January has hosted the Chicago area’s three biggest snowstorms—the infamous 1967 Blizzard (23.0”) and the megasnows of 1979 (20.7”) and 1999 (21.6”). Significant snow accumulations are no stranger here this time of year. Even without a truly mammoth snowstorm to its credit, the month has tallied a total of 12” of snow to date, making it one for the books. The amount is already more than the 11.3” considered normal in an entire January. The opening 19 days of the month now qualify as the 15th snowiest of any January 1-19 period since official measurements began in 1885.
Another 1-2” is predicted in Thursday’s snowy periods. But, Friday night and Saturday is the period being closely monitored for the next significant snowfall here. An accumulation of 7” or more would mark only the third time in 121 years the city has been hit by two 7” or greater snows in a single January. (The first occurred Jan. 4-6, 2005 and totaled 9.8”).
-Tom Skilling
