North American blizzard of 1999
| Category 4 "Crippling" (RSI: 15.30) | |
| Type | Winter storm |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 2, 1999 |
| Dissipated | January 4, 1999 |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 21.6 (55 cm) |
| Areas affected | Midwestern United States, Central Canada |
The Blizzard of 1999 was a strong winter snowstorm which struck the Midwestern United States and portions of central and eastern Canada, hitting hardest in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario and Quebec dumping as much as 60 cm (2 feet) of snow in many areas. Chicago received a recorded 21.6 in (55 cm). The storm hit just after New Year's Day, between January 2 and January 4, 1999. Travel was severely disrupted throughout the areas and the cities of Chicago and Toronto were also paralyzed. Additionally, record low temperatures were measured in many towns in the days immediately after the storm (January 4 - January 8).
The storm produced 55 centimetres (22 in) of snow in Chicago and was rated by the National Weather Service as the second worst blizzard to hit Chicago in the 20th century, after the Blizzard of 1967. Soon after the snow ended, record low temperatures occurred with values of -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-29 degrees Celsius) or lower in parts of Illinois and surrounding states on January 3 and 4, including a handful of daily minimum temperatures around -50 degrees F (-45 degrees C) on the 4th in the area of heaviest accumulation.
The areas with the heaviest snows, 15 inches (38 cm) or more, included central and northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, central and northern Indiana, southern Michigan, northern Ohio, and southeast Canada. The storm also traveled across southern Ontario dumping about 12 inches (30 cm) of snow throughout the entire Quebec City-Windsor Corridor.
South of the snow line, the storm produced a significant ice storm across western New York, near the Rochester region and the Genesee Valley where numerous power failures were reported.
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