At work people know I have the uncanny ability to already have the day off when stuff happens. :)

Blizzard Warning for Cook County, IL

Issued by The National Weather Service
Chicago, IL
3:40 pm CST, Mon., Jan. 12, 2009

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT. A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 12 PM CST TUESDAY. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ALSO ISSUED A BLIZZARD WATCH... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

IN ADDITION... ARCTIC AIR MOVING INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BEHIND THIS SYSTEM WILL ALSO PRODUCE BITTER WIND CHILLS OF 15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW TUESDAY MORNING.

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

More Information

... BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING...

.A STRONG WINTER STORM SYSTEM IS MOVING INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA THIS EVENING. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED TONIGHT FROM THIS STORM... WITH TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS FAR NORTHERN ILLINOIS... AND 1 TO 3 INCHES ELSEWHERE. AS THE LOW MOVES EAST THIS EVENING... STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 35 MPH WILL DEVELOP WHICH WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND POSSIBLY BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING WITH WIDESPREAD VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF A MILE.

So yeah, I'm cozy and warm. Be careful out there ya'll!

1967

In 1967 I was 8 years old. Here in Chicagoland, we had a wonderful blizzard and ice storm in January of that year. I say wonderful because I was 8 years old! I mean really, what more do you need to know? Can you imagine the delight in getting somewhere near 2 feet of snow over the course of 2 days? Magical!

Of course I did not have to drive in it, all I had to do was play in it. What a terrible job that was!

We have had more snow this year than in recent years, or so it seems to me. Never let my memory get in the way of the facts. Now we are waiting for more. The last time I looked outside it was raining, but it is supposed to turn to snow and do the worst damage between midnight and 7:00 a.m. Oooh, I can hardly wait! NOT. Not anywhere near '67, but north of the city they are forecasting possibly 8 to 12 inches by morning. Yikes!

I wanted to post some pictures of the snow but seeing as it's being rained on right now it wouldn't be very impressive. So instead I searched and found a few pictures from 1967 when snow meant staying home from school and endless hours in rubber boots, coats, and mittens with scarves over our faces. They aren't my pictures, but they are from that snowstorm from so long ago that some of us still have fond memories of. Only a few, but you'll get the idea.

Yes, pictures were still black and white back then. And so was the TV! Wanna make something of it?

Buried cars in Chicago, Lake Shore Drive and Foster Avenue.

People dug their cars out and started to get around, but mostly still on foot. One of my favorite memories of that snowstorm was once we went back to school there were fabulously high snow hills all along every street and on either side of every driveway. I have no idea whether the sidewalks were shoveled because we kids didn't take that route anyway. We climbed to the top of the snow hills and walked up there - sometimes falling through, rolling off, or stepping down onto driveways and scampering back up in the other side. I don't recall ever being tired or out of breath - or even very cold for that matter. It was a terrific time to be 8 years old!