Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 18, 1997

On January 15th, 4 to 6 inches of snow fell across much of northern Illinois. A narrow band of heavy snow fell from Aurora, in southeast Kane County, to southern Lake County Illinois. Snowfall totals: officially 4.2 inches fell at O'hare, 8.5 inches at Aurora, 10 inches at Lincolnshire, 5.3 inches at Midway, 5.5 inches at Rockford, and 5 inches at the NWS in Romeoville. The snow was followed by windy and bitter cold weather on the 16th and 17th. High wind gusts recorded: at O'hare, 39 knots, and at Rockford, 39 knots on the 16th. The coldest wind chill recorded at Chicago during this time was -42 degrees at 10am on the 16th. The coldest low temperatures were as follows: at O'hare, -4 on the 16th and -9 on the 17th. At Rockford, -6 on the 16th and -13 on the 17th and at the NWS in Romeoville, -6 on the 16th and -3 on the 17th. The combination of severe wind chill and blowing and drifting snow caused many schools to close. There were 5 deaths in Cook County. A 75 year old man collapsed in his house after shoveling snow. An 85 year old Tinley Park woman died in her unheated home, a 39 year old man was found dead in his backyard, an 80 year old woman died outside after shoveling snow, a 71 year old man died of exposure outside.