One of the worst natural disasters to ever strike the state of Illinois was the Chicago 1967 blizzard. Twenty-three inches of snow fell in the course of just one day, leaving cars and buses stranded, residents housebound, and an entire effectively city shut down -- for days. Illinois has had Polar Vortexes and have certainly seen plenty of snow, but it's never been anything quite like what happened 50 years ago. Even today, long-time residents still talk about the Illinois 1967 blizzard. Scroll on to read the story.
To this day, the blizzard of 1967 remains the biggest snowfall to ever hit northeast Illinois (as well as northwest Indiana).
During the day and over the night of January 26, 1967, into the following morning, a Category 5 (extreme) blizzard deposited nearly two feet of snow, effectively "whiting out" the entire Chicagoland area.
Those already at work or school were caught completely unprepared, as no one knew that this storm was going to gain such magnitude.
The snow began at 5 a.m. on Thursday and did not stop until after 10 a.m. the next morning.
By noon, there were already eight inches of snow on the ground.
Many people did not make it home and had to stay in hotels. Helicopters had to be used in place of emergency vehicles and looting was rampant in some parts of the city.
By the time everything had settled, 60 people had died and there was an estimated $150 million in business losses.
The Chicago 1967 blizzard is estimated to have caused the most damage since the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
Most winters in the city and in Illinois generally look like this at their worst.
Even today, people still talk about the year 23 inches of snow fell in one single day.
What do you remember about the Chicago 1967 blizzard? Do you know anyone in Illinois who still talks about this epic event? (Grandpa Joe and Aunt Mille, we're looking at you!) Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
For a deeper dive into record-setting Illinois storms of all kinds and varieties, click over to nine more terrible storms that took place in Illinois.
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