2011 — Jan 29-Feb 3, Groundhog Day Blizzard (storm), Central, East, Northeast– 36
— >36 NOAA. Extreme Weather 2011. Groundhog Day blizzard, January 29-February 3, 2011.
— 36 NOAA Nat. Climatic Data Center. Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters. 6-17-2011.
— >36 Wikipedia. “January 31 – February 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.
–28-30 Blanchard tally of State and locality breakouts below.
Breakout of Fatalities by State
Illinois (11)
— 11 State. Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.
— 11 State. Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.
— 9 Daily Herald, Chicago (Anna Madrzyk). “Blizzard death toll [local] up to 9.” 2-4-2011, 1.
— 1 Barrington “substitute teacher was identified Thursday as the storm’s first victim…”[1]
— >7 Chicago area. Chicago Tribune. “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011.
–1 Diversey Harbor, Feb 2. Male, 60, “…either was blown or fell into the lake.”[2]
–1 Lyons, Cook Co., Feb 1. Apparent heart attack; male, 58, shoveling heavy snow.[3]
— 1 Downers Grove, DuPage Co, Feb 2. Apparent heart attack; male, 69, shoveling snow.[4]
— 3 DuPage County. Apparent heart attacks shoveling snow, males in 60s.[5]
— 1 Grayslake, U.S. Route 45, Lake Co., Feb 2. Natural causes; male, 48, found in vehicle.[6]
— 1 Kane County employee, Feb 2; Apparent heart attack after plowing roads.[7]
— 1 Lake County, Feb 2. Apparent heart attack shoveling snow; male, 84.[8]
— 1 Mundelein “woman found dead in her car.”[9]
Indiana ( 3)
— 3 State. Scheeringa. “Feb 2011 Climate Summary.” MWR, IN State Climate Office, 3-4-2011.
— 1 Morgantown. Freezing. Elderly man, after accidentally locking himself out of home.[10]
— 2 Roselawn area, Newton Co., Feb 1 or 2. Weather-related vehicular crash; Tayler, 17; male, 43.[11]
Iowa ( 1)
— 1 Mount Pleasant vicinity, Feb 1. Natural causes; Wayne Hendricks, 58, found outside SUV.[12]
Kansas (1-2)
— 2 State. Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.[13]
— 1 Wichita, Feb 2. Train hits car tuck on tracks in the snow; Sandra Joslin, 50.[14]
Michigan ( 3)
–3 ABC News (Ned Potter). “Snow, Wind, Rain: Winter Storm Blankets U.S., 12-9-2009.
–1 Dansville vicinity. Vehicle crash on icy road; male, 73.[15]
–1 Detroit. Traffic accident; “man in Detroit died in traffic accident caused by icy roads.”
–1 Traverse City, Beitner Rd., Jan 31. Christopher Spiers, 33, lost control of vehicle, slick road.[16]
Missouri (0-1)
— Central MO. Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.[17]
Ohio ( 2)
–2 Germantown, Feb 2-3. CO poisoning (generator); OH State Trooper Tim Hall, 48, wife.[18]
Oklahoma ( 4)
— 4 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. The Winter Storm of February 8-9, 2011. 6-5-2014 mod.[19]
—>3 Miami vic., Ottawa Co., Feb 3. Pickup truck goes off snow-covered I-44 into Spring River.[20]
— 1 Oklahoma City, 8700 block Stanley Draper Drive, Feb 1. Sledding accident; female, 20.[21]
Wisconsin ( 3)
— 1 Milwaukee, Feb 2. Apparent heart attack clearing snow; male, 66.[22]
— 1 Franklin, Yale Drive, Feb 2. Apparent heart attack; male clearing snow, 54.[23]
— 1 Milwaukee Co., 64th St., Feb 2. Heart attack clearing snow with snowblower; male, 53.[24]
Narrative Information
NOAA: “Groundhog Day Blizzard Jan 29-Feb 3. Large winter storm impacting many central, eastern and northeastern states. The city of Chicago was brought to a virtual standstill as between 1 and 2 feet of snow fell over the area. Insured losses greater than $1.1 billion; total losses (e.g., insurance, state and local snow removal, business interruption) greater than $3.9 billion; 36 deaths.” (NOAA Nat. Climatic Data Center. Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters. 6-17-2011.)
Illinois
“11 snow-related deaths had been reported in Illinois by February 3. The body of an individual was recovered from Lake Michigan by Chicago Police. The pedestrian had reportedly been walking on the lakefront pathway and had been blown into the lake by strong winds. In Grayslake, a man was killed in a crash while driving through the storm, while a woman in Mundelein died of cold exposure in her car. A man in Chicago was also found dead in his home, which had no heat. In Barrington, a teacher died of a heart attack while leaving school on Tuesday. Five cardiac-related deaths due to shoveling snow occurred in Lyons, Downers Grove, Mount Prospect, Carol Stream, and Glendale Heights.[25] In rural LaSalle County, a man died while trying to walk through the storm after his car was stranded on a rural road.”[26] (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Indiana
“Near Wheatfield, a teenage boy and a hitchhiker he picked up were killed during the blizzard when a semi crashed into the compact car they were driving in.[27] Central Indiana saw ice, followed by snow and high winds, which gusted over 50 mph. A peak of 50,000 Duke Energy customers were without power due to the storm, including nearly half of the Purdue University campus at one point.[28] A 57-year-old South Haven resident collapsed and died after clearing snow from his driveway. The city of Indianapolis received nearly a half inch of ice from the blizzard, effectively crippling the city and leaving many without power.” (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Kansas
“In Kansas, 53 counties were declared disaster areas. Especially hard hit were eastern sections of the state, which saw over a foot of snow and whiteout conditions. Government offices and the state legislature were closed on Wednesday, but expected to reopen on Thursday. At least two deaths were blamed on the storm.”[29] (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Michigan
“A 73-year-old Dansville man was killed in a vehicle crash.[30] Universities that closed due to the snow include Western Michigan University, Kendall College of Art and Design, Michigan State University, University of Michigan Flint, University of Michigan Dearborn, Wayne State University and Central Michigan University.” (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Missouri
“In Missouri, a state of emergency was declared by Governor Jay Nixon, who activated the Missouri National Guard. On February 1st, Interstate 70, which runs east-west from St. Louis to Kansas City, the entire width of Missouri, was closed by the Missouri Department of Transportation due to white-out conditions and increasing snowfall. It was the first time in Missouri history that any interstate was closed across the entire state.
“Kansas City was under a blizzard warning for only the 2nd time since 1980, and only the 3rd time in its entire history. Columbia experienced the town’s first blizzard warning with this storm in their history.
“Many local school districts canceled classes, the University of Missouri shut down for an unprecedented three successive days. The University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri (which received 23 inches of snow, which in turn broke the all time record for the town for snowfall in one day) was closed an unprecedented three days as well….Areas of Missouri also reported significant sleet accumulation. In St. Louis, some MetroLink service was suspended due to ice on the rails. Several malls were closed due to ice in the parking lots. One person in central Missouri was killed during the storm.”[31] (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Ohio
“In the Dayton area, an Ohio Highway Trooper and his wife died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a running generator that built up gas in their home after the home lost power.”[32]
(Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Oklahoma
“The storm system has caused at least three deaths in Oklahoma, one in a sledding accident and two in an auto crash. On February 1, a 20-year-old Oklahoma City woman died due to injuries suffered in a sledding accident near Lake Stanley Draper, in which the sled being pulled by a vehicle veered off the road, flinging the woman into a guardrail; she was pronounced dead at the scene.[33] Two days later as slick road conditions continued across parts of the state, a truck carrying eight people ran off of a bridge and fell into the Spring River (which had been covered in ice), on I-44 in Ottawa County near Miami, killing two people; one of two westbound lanes of I-44 was reopened to traffic the previous evening after blizzard conditions made it impassible.”[34] (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Wisconsin
“Three people died of cardiac-related illnesses while clearing snow in Milwaukee.”[35] (Wikipedia. “Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011.)
Sources
ABC News (Leezel Tanglao, Max Golembo, Ben Forer and Jessica Hopper). “Storm Leaves Trail of Snow, Ice, Power Outages, Freezing Temperatures.” 2-2-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/blizzard-2011-mega-snowstorm-pounds-midwest-snow-ice/story?id=12818948
Associated Press, Milford, Conn. “Mammoth storm leaves bitter cold, destruction.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA, B4. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/walla-walla/walla-walla-union-bulletin/2011/02-03/page-14?tag=blizzard+dead+killed+die+death&rtserp=tags/blizzard?plo=dead-killed-die-death&psb=dateasc&page=2&pci=7&ndt=bd&pd=3&pe=5&pem=2&py=2011&pm=2&pey=2011
Associated Press. “Mt. Pleasant Man Found Dead Outside Vehicle in Blizzard.” KCRG.com, 2-3-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Mt-Pleasant-Man-Found-Dead-Outside-Vehicle-in-Blizzard–115206779.html
Chicago Tribune (Deanese Williams-Harris and Ruth Fuller). “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at:
Daily Herald, Chicago (Anna Madrzyk). “Blizzard death toll [local] up to 9.” 2-4-2011, p. 1. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/2011/02-04/page-308?tag=blizzard+dead+killed+die+death&rtserp=tags/blizzard?pci=7&ndt=bd&pd=4&pm=2&py=2011&pe=5&pem=2&pey=2011&plo=dead-killed-die-death&psb=dateasc
Daily Herald, Chicago. “Freeze: At least 2 deaths attributed to weather.” 2-3-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/2011/02-03/page-9,4?tag=blizzard+dead%20killed%20die%20death&rtserp=tags/blizzard?plo=dead-killed-die-death&psb=dateasc&page=4&pci=7&ndt=bd&pd=3&pe=5&pem=2&py=2011&pm=2&pey=2011
Fox19.com. “Ohio State Trooper and wife found dead; carbon monoxide poisoning.” 2-3-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=13963449
Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee (Jesse Garza). “Two more blizzard-related deaths reported.” 2-2-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/115136814.html
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Climatic Data Center. Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters. 6-17-2011. At: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/billionz.html
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Extreme Weather 2011. “Groundhog Day blizzard, January 29-February 3, 2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://www.noaa.gov/extreme2011/blizzard.html
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Norman, OK. The Winter Storm of February 8-9, 2011. 6-5-2014 modification. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20110208
NewsOK (Michael Kimball and Bryan Dean). “Woman killed in Oklahoma City sledding accident.” 2-1-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://newsok.com/woman-killed-in-oklahoma-city-sledding-accident/article/3537215
Scheeringa, Ken. “February 2011 Climate Summary.” Monthly Weather Report, Indiana State Climate Office, 3-4-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://iclimate.org/summary/2011-02.pdf
Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI. “Slick roads probably contributed to death.” 2-2-2011, p. 3A. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/michigan/traverse-city/traverse-city-record-eagle/2011/02-02/page-3?tag=blizzard+dead+killed+die+death&rtserp=tags/blizzard?plo=dead-killed-die-death&psb=dateasc&page=3&pci=7&ndt=bd&pd=2&pe=5&pem=2&py=2011&pm=2&pey=2011
UPI, Tulsa. “Storm rocks Midwest, pushes into Northeast.” 2-2-2011. Accessed 6-8-2015 at: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/02/02/UPI-NewsTrack-TopNews/UPI-47521296666167/
Wikipedia. “January 31 – February 2, 2011 North American Winter Storm.” 7-16-2011. At: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_31_%E2%80%93_February_2,_2011_North_American_winter_storm
[1] Died “while walking to his car.” Daily Herald, Chicago. “Blizzard death toll [local] up to 9.” 2-4-2011, 1.
[2] Chicago Tribune (Deanese Williams-Harris / Ruth Fuller). “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011.
[3] Chicago Tribune (Deanese Williams-Harris / Ruth Fuller). “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011.
[4] Chicago Tribune (Deanese Williams-Harris / Ruth Fuller). “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011.
[5] Actually writes of four DuPage snow shoveling deaths, but we have already identified one in Downers Grove. Daily Herald, Chicago (Anna Madrzyk). “Blizzard death toll [local] up to 9.” 2-4-2011, 1.
[6] Chicago Tribune (Deanese Williams-Harris / Ruth Fuller). “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011.
[7] Daily Herald, Chicago (Anna Madrzyk). “Blizzard death toll [local] up to 9.” 2-4-2011, p. 1.
[8] Daily Herald, Chicago. “Freeze: At least 2 deaths attributed to weather.” 2-3-2011.
[9] Daily Herald, Chicago (Anna Madrzyk). “Blizzard death toll [local] up to 9.” 2-4-2011, 1.
[10] Scheeringa, Ken. “Feb 2011 Climate Summary.” Monthly Weather Report, IN State Climate Office, 3-4-2011.
[11] Chicago Tribune (Deanese Williams-Harris / Ruth Fuller). “At least 7 possible storm-related deaths.” 2-2-2011. Writes that the driver was Matthew C. Taylor, 17, and that he had picked up a male passenger, 43, who also died. Another source (IN State Climate Office) has the date as Feb 1. (Scheeringa, Ken. “February 2011 Climate Summary.” Monthly Weather Report, Indiana State Climate Office, 3-4-2011.)
[12] “Authorities in southeast Iowa say a man was found dead outside his vehicle during this week’s blizzard. The Henry County sheriff’s office on Thursday say it appears 58-year-old Wayne Hendricks, of rural Mount Pleasant, tried to dig his sport utility vehicle out of the snow and was trying to walk to home, which was within sight of the SUV. Authorities say Hendricks…tried to get home sometime after 10 p.m. Tuesday, during the height of the storm that dumped almost 2 feet of snow in southeast Iowa. His body was found Wednesday morning by a road crew.” (AP. “Mt. Pleasant Man Found Dead Outside Vehicle in Blizzard.” KCRG.com, 2-3-2011.)
[13] The two sources footed for two Kansas deaths are broken and I have not been able to independently verify two.
[14] ABC News. “Storm Leaves Trail of Snow, Ice, Power Outages, Freezing Temperatures.” 2-2-2011.
[15] UPI, Tulsa. “Storm rocks Midwest, pushes into Northeast.” 2-2-2011. (Cites The Detroit News.)
[16] Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI. “Slick roads probably contributed to death.” 2-2-2011, p. 3A.
[17] The link to the source cited for this fatality is broken and I have not been able to independently verify.
[18] “The carbon monoxide was emitted by a generator running in the garage. They didn’t have power at their home.” (Fox19.com. “Ohio State Trooper and wife found dead; carbon monoxide poisoning.” 2-3-2011.)
[19] “…like the last storm [Jan 31-Feb 1], there were fatalities (2) with this storm [Feb 8-9] as compared to 4 deaths with the January 31-February 1, 2011 winter storm.”
[20] “…at least three people were killed…Five to eight people were in the truck that jumped a guard rail on Interstate 44 near the northeast town of Miami, Ottawa County Sheriff Terry Durborow said.” AP, Milford, Conn. “Mammoth storm leaves bitter cold, destruction.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA, B4.
[21] NewsOK (Michael Kimball and Bryan Dean). “Woman killed in Oklahoma City sledding accident.” 2-1-2011. Another source writes that the victim “was thrown off the sled being pulled by a vehicle.” (UPI, Tulsa. “Storm rocks Midwest, pushes into Northeast.” 2-2-2011.)
[22] Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee (Jesse Garza). “Two more blizzard-related deaths reported.” 2-2-2011.
[23] Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee (Jesse Garza). “Two more blizzard-related deaths reported.” 2-2-2011.
[24] Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee (Jesse Garza). “Two more blizzard-related deaths reported.” 2-2-2011.
[25] Cites: Williams-Harris, Deanese; Ruth Fuller (Feb 1, 2011). “Toll of possible storm-related deaths reaches 4”. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 Feb 2011; and “4 more deaths possibly weather-related”. chicagotribune.com.
[26] Cites: Associated Press. “Authorities: 4 die during Illinois blizzard, investigations to determine if weather-related”. WQAD. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
[27] Cites: Williams-Harris and Fuller. “Toll of possible storm-related deaths reaches 4”. Chicago Tribune, 2-1-2011.
[28] Cites: “Ice Storm: Snow, high winds move in to Central Indiana”. fox59.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
[29] Cites: “Kansas dodged the bullet in two-day blizzard”. Kansasreporter.org. Retrieved 2011-02-04; and Pittenger, Todd (Feb 4, 2011). “Storm Blamed For at Least Two Deaths”. KSAL Link. Retrieved 5 Feb 2011.
[30] Cites: AP, ABC (Feb 2, 2011). “Lansing-area man, 73, killed in icy rollover crash”. WLAJ.. Retrieved 2-5-2011.
[31] Cites: Rice, Rachel (Feb 5, 2011). “Patrol Says Public Behaved Admirably During Blizzard”. KOMU.
[32] Cites: “Ohio State Trooper and wife found dead; carbon monoxide poisoning”. Fox19.com. Feb 3, 2011.
[33] Cites: “Woman killed in Oklahoma City sledding accident,” NewsOK.com, Feb 1, 2011.
[34] Cites: “2 Dead After Vehicle Plunges Into River,” Fox23.com, Feb 3, 2011.
[35] Cites: “Two more blizzard-related deaths reported”. JSOnline. 2009-07-15.