Winter Storm, McHenry
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- McHenry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Illinois, January 9, 1997
On January 9th, 5 to 7 inches of snow fell over much of the Chicago area. 7 inches at Midway.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
On January 9th, 5 to 7 inches of snow fell over much of the Chicago area. The heaviest snow was reported in the north suburbs of Chicago, with 9 inches reported in Barrington and Waukegan, 5.6 inches at O'hare, and 7.7 inches at Midway.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Lake
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Kane
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kane forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Du Page
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Du Page forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Cook
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cook forecast zone
Winter Storm, Will
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Will forecast zone
Winter Storm, Kankakee
- When
- January 9, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kankakee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.138, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 9 to 11, 1997
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, January 9, 1997
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Cold in Ohio, January 9, 1997
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 9 to 11, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, January 9, 1997
- Blizzard in Iowa, January 9 to 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, January 9, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 9, 1997
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5586566, 5586567, 5586568, 5586569, 5586570, 5586571, 5586572.