The Chicago Blizzard Of 1967, 50 Years Ago

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Over the decades, we have seen many brutal winter storms, but none matches the Blizzard of 1967, which all began 50 years ago this week.

A total of 23 inches of snow came down between 5 a.m. Jan. 26 until 10 a.m. on Jan 27. It still ranks as the worst snowstorm ever in Chicago.

About 800 CTA buses and 50,000 cars were abandoned on city streets and expressways.

A total of 26 Chicagoans lost their lives, including a man run over by a snow plow and a girl caught in crossfire between police and looters.

Fortunately, snow removal is a lot of different now than it was then.

The main difference is technology, of course

But back then, the city didn't have more than a 1,000 remote cameras helping officials more effectively direct snow trucks. Also, snow trucks did not have GPS systems, cell phones and automatic transmissions.

Most of the trains now have enclosed ventilation systems. In 1967, motors became packed with snow and shorted out.

The forecast for today calls for the possibility of a trace of snow, and Chicago hasn't had much of any measurable snowfall since mid December, according to CBS 2 meteorologist Megan Glaros.

That's a good sign as most of the worst snowfalls in recorded history happened in January and early February. In fact, two of the worst--in 2011 and 2015--happened around Groundhog's Day.

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