WEATHER SNAP SHOTS: December 2008 Archives

Thanks to Robert Munger of northwest suburban Hampshire for passing along this photo of flooding caused by the rapid snowmelt coupled with heavy rainfall.

Photo by Robert Munger

Posted by Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

A foggy day after Christmas Eve

Thanks to Janice Goldman of Chicago for sending us these pictures of fog-shrouded Chicago Friday evening. The dense fog was caused by warm, moist air being chilled to its condensation point as it passed over the cold, snow covered ground. Dense fog was prevalent across much of the Midwest playing havoc with air travel, totally shutting down Chicago's Midway Airport..

Photos by Janice Goldman

Holiday snow bunting
Thanks to Nancy, Ginny and Chuck Berg former Chicagoans now lliving in Tonka Bay, Minnesota for sharing this unusual shot of snow draped like bunting across the deck to the home.

Posted by Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

How cold was it at last night's Bears game?

Rick Bardahl from Downers Grove has icy proof of just how cold it was at last night Bears-Packers game. His beverage froze solid shortly after he opened it.

Photo by Rick Bardahl

Posted by Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

Sharing winter weather woes- Winter blasts Walla Walla

Chicagoans are not alone in experiencing severe winter weather this month. Our thanks go out to ex-Chicagoan Dick Swenson now living in Walla Walla Washington. That area has been hard-hit by snow and cold and now boasts a very unusual snow depth of about 20 inches.

Photos by Dick Swenson

Posted by Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

The arctic wastelands of northeast Illinois

Regualr weather page contributor pilot Anson Mount was kind enough to share these pictures that he took during Sunday's near blizzard conditions. The pictures were taken on a drive from Mundelein to the Waukegan airport. Anson reported that many roads were drifted shut and even some snow plows were stuck.

Photos by Anson Mount

Winter comes to Palm Desert California

Thanks to Jack and Carol Uhern formerly of Streator, Illinois who moved to California more than 50 years ago for sharing these pictures of snow in the California desert. This snow was a product of the same storm that brought all the snow, sleet and freezing rain to the Chicago area Thursday night and Friday. Snow from this storm was also reported in the higher elevations near Phoenix and in Las Vegas.

Photos by Jack and Carol Uhern

Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

Frightful weather in Wauconda

Thanks to Eric Repking from Wauconda for this picture of today's blowing snow taken from his backyard near Lake Napa Suwe. Eric comments that trying to keep plowed areas snow free has been a losing battle.

Photo by Eric Repking

Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

Casualty of the storm:The power of ice

This photo supplied by Jayne Fair-Walton of Matteson is a testament to the power of ice. The weight of the glaze deposited in the Thursday night/Friday morning ice storm was enough to topple this tree in her back yard.

Photo by Jayne Fair-Walton

Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center

This remarkable set of photos from Larry Jahn of Macomb, Ill., certainly lays out the
scope of the ice storm which struck a wide swath of Illinois and Indiana. Larry reports power
outages were widespread and that trees were down all over town and throughout the
county there. The storm, he reports, was the worst he's seen in 40 years there! MANY
THANKS for sharing these images with us, Larry! Please stay safe!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photos courtesy of Larry Jahn, Macomb, Illinois

Chicago Tribune photographer John Smierciak was kind enough to share these great photos of the ice storm near his home in St. John, Ind. Thanks John!
—WGN-TV Weather Center

Photos courtesy of The Chicago Tribune's John Smierciak, St. John, Ind.

Here's a look at the snow in Bear Lake in Michigan, courtesy of John Gehr. Thanks John!
—WGN-TV Weather Center

Photos courtesy of John Gehr

Here are more amazing photos from the ice storm, this time from Whiting, Ind.
—WGN-TV Weather Center

Photos courtesy of Carolyn Szepanski, Whiting, Ind.

Icy Demotte Indiana
Overnight freezing rain turned the landscape in Demotte in northwest Indiana into a winter wonderland. Unfortunately many residents in areas hard-hit by ice south of Chicago in Illinois and Indiana are without power and much tree damage has occurred.

Photos by Bonnie Sparks

Ice encases Peotone

Freezing rain left a coating of ice across Chicago's southern suburbs and much of central Illinois overnight. Many residents have lost power and there have been many reports of tree damage from the weight of the ice. Thanks to Sharon Schreiber of Peotone for sharing these pictures with us.

Photos by Sharon Schreiber

Tons of snow in the Keweenaw Peninsula

Thanks to Tony Rocco for sharing pictures of the deep snow on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula

Photos by Tony Rocco

Snowy Las Vegas
Snowy palm trees bring just the right Christmas to Las Vegas as the desert city was hit by its biggest snow storm since 1979. Thanks to former Chicagoans Jennifer and Jeff Thies (who moved to Las Vegas to get away from the snow) for sharing these photos.

Photos by Jennifer and Jeff Thies

No one captures a news event through pictures quite like our friend and
Chicago Tribune photographer John Smierciak. Check out these shots from
John of Tuesday's nightmarish Chicago rush hour snowstorm. THANKS John!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

John adds the following description:
Eastbound traffic on I-80 near New Lenox, Ill., comes to a standstill
numerous times as the roads got worse in the mid-December snowstorm. A
trip from Channahon to Lansing, Ill., that usually takes 30 minutes,
took four hours.

John adds the following description:
As the snow came down in the early afternoon on westbound I-80 near
Joliet, Ill., traffic slowed to a crawl. A trip from Tinley Park to
Joliet, Ill., took an hour and a half.

Photos courtesy of John Smierciak, Chicago Tribune

Randy White recently moved from Chicago to Kingman, Ariz., (about an hour's drive
southeast of Las Vegas) in October to escape winter. He took these pictures from his
front yard Wednesday afternoon.
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist

Photos courtesy of Randy White

Jayne Ciasto caught a hawk in the middle of breakfast Wednesday morning near the
intersection of Foster and Winona in Chicago.
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist

Photo courtesy of Jayne Ciasto

After the snow let up around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, Nick Liveris took these
beautiful shots near Dearborn and Maple in Chicago. Thanks Nick!
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist

Photos courtesy of Nick Liveris

Hoffman Estates snow scene
Thanks to Frank Bavaro for this great picture taken during Tuesday evening's snow showing two bucks enjoying the snowfall in his Hoffman Estates backyard.

Photo by Frank Bavaro

Tom Caulfield e-mails to say he built these snowmen in his backyard in Elgin last week!
Great shot! Nice job Tom! Many thanks!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photo courtesy of Tom Caulfield, Elgin, Illinois

What a beautiful shot! The tranquility of winter is so evident in this
beautiful shot from Patrick Baron who snapped this near the Kankakee
State Park during a recent snow. THANKS Patrick!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photo courtesy of Patrick Baron

Tracey Surface was kind enough to share these beautiful photos of Friday night's full moon. Thanks Tracey!
--WGN-TV Weather Center

Photos courtesy of Tracey Surface

A month of cold weather finally eases---but only temporarily---this weekend. But, as
Brent Krauth demonstrates through this photograph, the chill is quite capable of
producing icicles.

Thanks for a terrific shot, Brent!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Brent Krauth

This photo comes to us from Thomas Nava on Chicago's northwest side. The shot was
taken this morning and followed a night with some blowing of the 2.3 inches of snow which fell there. THANKS Thomas!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Thomas Nova, Chicago's northwest side

Brandi Wall, who does such a great job of capturing Chicago scenes through her
photography, shares these shots taken Wednesday morning in the city's Edgewater
neighborhood. Edgewater sits astride Lake Michigan on Chicago's far North Side.
1-2 inches—locally as much as 2.6 inches---fell there late Tuesday and Tuesday night
with the latest snow system. Great shots, Brandi! MANY THANKS for sharing them with
us!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Brandi Wall, Chicago

Snowing hard in Antioch
Thanks to Carl Frystak for sharing this picture taken on a snowy Tuesday night in Anticoch.
Snowfall across the Chicago area so far tonight has ranged from 2 to 4 inches north and west of the city to the Wisconsin border to less than one inch in the south suburbs.

Photo by Carl Frystak

David Lastrucci shares these photos of Chicago’s wintry Monday skies as viewed from
the lakeshore. Thanks David!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of David Lastrucci, Mount Prospect

Nick Liveris shares this photo of the snowy world to which north suburban Deerfield
residents rose Tuesday morning. Great shots, Nick! Many thanks!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Nick Liveris, Chicago, Illinois

An accumulation of snow has come to Scotland! These shots from the UK come to us from
Mark Vogan. Thanks Mark!!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Mark Vogan, Glasgow, Scotland

Thanks to Carolyn Szepanski for sharing these shots of Monday’s snow accumulation in
Whiting, Indiana. Great job, Carolyn!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Carolyn Szepanski, Whiting, Indiana

More pictures from Brandi Wall taken around lunchtime Monday at Wacker and Randolph.

THANKS Brandi!!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy: Brandi Wall

Check out these beautiful photos taken in the city in the midst of our first significant
snow of the season and submitted to us by Brandi Wall. Wonderful shots, Brandi—THANK
YOU for sharing them with us!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Brandi Wall, Chicago, Illinois

Friend of this blog and all around good guy Mark Vogan, who is so good about updating
us on the vagaries of UK weather, sends us these beautiful shots from Scotland and
reports the weather there and across the UK has been chilly. Mark tells us:

"We had a low yesterday morning of -12C / 9F up north in Braemar in the Highlands and with all of Scotland and much of UK shivering, this is easily the coldest period for late-Nov/early Dec since 2000. It's expected that we will remain below normal throughout much of December. VERY INTERESTING."

Great report as beautiful pictures as always, Mark! MANY THANKS!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Mark Vogan, Glasgow, Scotland