city and suburbs digging out for days.

More than 21 inches of snow was dumped in Illinois and northwest Indiana over a two-day period.

4. Blizzard of 1979 - 20.3 inches from January 12 - 14. The massive snowfall crippled the city's transportation system for so long, that it hurt incumbent mayor Michael Bilandic's reelection bid. Jane Byrne defeated him in the Democratic Primary and then won the general election to become Chicago's first woman mayor.

3. 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard - 21.2 inches from January 31-February 2. Often called Snowpocalypse, the massive blizzard is remembered for the estimated 900 cars and buses stranded on Lake Shore Drive.

RELATED: Raw video from the Blizzard of 2011

The blizzard of 2011 dropped more than 20 inches of snow on Chicago, stranding hundreds on Lake Shore Drive.

2. Blizzard of 1999 - 21.6 inches from January 1 - 3.

1. Blizzard of 1967 - On January 26-27, a massive snowstorm dumped a record-setting 23 inches of snow on Chicago. Just two days before the storm hit, Chicago had an unseasonable high temperature of 65.