
Dear Tom,
I recall an Easter, I think in March 1965, with at least 8 inches of snow.
Can you confirm and provide some details?
Maryellen Shute
Dear Maryellen,
The Easter that you remember did not occur in 1965, but one year earlier on
March 29, 1964. That Easter remains the city's snowiest on record with
officially 7.1 inches of snow on the books. The snow began falling shortly
before sunrise and continued through late afternoon. Strong winds gusting as
high as 37 m.p.h. reduced the visibility to near zero and piled the snow
into large drifts. Motorists were stranded in the near blizzard conditions
as traffic slowed to a crawl. It was a very cold day for late March with a
high of 29 degrees and a low of 18. The city's second snowiest Easter took
place back in 1920 when 6.4 inches of snow fell on April 4.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
