January Weather Trivia Statements
January 1
...CHICAGO...January 1, 1948: MOTHER NATURE GREATED CHICAGO RESIDENTS WITH A SEVERE WINTER STORM FOR THE NEW YEAR. PRECIPITATION ON THIS DATE FELL AS A MIXTURE OF GLAZE...SLEET...AND SNOW. GLAZE BUILT UP TO A THICKNESS OF ONE-HALF INCH OR MORE ON TREES...WIRES...AND EXPOSED OBJECTS. THIS TOGETHER WITH EXTREMELY HIGH WINDS CAUSED EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE...ESPECIALLY IN THE SUBURBS. TRAFFIC WAS NEARLY HALTED...AND SIDE STREETS REMAINED SLIPPERY THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. THIS IS THE WORST ICE STORM TO HIT CHICAGO.
...ROCKFORD... JANUARY 1, 1912: STARTING ON JANUARY 1ST...ROCKFORD EXPERIENCED SEVENTEEN CONSECUTIVE NIGHT-TIME HOURS OF BELOW ZERO DEGREE TEMPERATURES SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1905. IN FACT...THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 21 NIGHTS DURING JANUARY 1912 THAT THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FELL BELOW ZERO. THE LOWEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE DURING THIS SEVERE COLD WAVE WAS 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 7TH AND ON THE 12TH. THIS JANUARY GOES DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE COLDEST JANUARY IN ROCKFORD WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 4.7 DEGREES.
January 2
...CHICAGO... January 2, 1999. NORTHERN ILLINOIS WAS IN THE GRIPS OF A SEVERE WINTER SNOWSTORM...BRINGING MUCH OF THE AREA TO A STOP. HEAVY SNOWS AND HIGH WINDS CAUSED DRIFTS OF MORE THAN FOUR FEET IN MANY AREAS. ON THIS DATE...18.6 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN CHICAGO...THE GREATEST SINGLE-DAY SNOWFALL TOTAL EVER RECORDED IN THE CITY. THIS THREE-DAY STORM...RUNNING FROM THE 1ST THROUGH THE 3RD...PRODUCED A TOTAL OF 21.6 INCHES OF SNOW. THIS IS THE 2ND LARGEST SNOWSTORM TO HIT THE CHICAGO AREA.
...ROCKFORD... January 2, 1936. ROCKFORD STARTED THE NEW YEAR WITH ONE OF THE LARGEST 24-HOUR SNOW AMOUNTS IN ITS HISTORY. BY THE END OF THE DAY ON JANUARY 2ND... 7 INCHES OF SNOW COVERED THE CITY...IN FACT, THERE WERE FIVE OTHER DAYS WITH SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST AN INCH...LEAVING A TOTAL OF 18.5 INCHES FOR THE MONTH. THIS ALSO TIED WITH 1930 AS THE 7TH SNOWIEST JANUARY ON RECORD.
January 3
...CHICAGO... January 3, 1879. ARCTIC AIR INVADED NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOR THE START OF THE NEW YEAR...WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OCCURING ON THIS DATE. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR CHICAGO ONLY CLIMBED TO ZERO...SETTING A RECORD FOR THE LOWEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE. THE LOW TEMPERATURE PLUMMETED TO -18...ESTABLISHING A RECORD LOW.
...ROCKFORD... January 3, 1992. THIS WAS THE SECOND NIGHT DURING A STRING OF FIVE NIGHTS THAT RECORDED READINGS AT OR ABOVE FREEZING IN ROCKFORD. THE NORMAL NIGHTTIME LOW IS ONLY 12 DEGREES FOR ROCKFORD. IN FACT...THERE WERE SIX NIGHTS DURING THE MONTH WHERE ROCKFORDS LOWS WERE AT OR ABOVE FREEZING.
January 4
...CHICAGO... January 4, 1997. MILD WEATHER MOVED INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS DURING THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF 1997...PEAKING ON THIS DATE. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO 64 DEGREES...31 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL HIGH.
...ROCKFORD... January 4, 1998. THIS WAS THE 2ND DAY OF A THREE CONSECUTIVE DAY EVENT THAT THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN ROCKFORD WENT ABOVE 50 DEGREES. THE HIGH RECORDED ON THIS DATE WAS 53 DEGREES. WHILE NOT A RECORD BREAKER...IT IS 26 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
January 5
...CHICAGO...January 5, 1884. A MAJOR OUTBREAK OF COLD AIR CAUSED SOME OF THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS'S HISTORY ON THIS DATE. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE AREA WERE WELL BELOW ZERO. IN CHICAGO...THE CITY RECORDED A DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 4 BELOW ZERO AND A LOW OF -18. THIS SET A NEW RECORD LOW FOR THIS DATE.
...ROCKFORD... JANUARY 5, 1916. THIS WAS THE FIRST OF FOUR DAYS DURING THE MONTH THAT THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN ROCKFORD CLIMBED TO AT LEAST 50 DEGREES. ON THIS DATE...THE HIGH CLIMBED TO 50 DEGREES...13 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL HIGH.
January 6
January 6, 1918. A MAJOR SNOW STORM HIT NORTHERN ILLINOIS STARTING ON THIS DATE. OFFICIALLY CHICAGO RECORDED 14.4 INCHES OF SNOW WITH 1.44 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION. THIS ESTABLISHED A NEW RECORD FOR THE GREATEST PRECIPITATION FOR THIS DATE. SIMILARILY...THE HEAVY SNOWS THAT MOVED ACROSS CHICAGO CONTRIBUTED TO JANUARY OF 1918 AS HAVING THE GREATEST SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH WITH A TOTAL OF 42.5 INCHES, NEARLY FOUR TIMES THE MONTHLY AVERAGE. THIS WINTER SNOWSTORM ALSO GAVE ROCKFORD ONE OF ITS LARGEST SNOW AMOUNTS EVER RECORDED. BY THE TIME THE SNOW ENDED THE NEXT DAY...A RECORD AMOUNT OF 16.3 INCHES BLANKETED THE TOWN. THIS WAS THE GREATEST SINGLE STORM TOTAL ON RECORD FOR THE CITY. IT WAS ALSO THE SNOWIEST JANUARY IN ROCKFORDS HISTORY WITH A TOTAL OF 36.1 INCHES --- JUST 0.2 INCHES SHY FOR AN ENTIRE NORMAL WINTER SEASON.
January 7
...CHICAGO... January 7, 1918. WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 6TH...THE SNOWSTORM OF 1918 CONCLUDED ON THIS DATE. WHILE ONLY AN ADDITIONAL HALF AN INCH OF SNOW WAS RECORDED...THE TOTAL STORM TOTAL WAS 14.9 INCHES. TO DATE...THIS STORM IS THE EIGHT BIGGEST SNOWSTORM IN CHICAGO'S HISTORY.
...ROCKFORD... January 7, 1982. ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE COLD PERIODS THAT ROCKFORD EXPERIENCED IN ITS HISTORY STARTED ON THIS DATE. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES DROPPED BELOW ZERO ON ELEVEN CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS. IN FACT...THERE WERE A TOTAL OF FIFTEEN NIGHTS DURING JANUARY THAT THE MINIMUM READING FELL BELOW ZERO. THIS LED TO THIS JANUARY BEING THE 4TH COLDEST IN ROCKFORDS HISTORY WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 8.8 DEGREES.
January 8
...CHICAGO... January 8, 1970. COLD WEATHER ONCE AGAIN GRIPPED THE CHICAGO AREA ON THIS DATE. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ONLY CLIMBED TO ZERO...CREATING A NEW RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE. WHILE THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 5 BELOW DIDN'T SET A NEW RECORD FOR THE 8TH...LOW TEMPERATURES FROM THE 6TH THROUGH THE 10TH WERE ALL BELOW ZERO.
...ROCKFORD... January 8, 1910. THIS DATE WAS THE FIFTH NIGHT IN A SEVEN CONSECUTIVE NIGHT COLD SNAP IN ROCKFORD WHERE LOW TEMPERATURES PLUMMETED TO SUBZERO READINGS. THE LOW THIS NIGHT DROPPED TO -14... 25 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL LOW.
January 9
...CHICAGO... January 9, 1939. THE LOW TEMPERATURE FELL TO 45 DEGREES...ESTABLISHING A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THIS DATE. A VERY MILD 58 DEGREE HIGH WAS ALSO RECORDED ON THE 9TH. WHILE NOT A RECORD FOR THIS DATE...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 52 DEGREES...28 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
...ROCKFORD... January 9, 1997. A TWO DAY WINTER STORM AFFECTED ROCKFORD...AS WELL AS THE REMAINDER OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. BY THE TIME IT ENDED ON THE 10TH...ONLY 3.5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ON THE CITY. HOWEVER VERY STRONG WINDS CAUSED CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW. THIS JANUARY WAS THE 5TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD AS THE TOTAL FOR THE MONTH WAS 19.4 INCHES.
January 10
January 10, 1982. BITTERLY COLD WEATHER GRIPPED MUCH OF THE STATE AS MOST REPORTING STATIONS RECORDED LOW TEMPERATURES OF 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO OR COLDER. SOME OF THE COLDEST AIR SETTLED IN OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS THAT NIGHT CAUSING TEMPERATURES TO PLUMMET TO 26 BELOW IN CHICAGO AND 27 BELOW IN ROCKFORD. THIS SET AN ALL TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE FOR ROCKFORD.
January 11
January 11, 1991. A THREE-DAY WINTER SNOW STORM FROM THE 10TH THROUGH THE 12TH HIT NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND INDIANA. THE COMBINATION OF FREEZING RAIN AND 35 MPH WINDS CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES. WIDESPREAD BLACKOUTS OCCURRED OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. THE FREEZING RAIN CHANGED OVER TO SNOW LATE IN THE EVENING DUMPING 5.1 INCHES OF NEW SNOW BY THE END OF THE DAY IN THE CHICAGO AREA AND 4.7 INCHES IN ROCKFORD.
January 12
...CHICAGO...January 12, 1912. CHICAGO WAS IN THE MIDST OF A LONG PERIOD OF COLD WEATHER. FROM THE 4TH THROUGH THE 13TH...MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW ZERO. THIS SET A RECORD FOR THE GREATEST CONSECUTIVE NUMBER OF DAYS WITH SUBZERO LOWS.
...ROCKFORD... JANUARY 12, 1960. WARM MOIST AIR MOVED OVER ROCKFORD AS HEAVY RAINS DELUGED THE AREA WITH A RECORD AMOUNT OF 2.46 INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE 12TH. LOW LAND AND URBAN FLOODING ALSO OCCURRED. IN FACT...THE WARM AIR CAUSED THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE SOARING TO 55 DEGREES --- SETTING ANOTHER RECORD FOR THE DAY.
January 13
January 13, 1979. THE BLIZZARD OF '79 MOVED INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. AT THE TIME...THIS DATE HAD THE GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL OF 16.5 INCHES IN CHICAGO. IT IS NOW THE SECOND LARGEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL...FOLLOWING THE 1999 BLIZZARD. 9.5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ON ROCKFORD FROM THIS STORM. THIS STORM AIDED ROCKFORD TO SET THE ALL-TIME RECORD SNOWFALL FOR A SINGLE WINTER SEASON --- WITH A TOTAL ACCUMULATION OF 74.5 INCHES.
January 14
January 14, 1979. AS THE BLIZZARD OF '79 WAS WINDING DOWN...CHICAGO RESIDENTS BEGAN TO DIG OUT OF THE SNOW. A TOTAL OF 18.8 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ACROSS THE AREA RANKING THIS AS THE 4TH BIGGEST SNOWSTORM IN CHICAGO'S HISTORY. THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH RECORDED FOR CHICAGO WAS MEASURED AT 29 INCHES ON THIS DAY. ALTHOUGH THE BLIZZARD DIDN'T PRODUCE ANY MORE SNOW FOR ROCKFORD ON THIS DATE...THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH FOR ROCKFORD ALSO OCCURRED IN JANUARY 1979 WITH 27 INCHES.
January 15
...CHICAGO...January 15, 1985. CHICAGO RECORDED A HIGH OF 13 AND A LOW OF 4 BELOW. THIS WAS THE FIRST OF 33 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES... ENDING ON FEBRUARY 17TH. THIS IS THE SECOND LONGEST STRETCH OF SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES IN CHICAGO'S HISTORY.
...ROCKFORD... January 15, 1972. ON THIS DATE...THE LOW DROPPED TO 19 BELOW IN ROCKFORD. ALTHOUGH THE LOW OF -24 IN 1979 WAS A RECORD BREAKER...THIS WAS ONE OF ELEVEN DAYS DURING THE MONTH WHERE THERE WERE SUBZERO LOWS.
January 16
...CHICAGO...January 16, 1979. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE BLIZZARD THAT HIT A COUPLE OF DAYS PRIOR...THE DEEP SNOW COVER CONTRIBUTED TO COLD NIGHT TIME LOWS. THIS DATE WAS THE THIRD DAY IN A ROW WHERE THE LOW PLUMMETED TO SUBZERO READINGS.
...ROCKFORD... JANUARY 16, 1924. 9.5 INCHES OF SNOW BLANKETED ROCKFORD DURING A 24-HOUR PERIOD. IN FACT...THIS WAS THE ONLY DAY DURING THE MONTH THAT RECORDED SNOWFALL.
January 17
...CHICAGO... January 17, 1880. CHICAGO HAD A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 50 DEGREES. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT A RECORD...IT DID CONTRIBUTE TO JANUARY OF 1880 AS BEING THE WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD. THE MEAN DAILY TEMPERATURE WAS 39.8 DEGREES...17.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ALL OF THE DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS MONTH WAS ABOVE FREEZING WITH ALL 31 DAYS RECORDING ABOVE NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.
...ROCKFORD... January 17, 1973. ROCKFORD WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A THREE CONSECUTIVE DAY WARM SPELL...WHERE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES CLIMBED TO AT LEAST 50 DEGREES. ALSO THERE WERE TWO OTHER DAYS DURING THE MONTH WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES GREATER THAN 50 DEGREES. DUE TO THESE UNSEASONABLE READINGS...THIS MONTH WAS IN THE TOP TWENTY WARMEST JANUARYS ON RECORD -- WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 26.3 DEGREES.
January 18
January 18, 1996. A STRONG COLD FRONT BROUGHT A VARIETY OF WEATHER OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN CHICAGO WAS 61 DEGREES WHILE THE NEXT DAY'S HIGH WAS 48 DEGREES COLDER. WHILE IN ROCKFORD THE TEMPERATURE FELL 57 DEGREES IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD...MAKING IT ONE OF THE LARGEST TEMPERATURE DROPS IN THE HISTORY OF ROCKFORD. A STRONG LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVED RAPIDLY ACROSS THE AREA PRODUCING STRONG WINDS WITH GUSTS UP TO 63 MPH. DAMAGE TO TREES AND BUILDINGS WAS REPORTED FROM ROCKFORD INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA. THERE WAS EVEN A F0 TORNADO REPORTED IN NORTHWEST INDIANA.
January 19
January 19, 1994. BITTER COLD ARCTIC AIR INVADED ILLINOIS ON THE 15TH AND 16TH WHILE AN EVEN STRONGER OUTBREAK OF COLD AIR ARRIVED ON THE 18TH AND 19TH. AS THIS BITTERLY COLD AIR GRIPPED MUCH OF THE STATE...MOST REPORTING STATIONS REPORTED LOW TEMPERATURES OF 15 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW OVER THE PERIOD. LOW TEMPERATURES ON THE 19TH PLUMMETED TO 19 BELOW IN CHICAGO AND 24 BELOW IN ROCKFORD. THIS TIED WITH 1985 FOR THE RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE ON THIS DATE AT ROCKFORD. THE COLD WEATHER WAS ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WINDS RESULTING IN WIND CHILLS OF 40 TO 50 BELOW AND COLDER.
January 20
January 20, 1985. CHICAGO'S O'HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECORDED THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE EVER REPORTED FOR CHICAGO WITH 27 BELOW ZERO. A NEW MINIMUM HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS ALSO ESTABLIHED ON THIS DATE WITH A HIGH OF 4 BELOW ZERO. HOWEVER WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 MPH... WIND CHILLS REACHED 77 BELOW! WHILE IN ROCKFORD...THIS WAS THE COLDEST NIGHT IN A 3 CONSECUTIVE DAY COLD SNAP. IN ADDITION TO SETTING THE RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE --- 26 DEGREES BELOW ZERO...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THIS DATE ONLY REACHED 5 BELOW...TYING WITH 1984 FOR THE RECORD OF THE LOWEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE ON THIS DATE. THE LOWEST WIND CHILL OF 72 BELOW WAS ALSO RECORDED ON THIS DATE AS WINDS WERE SUSTAINED AROUND 20 MPH. IN FACT THERE WERE TWELVE NIGHTS OF BELOW ZERO MINIMUM TEMPERATURES... RANKING THIS MONTH AS THE 11TH COLDEST JANUARY IN ROCKFORDS HISTORY.
January 21
...CHICAGO...January 21, 1916. UNUSUALLY WARM, WET WEATHER MOVED INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS. ABUNDANT RAINFALL TOTALS WERE RECORDED THROUGHOUT THE REGION. CHICAGO REPORTED 1.49 INCHES...SETTING A NEW GREATEST PRECIPITATION RECORD FOR THIS DATE. THIS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO JANUARY OF 1916 AS BEING THE WETTEST JANUARY EVER FOR THE CITY...WITH A TOTAL OF 4.84 INCHES.
...ROCKFORD... January 21, 1906. A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS SET ON THIS DATE AS THE MERCURY CLIMBED TO 60 DEGREES. HOWEVER THIS WAS THE ONLY TEMPERATURE GREATER THAN 45 DEGREES RECORDED DURING THE MONTH.
January 22
January 22, 1982. TWO WINTER STORMS BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT FREEZING RAIN TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS ON THIS DATE. TO COMPOUND THE PROBLEMS...THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGH WINDS ACCOMPANIED THE FREEZING RAIN. ICE COVER FOR THE STORMS AFFECTED 70 PERCENT OF THE STATE.
January 23
January 23, 1965. A SEVERE ICE STORM HIT NORTHERN ILLINOIS ON THE 23RD AND 24TH. DAMAGE ESTIMATES RAN INTO MILLINOS OF DOLLARS. SUBURBS NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF CHICAGO SUFFERED GREATEST DAMAGE. PORTIONS OF THIS AREA WERE WITHOUT ELECTRIC POWER FOR SEVERAL DAYS. UTILITY COMPANIES CONSIDER THIS TO BE THE WORST STORM IN SEVENTEEN YEARS. AND AT SOME POINTS...IT MAY BE THE WORST IN HISTORY.
January 24
...CHICAGO... January 24, 1967. THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGH WINDS RAKED THE AREA DURING THE EVENING OF THE 24TH. WINDS GUSTED TO 48 MPH AND A FEW FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE REPORTED IN THE SOUTHWEST SECTION OF CHICAGO. THESE WINDS CAUSED THE WALL OF A BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION TO TOPPLE OVER...KILLING ONE MAN. FOUR OTHERS WERE INJURED.
...ROCKFORD... January 24, 1909. THIS DATE WAS THE WARMEST IN A TEN CONSECUTIVE DAY PERIOD WHERE THE DAYTIME TEMPERATURE CLIMBED ABOVE FREEZING. THE MERCURY SOARED TO 61 DEGREES. IN FACT INCLUDING THIS DAY...THERE ARE FOUR DAYS DURING THE MONTH WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMBED ABOVE 50 DEGREES.
January 25
January 25, 1977. THIS WAS THE 29TH CONSECUTIVE DAY WHERE CHICAGO'S DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW FREEZING. THE 43-DAY LONG COLD SNAP LASTED FROM DECEMBER 28TH, 1976 THROUGH FEBRUARY 8, 1977 SETTING THE ALL-TIME RECORD FOR THE LONGEST PERIOD OF BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO OCCUR IN CHICAGO. LIKEWISE AT ROCKFORD...TEMPERATURES DIDN'T RISE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK FROM DECEMBER 28TH THROUGH FEBRUARY 8TH. THIS ALSO SETS THE ALL-TIME RECORD FOR THE LONGEST PERIOD OF BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN ROCKFORD.
January 26
...CHICAGO... January 26, 1994. FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET COATED NORTHERN ILLINOIS WITH ONE-QUARTER TO ONE-HALF INCH OF ICE. TEMPERATURES MODERATED A BIT BY THE NEXT DAY...BUT HEAVY RAIN FELL ON TOP OF THE ICE IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA CAUSING WIDE SPREAD FLOODING OF STREETS AND BASEMENTS. UP TO 60,000 CUSTOMERS IN THE CHICAGO AREA WERE WITHOUT POWER DUE TO THE STORM...SOME FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
...ROCKFORD... January 26, 1941. 7.5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ON THE CITY OF ROCKFORD ON THIS DATE. THIS CONTRIBUTED TO THE CITY RECEIVING A TOTAL OF 15.2 INCHES FOR THE MONTH...PLACING THIS JANUARY IN THE TOP FIFTEEN SNOWIEST JANUARYS ON RECORD.
January 27
January 27, 1967. THE BLIZZARD OF '67 WAS COMING TO AN END ON THIS DATE. THE CHICAGO AREA RECEIVED THE BRUNT OF HEAVY SNOW...WITH UP TO 23 INCHES REPORTED IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA...MAKING THIS THE BIGGEST SNOWSTORM ON RECORD. DURING THE STORM WINDS GUSTED TO 53 MILES AN HOUR...CAUSING CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING. TRAGICALLY...OVER 50 DEATHS WERE INDIRECTLY RELATED TO THE STORM. THE DIGGING OUT PROCESS WAS SLOW DUE TO THE NUMBER OF ABANDONED VEHICLES. DAYS LATER...FOOD SUPPLIES...MAINLY MILK AND BREAD...WERE STILL DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN IN MANY STORES. ON THE OTHER HAND...ROCKFORD ONLY RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 3.3 INCHES. A FAR CRY FROM WHAT HIT CHICAGO.
January 28
...CHICAGO...January 28, 1977. THE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 13 BELOW. WHILE THIS TIED WITH 1963 FOR THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THIS DATE...THIS CONTRIBUTED TO JANUARY 1977 BEING THE COLDEST JANUARY ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE RECORDED FOR THE MONTH WAS ONLY 10.1 DEGREES...AROUND 12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
...ROCKFORD... January 28, 1944. THIS DATE WAS THE FOURTH DAY IN A ROW WHERE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES CLIMBED TO AT LEAST 50 DEGREES. IN FACT...THERE WERE FIVE DAYS DURING THE MONTH WITH READINGS ABOVE 50...RANKING THIS BEHIND 1933 AS THE WARMEST JANUARY IN THE CITYS HISTORY.
January 29
January 29, 1966. THIS DAY NEVER HAD TEMPERATURES ABOVE ZERO. THE HIGH ONLY CLIMBED TO -6 WHILE THE LOW FELL TO 16 BELOW ZERO. THIS LED TO RECORD SETTING LOW MAXIMUM AND LOW MINIMUM TEMPERATURES. SIMILARILY AT ROCKFORD... THIS DAY WAS THE COLDEST IN A FIVE CONSECUTIVE DAY COLD SNAP. A RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM WAS SET ON THIS DATE AS THE HIGH ONLY CLIMBED UP TO -9. A RECORD LOW WAS ALSO ESTABLISHED AT ROCKFORD WITH A READING AT -20. IN FACT...THIS WAS ONE OF TWELVE NIIGHTS OF MINIMUM TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW ZERO.
January 30
...CHICAGO... January 30, 1939. A WET...HEAVY SNOW FELL HIT THE CHICAGO AREA. ON THIS DATE...CHICAGO REPORTED A TOTAL OF 14.9 INCHES OF SNOW AND 0.97 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...MAKING THIS THE WETTEST JANUARY 30TH ON RECORD.
...ROCKFORD... January 30, 1966. THE COLD CONTINUED ON THIS DATE IN ROCKFORD AS THE LOW DROPPED TO -19. THIS ENDED UP TYING WITH 1951 AS THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED ON THE 30TH.
January 31
January 31, 1989. FOR MUCH OF JANUARY...A NICE WARM SPELL SET IN OVER THE AREA...WITH RECORD-SETTING TEMPERATURES. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ON THIS DATE CLIMBED UP TO 65 DEGREES FOR CHICAGO AND 63 DEGREES AT ROCKFORD...SETTING NEW RECORDS. THIS MILD PERIOD CONTINUED INTO FEBRUARY 1ST BEFORE A COLD SNAP SET IN.
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