Dear Tom,
We have had so much snow this winter! Are we are nearing any records?
— Richard Parrish
Dear Richard,
The Chicago area has certainly received plenty of snow, but the seasonal totals thus far, as impressive as they might be, fall well short of the city’s all-time snowfall records.
As of Saturday, the seasonal snow total stands at 47.4 inches at Midway Airport, but five other seasons had accumulated more snow by that date.
If you were in the Chicago area in the late 1970s and are old enough to have recollections that far back, then you surely have vivid memories of the winter of 1978-79, which had 79.2 inches of snow by Feb. 9 — 31.8 inches more than so far this winter.
That season went on to become Chicago’s snowiest. The grand total of 89.7 inches resulted in snow-removal complications and massive transportation disruptions that winter.
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Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or: asktomwhy@wgntv.com
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