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Old 12-01-2008, 12:39 PM
 
Location: Chicago
2,884 posts, read 4,953,783 times
Reputation: 2769

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I love Tom Skilling's weather page in the Trib for weather history, etc. Yesterday's paper had an article about the winter of '78-79. I was a first year at the University of Chicago and remember people cross-country skiing down the streets of Hyde Park. There was a record 100 days of continuous snow cover starting Nov 26 til March 5. It was our snowiest (89.7") and second coldest (18.4 degrees) on record. The coldest was 18.3 degrees in 1903-04. On January 14th, 1979, Midway had 29" of snow cover.

The scary part is that the weather in the beginning of November was pretty similar to this year's. Nov '78 4 days over 70 degrees. This year 5 days over 65. I sure hope we don't have a repeat coming. That kind of weather is a lot more tolerable when you're young, living in a dorm and don't have to worry about parking.
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Old 12-01-2008, 01:04 PM
 
Location: The Great State of Texas, Finally!
5,459 posts, read 12,187,830 times
Reputation: 2791
Yeah, the blizzard of '79. I think they made t-shirts about the event. I remember that school was closed for about a week. I don't think I remember a weather-related school closing before then. My parents always talked about the blizzard of '67 because I was born that year. Anyway, during the '79 deal, I remember shoveling snow off the roof and not really having anywhere to put it. We could take our sleds ontop of the roof and sled on it all the way into the back yard. Once the plows came through the snow was piled so high that the stop signs were buried and you couldn't see oncoming cross traffic at side street intersections. Crazy. I love Tom Skilling, by the way.
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Old 12-01-2008, 08:58 PM
 
Location: Chicago
15,585 posts, read 27,421,704 times
Reputation: 1761
It was fun fun fun. :-)
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Old 12-01-2008, 10:31 PM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
20,004 posts, read 77,093,806 times
Reputation: 10370
Maybe Illinoisans arent so tough as we think we are. lol That kind of snowfall and temps are child's play in many northern cities. Remember Buffalo a few years ago? They had over 6' of snow (!!!!) in like 3 days. lol And just think, 78" is less than half the snow that places in MI get, and a lot less than cities in the mountains. I wont even mention Alaska....
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Old 12-02-2008, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Chicago
2,884 posts, read 4,953,783 times
Reputation: 2769
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve-o View Post
Maybe Illinoisans arent so tough as we think we are. lol That kind of snowfall and temps are child's play in many northern cities. Remember Buffalo a few years ago? They had over 6' of snow (!!!!) in like 3 days. lol And just think, 78" is less than half the snow that places in MI get, and a lot less than cities in the mountains. I wont even mention Alaska....
I guess maybe we're not, and I'm glad we don't need to be!
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Old 12-02-2008, 03:57 PM
 
Location: The Land of Lincoln
2,522 posts, read 4,372,341 times
Reputation: 580
I am looking forward to a snowy winter!
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Old 12-02-2008, 04:18 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,099,703 times
Reputation: 6422
Let;s see the winter of '81 was a corker in Peoria, It snowed from late September to spring, thee were several weeks of sub-zero temps. Buses and taxi did not run. I think it was late winter in '78 or '79 late when 30+ inches was dumped on Pekin. It was followed by a spring thaw that flooded the Illinois River. I'm thinking it was January '67 when so much snow was dumped on Peoria I followed a snow plow to I-55, Only one lane was open on each side. I think it took 6 hours to drive 160 miles.

I think it was at the end of the Irishfesh on the Navy Pier in the mid-'70s that it rained so hard buses flooded trying to get through the underpasses. I saw one and couldn't belive it. It rained so hard and for so long traffic lights didn't work and it took hearly five hours in floorboard deep water to drive to Berwyn.

I love Chicago, foul weather and all, but some of it is a bit much for those who are out in it. Really bad weather will test the patience of a saint.
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Old 12-02-2008, 04:41 PM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
5,479 posts, read 12,188,164 times
Reputation: 2847
Glad the BIG snow winters happened when I was a kid. I remember the snow pile heights from the "67 blizzard reaching the bottom of the 2nd story windows of the apartment buildings. 77-79 I remember my Dad having to plow snow off the roofs. I remeber the entire neighborhood getting together to shovel the parking spaces out and shovel out the alleys. Came back from Christmas vacation in Florida and had to spend extra night in W. Lafayette IN because I-65 was closed. Howard st was barely passable and had to gun the station wagon to get it in the side st. Then had to work to dig the car out. FUN FUN FUN, when you're a kid. Now I'm a semi-crotchety, semi-old, semi-fart who would love snow from Dec. 15th to the day pitchers and catchers report. Then I want fast consistent warm-up.
I know, but one can day dream.
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