Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights after today's 1.5 inch snowfall
Memories of a White St. Patrick's Day-- March 17, 1965 in Madison, Wisconsin
Today's white St. Patrick's Day in portions of the Chicago area brought back memories of a St. Patrick's Day in 1965 when I was an undergraduate meteorology student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. It had snowed hard all night and about 6 inches of snow was on the ground at 6 a.m. on March 17. The forecast called for another 6 inches of snow with storm totals of more than one foot expected, so the university canceled classes for the day. Well, by 8 a.m. the snow had ended and skies cleared after a snowfall total of only 6.9". With no classes to attend, partying began early making for a very memorable St. Patrick's Day. That same storm system brought 3.7" of snow to Chicago, but much of the precipitation here fell as rain.
Steve O'Kahner WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune Meteorologist
