More than 20 inches of snow fell in some areas. Power outages, school and business closings, motorists stranded on roadways and public transit disruptions complicated life in the city and suburbs.

The all-time Chicago record snowfall was set in 1967. Over the course of 35 hours, 23 inches of snow fell on Chicago, clogging streets, shuttering businesses and paralyzing the city for days. Roofs collapsed. Hundreds of stalled vehicles sat helpless in the streets. Dozens died.

The 1967 storm, oddly enough, was preceded by a few days of record high temperatures in the Chicago area. On Jan. 24, temperatures hit a balmy 65 degrees, bringing heavy rains. Just two days later, on a Thursday at 5:02 a.m., the snow began falling and didn't stop until almost 4 p.m. the next day.