Midwest Smacked By Historic Snowfall, Basically Shrugs It Off

Midwest Smacked By Historic Snowfall, Basically Shrugs It Off

Now this is what a blizzard really looks like.

Less than a week after meteorologists botched their forecast of a blizzard that was anticipated to hit New York City with “historic” snowfall, causing the city to preemptively shut down, another winter storm slammed into the Midwest on Sunday. It brought actual historic amounts of snowfall with considerably less hype.

In Detroit, 16.7 inches of snow were recorded at Metro Airport, making for the city’s third biggest snowstorm on record. In Plymouth, Indiana, in the far northern part of the state, 19.6 inches of snowfall was reported during the storm.

And in Chicago, 19.3 inches of snow fell Sunday into Monday morning, making for the city’s fifth largest blizzard in its recorded history.

Unlike what happened in New York, Chicago's public transit system remained operational (though with some delays), no travel bans were put into effect and, as far as we know, no kale shortages were reported.

The storm has since headed to the Northeast. Here's what the historic snowfall looked like in Chicago and elsewhere:

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A man walks down a snow-covered street on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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A man digs out his car along a snow-covered street on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Scott Olson via Getty Images
Pedestrians and motorists navigate a snow-covered street on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Snow covers trees at O'Hare International Airport, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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A pedestrian navigates a snow-covered sidewalk on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Aryn Sothbarr clears snow from the sidewalk outside her home on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Scott Olson via Getty Images
A man waits for a ride along a snow-covered street on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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A homeowner shovels snow in Detroit, Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Two men clear snow from a sidewalk Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, in Blue Island, Ill. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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A car parked on Old Western in the entertainment district of Blue Island, Ill., appears abandoned Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, after a Super Bowl Sunday storm. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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A man walks down a snow-covered street on February 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Jose Robles clears snow from a bridge at the Milwaukee Art Museum Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
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Snow and ice cover a license plate on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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