Winter 1912
If the winter of 1912 could be described in one word, it would be intense. Not even a week into the new year, the temperature already fell into the negatives. January 4th came in with a low of -6 degrees, the highest temperature being only 7 degrees Fahrenheit. The next two days got even more frigid, not going out of the negatives at all. January 7th broke the cycle when, at its highest, it reached only two degrees above the negative threshold. Small flurries zipped through the area, not affecting much.
Come early February, not much had changed. There was a small instance of hope, however, when on the first day of February the high almost crept out past the freezing point. Mid-February warmed slightly, consistently reaching out past the freezing point. That all changed one chilly February evening. In the early evening of Monday, February 26th, the storm started. It continued all throughout the day, and mixed with high northeast winds, the storm devastated all of the Chicago land area. The storm was compared to “the big snow of 1881,” which was equally as impactful. The storm effectively stopped the city from running. Mail carriers refused to work, and trains from suburbs to Chicago were considerably delayed.
1912 was a particularly snowy year, with 39.5 inches of snow, compared to only 22.8 inches the previous year. 1912 nearly doubled the previous year's snow total, but that was not the only noteworthy statistic. On January 7th, the temperature reached a staggering -16 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather.gov listed it on their list of lowest-ever recorded temperatures in Chicago. The year also currently holds the record for most consecutive days with the low being at least zero degrees. For 10 days straight in January, the low fell below zero degrees Fahrenheit, being the only year recorded to do so.
