People struggle at the intersection of Kennicott Avenue and Oakton Street in Arlington Heights as abandoned cars are stranded under the snow. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
Cars block the intersection of Kennicott Avenue and Oakton Street in Arlington Heights while a person drags a wooden sled in the snow. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
Elk huddle together in Elk Grove Village. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
A pedestrian found the only way to travel on Route 14. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
A Chevrolet passes snow taller than the car in Arlington Heights. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
Light and shadows in the snow at Fenton High School in Bensenville. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
A car is buried by drifting snow in Elk Grove Village. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1967)
The original caption for this photo reads: With the sun casting undulating shadows on the virgin snow Lake Opera in Des Plaines is a reminder that even in the cold harshness of winter, Mother Nature has supplied us with serene beauty. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
A resident does their best with the conditions on a side street in Mount Prospect. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
The original caption reads: Metals, mirrors and wood combine in gentle snow drifts to form a Picasso-type sculpture. But like some of Picasso’s works, even a hint doesn’t help in figuring out what’s behind the shapes. Buried beneath this pile of snow is a motorcycle waiting for warmer days in Elk Grove Village. (Daily Herald file photo 1979)
The snow collapsed the roof of a shopping center in Mount Prospect. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
The original caption reads: Lessening the load the easy way, Jim Mills uses a snowblower to clear the roof of Joseph Denser’s house at 358 Kenilworth Ave., Palatine. With several area buildings collapsing under heavy, wet snow, many residents played it safe with their own roofs. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
The snow was heavy enough to break through many roofs in 1979, so some residents cleared their homes one shovelful at a time. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
Cheryl Bunnell crosses Route 68 at Route 83 in Wheeling as traffic gives her the right of way. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
A man jumps off his Streamwood roof into a pile of snow almost as high as the house. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
A car is almost completely buried in Rolling Meadows. (Daily Herald file photo Jan. 1979)
January has brought heavy snowfalls to the Chicago suburbs on more than a couple of occasions. On this date in 1967, a record 23 inches started falling early in the morning, and by late morning Jan. 27, abandoned cars littered the roads. The thick blanket of snow shut down Midway and O’Hare airports. Schools and shopping centers closed. And residents slowly dug themselves out.
Then Jan. 13, 1979, 21 inches fell and caused power outages, collapsed roofs, closed roads, schools and businesses, and both airports again. Daily Herald photographers trudged out to make photos of suburban residents digging out and a few having fun with their plight.
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