Another Name For This Storm: The "Groundhog Day Blizzard"

Satellite image of the storm on the evening of February 1 over the American Midwest.

Wikipedia wrote:

Storm type:	Winter storm, Blizzard
Formed:	January 29, 2011

The January 31–February 2, 2011 North American winter storm, also called the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard, is an ongoing major winter storm, situated around the US and Canadian holiday Groundhog Day.^[12][13][14] In the initial stages of the storm, some meteorologists predicted that the system would affect over 100 million people in the United States.^[15][16] The storm brought cold air, blowing snow and mixed precipitation on a path from New Mexico and norhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5684475860536331428&pli=1thern Texas to New England and Eastern Canada. In Chicago, winds ahead of the storm exceeded 30 mph (48 km/h) and snowfall forecasts were in excess of 24 in (61 cm) for much of Illinois.^[17] Blizzard conditions affected many large cities along the storm's path, including Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Chicago, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Detroit, New York City, and Boston.

January 29, 2011 was/is the 323rd anniversary of the birth of Emanuel Swedenborg in 1688.

Blizzard ends in Chicago

By Jason Samenow

Snow totals reach historic levels

3:30 p.m.: National Weather Service is indicating the snow total was 20.2" at noon central. It's possible the final number will be a little higher, but unlikely to move to #2 on the list (21.6" from Jan. 1-3 1999).

2:00 p.m. Looks like the snow has ended in Chicago. Still awaiting a final total.

12:25 p.m.: Some lake-enhanced snow bands continue to slam Chicago. Storm chaser Reed Timmer reports "This is the most incredible snow event I've ever seen in Chicago. That lake effect band is INCREDIBLE.. highest snowfall rates so far." Chicago Weather Center has a great photo gallery of the storm.

11:45 a.m. update (10:45 central time): Chicago now has 20.2" of snow as of 11:30 a.m. - so storm is still the third biggest on record. Snow is almost over so it may not reach #2 or #1. Chicago Weather Center reports drifts to 12 feet!

From 10:15 a.m.: Snow continues to fall heavily around Chicago with wind gusts to around 30 mph, and visibility of a quarter mile or less. Chicago O'Hare has received 19.5 inches of snow through 9 a.m. central time according to official National Weather Service reports. Three to five more inches are possible today.

Click here for more.

TheCarManShow Coins the Term "Snownado"

At 1:05 min/sec TheCarManShow called it a "Snow Tornado....Snownado"

Here's TheCarManShow's video the following day:





David Paul Downs & Lydia Krupinski embark on a mission to visit the purported 25 foot waves at the Lake Michigan shore...only to be literally turned around by the monstrous winds.

Incredible footage!

Chicago Blizzard Paralyzes the Area!: A Story of Survival

Click here to read Career Coach's survival story.

RedEye Chicago: Great Site for 2011 Chicago Thunder Snow Storm Picsl

Special thanks to Scott Kleinberg for posting these great pics!

Scott wrote:

Whenever it snows, we always ask for your photos and create a gallery. Those galleries are always very well-received. And when words like epic, historic and paralyzing are being used to describe a storm, our camera-fueled brains go into overdrive.

So here's what we're looking for:

-- general snow photos: see a yardstick in the snow? Someone commuting on foot? Anything involving snow.

-- snowmen (and women and other creative snow creatures).

-- dibs - creative ways Chicagoans save their freshly-cleared parking spaces.

Getting them to us is easy. Here's how:

1. Tweet @redeyechicago with the photo, location and brief description and the hashtag #REsnowpics

2. Post them on our Facebook page with the same information described above.

3. Email them to redeyetalk@gmail.com. Please be sure REsnowpics appears in the subject line along with the same information.

Click here for more.

Great Video Commentary by Obuchiteck

Chicago crazy ass snow storm February 2011. This is part one of a two part series. In this part it's the the uncalm before the storm. It's crazy windy but the five hundred foot tall snow drifts have yet to develop. Later I revisit some of the locations to see a dramatic change to almost desolate abandon city feel.

A Chicago Storm With Thunder, Lightning and Snow!

Watch the entire video!! Loudest lightning you have ever heard during a snow storm!
GO TO 2:05 in to the video!! " THUNDER SNOW"