The 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard [3] [4] [5] was a powerful and historic winter storm that affected large swaths of the United States and Canada from January 31 to February 2, 2011, especially on Groundhog Day. Below is an article that was written in February 2011 providing additional context on the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard and how it stacked up to other historic winter storms that had impacted the Chicago area in prior decades. Chicago’s Top Four Snowstorms – Which Was the Worst? Jim Allsopp and Richard Castro, Feb 2011 With 21.2 inches total, the 2011 blizzard sits in the history books behind the Jan. 1-3 1999 blizzard, which dropped 21.76 inches of snow, and the Jan. 26-27 1967 blizzard, which saw a whopping 23 Northern Illinois and northwest Indiana were walloped by one of the most powerful winter storms in history between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, 2011. An initial period of light accumulating snow occurred The Groundhog Day blizzard of 2011 was a large blizzard that struck parts of Canada, Mexico, and the United States between 31 January 2011 and 2 February 2011. The blizzard was also called the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard because it happened close to Groundhog Day. The storm dumped over 14 inches (36 cm) of snow from Oklahoma City to Chicago and Once snow began, visibilities dropped to around 1/4 mile in an hour or less. The rapid onset of blizzard to near blizzard conditions was likely due to the high pressure, specifically its location. Typically, the cold, dry, Arctic air masses are located north or northeast of our forecast area. Embedded within the heart of the winter storm were blizzard warnings stretching from central parts of Oklahoma, through the Midwest, and across the southern Great Lakes. NWS Watch, Warning, and Advisory Map from the morning of February 1, 2011, showing how widespread the impacts were from this powerful winter storm See how the groundhog became a symbol for predicting seasonal changes in America, rooted in German folklore with a badger — which in turn lead to Groundhog Day. An immense blizzard paralyzed much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast States, with snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet common in many areas; 100 dead; major airports in the Northeast Corridor were shut down for at least two days. 2003 – The Blizzard of 2003, also known as the Presidents’ Day Storm of 2003, or Presidents’ Day Storm II A very large and strong winter storm hit the central and northeastern U.S. and southern Canada between February 1 st and 3 rd and was dubbed the 'Groundhog’s Day Blizzard of 2011'. Impacts were also felt from New Mexico northward to Wisconsin and eastward into Maine. The snow was coming down at such a furious rate that hundreds of cars were stranded -- and 25,000 calls flooded 911 lines in just 24 hours. Others called it the Groundhog Day Blizzard – as it came to its apex on Wednesday, Feb. 2. In a city known for some big winter storms, this was one for the ages. It dumped 21.2 inches all told 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard • Duration: January 31–February 2, 2011 • Lowest pressure: 996 mb (29.41 inHg) • Fatalities: 36 confirmed • Damage: $1.8 billion (2011 USD) Seasonal statistics; Total storms (Cat. 1+) 10: Maximum snowfall accumulation: 40.5 in (103 cm) at Savoy, Massachusetts: Maximum ice accretion Originally, Groundhog Day was a Celtic festival marking the year’s first cross-quarter day, or a midpoint between seasons. Read more about the ancient Celtic calendar here. Celebrated at the beginning of February, the day was called Imbolc —a term from Old Irish that is most often translated as “in the belly”—a reference to the soon The Groundhog Blizzard did set the city's all-time 24-hour snowfall record, as 20 inches of snow buried O'Hare from the afternoon of Feb. 1 through the morning of Groundhog Day, Feb. 2. That's The Groundhog Day Blizzard produced 17.7″ of snow in 2 days. Grand Rapids had 6.1″ on Feb. 1 and another 11.1″ on Feb. 2. It was cold enough (warmest temp. during the snowfall was The last time the snowpack was this deep was 10 years ago during the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011.Subscribe to WISN on YouTube now for more: The Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011 didn’t match the Great Blizzard of 1978, but it still impacted much of the Southwest United States, the Midwest and Eastern and Atlantic Canada. Many areas had Groundhog Day, in the United States and Canada, day (February 2) on which the emergence of the groundhog from its burrow is said to foretell the weather for the following six weeks. In the United States the most popular event occurs in Pennsylvania and centers on a groundhog designated Punxsutawney Phil. The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The annual ritual has roots in pre-Christian traditions and was brought to the U.S. by
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