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2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard

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Groundhog Day Blizzard 2011
File:2011blizzardsatphoto.JPG
Color-enhanced satellite image of the storm on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 (Day 2)
TypeBlizzard

The 2011 North American Groundhog Day Blizzard is a major blizzard that is affecting the Midwestern United States, the Northeastern United States, and Canada from January 31-February 2.[1]

Impact

Illinois

In Chicago, in anticipation of imminent blizzard conditions and thundersnow, 1,300 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport.[2] The storm is expected to bring occurrences of the rare meteorological phenomenon of thundersnow. By 4:30pm, CST (22:30 GMT), with sustained winds exceeding 30 mph, white-out conditions were reported in the Old Town neighborhood on the city's North Side.[original research?] The Chicago Public Schools announced, on February 1, that public schools would be closed on the following day (Wednesday, February 2), which marked the first cancellation of classes district wide since the Blizzard of 1999.[3] Northwestern University also announced the cancellation of classes for Wednesday, which marked the first time since 1979 that NU had a snow day.[4] Likewise, the University of Chicago canceled classes Wednesday for the first time in over 60 years due to the snow conditions.[citation needed]

At Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, the location of the Navy's only boot camp, only "mission essential" personnel were required to report on Wednesday the 2nd, and all hands already on base were ordered to remain indoors.

In the central part of the state, several municipalities were all but shut down by the storm. On Monday, residents rushed to the stores to stock up on groceries, and several stores reported record sales.[5] On Tuesday, several school districts and universities pre-emptively cancelled classes for Tuesday evening and all-day Wednesday. [6]

About 1.5 inches of snow fell Monday night.[7] Tuesday afternoon brought heavy snowfall and sustained 40 mile per hour winds, with gusts of over 50 miles per hour. Local government officials encouraged all businesses to close down, and local hospitals braced for the storm by preparing living and sleeping areas for essential personnel.[8][9] Flights from area airports were canceled, and local officials repeatedly urged residents not to travel, as due to the whiteout conditions, snow plows had been taken off the roads.[10][9] Interstate 80 was closed Tuesday night between Morris and Princeton, while Lake Shore Drive was temporarily shut down due to impassible conditions.[11] As of 9:30pm Tuesday, more than 100,000 customers were without power across the state, including 79,000 ComEd customers across Northern Illinois and 35,800 Ameren customers in Downstate Illinois.[12] Several charities set up shelters for the homeless and those stranded by the blizzard,[13] and Illinois governor Pat Quinn mobilized the Illinois National Guard to help rescue stranded motorists.[14] As of 8:30 am CST, it is still snowing in Northern Illinois.

Missouri

In Missouri, a state of emergency has been declared by Governor Jay Nixon and has activated the Missouri National Guard. [15] Interstate 70, which runs east/west for the entire length of Missouri was closed by the Missouri Department of Transportation from Wentzville to Kansas City, nearly 3/4 of the length of the interstate that runs through Missouri.

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker declared a State of Emergency in 29 Wisconsin counties due to the snowstorm and deployed 75 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers.[16] Nearly all government buildings, schools, and public facilities were closed for February 2, 2011 in the Southeastern region of the state, including the major cities of Milwaukee and Madison.

See also

References

  1. ^ Sosnowski A (2011-02-01). "Northeast Groundhog Storm Update Tuesday Evening". Weather News. AccuWeather.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  2. ^ Konkol M, Esposito S, Ihejirika M (2011-02-01). "Blizzard shuts down city; worst is still on the way". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2011-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Chicago Schools Cancel Classes For First Time Since 1999". CBS Chicago. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  4. ^ Vickers HG (2011-02-01). "Hunkering down for the biggest snow in a decade". Medill Reports. Northwestern University. Retrieved 2011-02-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Area residents struggle to respond to blizzard". Local News. Pantagraph.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  6. ^ "Schools prepare for snowstorm". Local News. Pantagraph.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "Snow plows 'just can't keep up' in major blizzard". Local News. Pantagraph.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ "Continuous winter storm coverage - Peoria, IL". pjstar.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  9. ^ a b "Ardis urges patience regarding storm cleanup efforts". pjstar.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  10. ^ Swiech P (2011-02-01). "Red Cross opens warming centers". Local News. Pantagraph.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  11. ^ "Lake Shore Dr. 'temporarily' shut down; section of I-80 closing tonight - Chicago Sun-Times". Chicago Sun-Times. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  12. ^ "Winter storm knocks out power to thousands in Illinois, residents urged to avoid down lines - KTVI". Fox News St. Loius. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Highway conditions deteriorating". Local News. Pantagraph.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  14. ^ "Quinn activates Illinois National Guard before storm". pjstar.com and The Associated Press. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ National Guard official website with reference Retrieved 02-02-2011
  16. ^ Durhams, Sharif and Tom Held. (Feb. 2, 2011) "Massive cleanup begins as blizzard moves east." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2011_Groundhog_Day_Blizzard&oldid=411622711"