THE HORVATH BLOG: Snow storm of 1947

“Snow Paralyzes Milwaukee”

Headline from the Milwaukee Journal
Did I miss a news worthy event, you ask? Not at all, those headline words emblazoned the front page of the Journal -----in January 1947. That headline making storm is something that none of us will ever forget even though we small children at the time.

The storm lasted January 28th through the 30th, 1947 and produced a snowfall total of 18.1 inches. However, that amount is likely to be far below the actual depth that fell, due to the considerable blowing and drifting. The winds during the storm were northeast at 25 to 45 mph with 60 mph gusts, causing near zero visibility. Huge drifts, as high as 15 feet, brought all traffic to a stand still. All stores, factories, offices, and schools were closed from two to four days with many people stranded in cars, buses, trains, railroad depots, and hotel lobbies. It took several days to even begin to restore partial train and public transportation and over a week until all walks and roads was reasonably cleared. It took that long to the remove snow because, in those days, most of the work was done by hand.

The 1947 snowstorm is often considered to have been the longest, worst, and most costly in Milwaukee history.