West Leyden High School - Shield Yearbook (Northlake, IL)

Page 29 text:

' ■ ■% I Heaping mounds of snow almost cover this stop sign. This was just one of the many effects of the snow that covered West Leyden and the surrounding areas. Brrrr . . . its cold Blistering cold, spine-tingling vi inds, and record snowfalls for the Chicago area were some common conditions faced by the average West Leyden student this winter. Whether digging out the car out of the snow, trudging through numerous snow- drifts of at least four feet or standing frigidly in sub-zero temperatures waiting for a bus, everyone had ample chance to experience the hardships of the blizzard. Memories of 1967 stirred in people ' s minds as old records were shattered by temperatures of 19 degrees below zero and 49 below with the wind-chill, not to mention an excess of thirty inches of snow smothering the ground, forming impassible barriers. Nearby, the world ' s busiest airport was forced to shut down for over 42 hours, an incident that has occured only five other times in its history. When it finally reopened, however, O ' Hare was operating at only one-fourth its total capacity. In addition, commuters experienced trouble getting to and from work when various train and bus lines were either shut down or delayed for up to four hours. Closer to home, students and teachers alike, experienced a rarity - Snow Days - giving students a chance to take off for a weekend of skiing, if at all possible, or to simply catch up on a favorite soap opera. Digging out may have been the most difficult task of all. Getting snow off roofs, streets, and driveways and getting public transportation back to normal led to weather-related deaths in double figures. In the school ' s 21-year history, many declare this blizzard as being the worst, blaming it all on the belief that records are meant to be broken. Barren trees and snow piles were plentiful this winter, as everywhere you turned you saw both. This tree was not to be climbed for quite some time. 25

Page 28 text:

Mounds and mounds of snow piled high everywhere. Here, the entrance sign to the school is partially covered; the result of the heavy snowfall and strong, blowing winds. Snow wasn ' t the only thing that Chicagoans had plenty of, as this picture can testify. Three foot icicles were not an uncommon sight in any part of the city. Shifting winds and swirling gusts of snow, formed mounts of snow around the wings of West Leyden, which found itself closed down for several days during the Blizzard of 79. 24

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