This winter in Chicago is off to a historic start, with more than 17 inches having already fallen before the official start of the season.
The current conditions beg the question: what might the next several months have in store?
Let’s look back at some of Chicago’s worst snowstorms on record to give us an idea!
The Blizzard of 1967 – Chicago’s biggest snowstorm ever
Chicago experienced its largest snowstorm in history from January 26 through 27 of 1967.
Snow began falling at 5:30 a.m. on January 26, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), and by 10:10 a.m. the next day, 23 inches had blanketed the city.
During the storm, wind gusts reached up to 53 mph at Midway Airport, and a thunderstorm was even recorded at Northerly Island on the Lakefront.
Just two days before the massive blizzard, on January 24, Chicago set a historic warm temperature of 65 degrees—a record that still stands today.
The Election Day Blizzard of 1979
Chicagoans couldn’t catch a break during the winter of 1978-1979. In November and December of ‘78 alone, more than three feet of snow had already fallen in parts of Chicago.
By the time a New Year’s Eve storm dropped 8 to 11 inches across the city, according to the Chicago Tribune, residents had grown weary of Old Man Winter.
But conditions were about to get much, much worse.
From January 12-14, 1979, as city-dwellers were still recovering from the New Year’s storm, a massive blizzard enveloped the region.
Over two days, 20.3 inches of snow piled up, closing O’Hare and Midway airports. The storm crippled transportation, leaving buses and cars stranded mid-road and causing roofs to collapse.
The blizzard was a significant factor in the 1979 mayoral election, according to the Tribune, due to Mayor Michael Bilandic’s botched handling of snow removal in its aftermath.
In February of that year, Bilandic was ousted by Jane Byrne, who made history as Chicago’s first female mayor.
The North American Blizzard of 1999
Just before the millennium drew to a close, Chicago was hit with another historic blizzard.
Beginning on January 2, 1999, 21.6 inches of snow fell across the city over two days, according to ABC7.
Just days after the storm, temperatures dropped below zero, leaving the city frozen under a thick layer of snow and ice.
“Snowmageddon” – The Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011
Jumping forward to 2011, Chicago saw perhaps the most infamous winter storm of the 21st century so far.
The Groundhog Day Blizzard, also known as “Snowmageddon,” started slowly, with light snow from the evening of January 31 into the morning of February 1.
By that afternoon however, the storm intensified, bringing 50-60 mph winds and heavy snowfall. The blizzard conditions reduced visibility to near zero and left dozens of cars stuck on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles.
By the time the Groundhog Day blizzard ended, it had buried Chicago in 21.2 inches of snow, going down in history as the city’s third-largest winter storm ever.
The Super Bowl Blizzard of 2015
The winter of 2014-2015 started off quiet in Chicago, with only 15.5 inches of snow recorded through much of January, according to the NWS.
But just when Chicagoans thought they were out of the woods, Mother Nature dealt a crushing blow.
Over a three-day period from January 31 – February 2, 2015, Chicago received more snow than it had seen all season.
A whopping 19.3 inches accumulated over Super Bowl weekend, making it the fifth-largest snowstorm in Chicago’s history.
Looking ahead
Now that we’ve covered some of Chicago’s worst snowstorms, we’re left to wonder—could winter 2025-26 bring another infamous blizzard to add to the list?
What we know for sure is that this winter has already been abnormally active, thanks to the La Niña weather pattern causing wetter and colder conditions across the Midwest.
As of early December, Chicago already logged an impressive 17.1 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service, and we’ve gotten even more snow since.
Could a Snowmageddon sequel hit before the end of the season? Be sure to check back here for future winter weather updates!