Snow Big Deal? 19.3 Inches of Snow Fell on Chicago: UPDATED

As night fell Sunday, the worst of the day’s blizzard began to hit the Chicago area.

And the snow piled up. Some areas saw 19.3 inches, as of 6 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service, officially putting this blizzard into the fifth spot on Chicago’s all-time top 10 blizzards list. Sunday evening, the snow fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, and visibility was less than one-eighth of a mile at O’Hare International Airport.

» check totals from around the area on the National Weather Service website

On Monday, we can expect a high temperature of 18 degrees and some lake-effect snow. Metra was experiencing 30-minute delays on some of its commuter trains.

Throughout Sunday, the National Weather Service warned of “dangerous conditions” and wind gusts to 35-50 mph.

The National Weather Service also suspected history would be made on this day.

“As snow continues to accumulate, the current storm may end up as a top 10 largest snowstorm on record for both Chicago and Rockford,” NWS Chicago posted on Facebook Sunday evening. “In fact, based on radar trends, we’d say it’s pretty likely.”

Late Sunday, the official measurement at O’Hare International Airport was 14.2 inches, just one-tenth of an inch from the 10th largest snowfall in Chicago history. At 6 a.m. Monday, the measurement was 19.3 inches at O’Hare. Midway Airport recorded 18.4 inches.

The tremendous snowfall made more than just schoolkids on a snow day happy. For four days in January, Art Van Furniture staged a promotion, offering refunds to anyone who purchased furniture on those days if the snowfall on Super Bowl Sunday exceeded 3 inches at O’Hare Airport. That total was surpassed in the early morning hours, well before kickoff. The furniture store expects to refund $2 million to 1,913 customers.

The largest snowfall in Chicago-area history came with the Historic Blizzard of 1967, when 23 inches of snow fell. The 10th largest snowfall on record in the Chicago area was recorded at 14.3 inches in 1970.

» RELATED STORY: Poking Fun at the East Coast Blizzard of 2015

BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS; POWER OUTAGES

A blizzard warning remained in effect until midnight, but the weather calmed in the wee hours of the morning. Throughout the day, as people kept up with the snowfall by shoveling or snowblowing their driveways, the season’s first Chicago-area blizzard caused a few problems.

About 15,000 suburban residents south and southwest of Chicago were without power for much of Sunday, according to ComEd, and many remained so overnight.

A semi-tractor-trailer struck a Jeep Cherokee Sunday morning on Interstate 80, where the heaviest weather was felt early, prompting the Illinois State Police to shut down the highway for a while. All lanes were open just before noon. Two people were taken to a hospital.

The Metra Electric Line commuter train from Chicago’s Millennium Station to the far south suburbs was brought to a halt around noon when the snow interfered with the power lines. Repair crews were dispatched and trains were running again with the hour.

In an ironic twist, Disney on Ice presents “Frozen” cancelled its 7 p.m. show at Chicago’s United Center. The morning and afternoon shows went on as planned, however. Other major attractions — the Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry — all closed early Sunday as the storm built.

More than 1,600 flights were cancelled at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway Airports. Almost 500 Monday flights were cancelled by Sunday night. All Greyhound bus service out of the city was halted until Monday, too. Amtrak trains were also cancelled.

Metra officials and CTA officials said Monday trains should be running on time. However, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line through the western suburbs was held up due to a train with mechanical problems near Hinsdale. Other trains were reporting delays of 30 minutes.

PIZZAS GET RIDES; SCHOOLKIDS WILL NOT

Chicago restaurants began closing early on Sunday night as Restaurant Week got under way, including La Sirena Clandestina, Nana, Unite Urban Grill, Wildfire and Table Fifty-Two, according to the city’s convention and tourism bureau.

Many of Chicago’s pizzerias, however, weren’t closing early. Many brought on extra delivery drivers to handle the surge in pizza-delivery orders for Super Bowl Sunday. Heavy snow on the roads will make that a challenge, but nothing can stop a deep dish Chicago pizza. Not even a blizzard.

At one Lou Malnati’s in Chicago, a woman answering the phone told the Chicago Sun-Times, “We’re having a blast, baby. ... A little snow does not stop — does not interfere — with Lou Malnati’s.”

School? Well, that’s a different story. On Sunday night, schools also began to announce that classes will be called off on Monday primarily due to concerns about transportation and whether the roads will be clear enough. Hundreds of thousands of schoolkids in Chicago and the suburbs are getting a snow day on Monday.

Even with high winds, whiteout conditions and “life-threatening danger” warnings from the National Weather Service, Chicagoans bundled up and met the storm with a weather eye open, so to speak, and a “been there, done that” attitude.

As evidence of their cheek, Chicagoans began passing around this gag story from The Onion on Facebook Sunday afternoon. As Homer Simpson would say, “It’s funny because it’s true.”

ALSO ON PATCH CHICAGO

• ‘Extraordinarily Dangerous’ Travel Conditions as Blizzard Warning Issued for Chicago Area
• Emergency Closing Center: Chicago-Area School, Daycare, Businesses, Libraries
• Semi Crash Closes I-80 on Sunday near Mokena
• Metra Electric Line Beset by Power Problems Sunday Due to Snow