The Chicago blizzard of 1979 was a major blizzard that affected northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, United States on January 13–14, 1979. It was one of the largest Chicago snowstorms in history at the time, with 21 inches of snowfall in the two-day period. It was expected to be only 2-4 inches of snow but by the end of January 14, the depth of snow on the ground peaked at 29 inches. The blizzard lasted for a total of 38 hours and at its peak, the wind gust reached speeds of 39 miles per hour. Five people died during the blizzard, with approximately 15 others serious injured due to conditions created by the storm. One of the five deaths came when a snow plow driver went berserk, hitting 34 cars and ramming a man. O'Hare Airport was closed and all flights grounded for 96 hours from Janu