Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Karen CullottaChicago Tribune
Chicagoans digging themselves out of one of the city’s worst November snowstorms can look forward to dry weather for the next few days, but snow-related problems persisted late into Monday with extensive delays at Chicago’s airports and power outages for more than 140,000 residents.
The storm pummeled the Chicago area Sunday night and Monday morning with winds of more than 50 mph, dropping more than 8 inches of snow at O’Hare International Airport and up to 13 inches in the hardest-hit areas in the northwest suburbs, southern Wisconsin and areas south of Rockford along Interstate 39.
By itself, the storm — the second measurable snowfall for the month — catapulted this month to sixth snowiest November in Chicago history, behind November 1975’s total of 10.8 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Chicago recorded 1 inch of snow Nov. 9, the earliest snowfall in 30 years."
READ MORE: City, suburbs clean up after one of worst November storms ever to hit Chicago area »
It snarled the Monday morning commute for both drivers and Metra riders, and shuttered hundreds of schools for the day. McHenry, Kane and DuPage counties also closed some governmental offices.
Traffic on expressways slowed to under 20 mph at the height of rush hour, with authorities reporting numerous spinouts and collisions. Every Metra line reported delays, primarily for equipment malfunction and signal problems.
CTA riders were spared, as no weather-related problems were reported on either trains or buses.
Cancellations and delays still plagued airport travelers as of Monday afternoon, with more than 1,300 cancellations at both airports, most of them at O’Hare.
Delays for arrivals at O’Hare averaged more than 70 minutes as of Monday afternoon. Conditions were better at Midway Airport, where delays averaged less than 20 minutes. Just 73 flights were canceled at Midway, compared with 1,302 at O’Hare, according to the city’s Aviation Department.
Boards displaying departures at O’Hare were filled with red-marked cancellations. A snack cart was wheeled up to appease American Airlines customers waiting in a particularly long line.
Chicagoans digging themselves out of one of the city’s worst November snowstorms can look forward to dry weather for the next few days, but snow-related problems persisted late into Monday with extensive delays at Chicago’s airports and power outages for more than 140,000 residents.
The storm pummeled the Chicago area Sunday night and Monday morning with winds of more than 50 mph, dropping more than 8 inches of snow at O’Hare International Airport and up to 13 inches in the hardest-hit areas in the northwest suburbs, southern Wisconsin and areas south of Rockford along Interstate 39.
By itself, the storm — the second measurable snowfall for the month — catapulted this month to sixth snowiest November in Chicago history, behind November 1975’s total of 10.8 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Chicago recorded 1 inch of snow Nov. 9, the earliest snowfall in 30 years."
READ MORE: City, suburbs clean up after one of worst November storms ever to hit Chicago area »
It snarled the Monday morning commute for both drivers and Metra riders, and shuttered hundreds of schools for the day. McHenry, Kane and DuPage counties also closed some governmental offices.
Traffic on expressways slowed to under 20 mph at the height of rush hour, with authorities reporting numerous spinouts and collisions. Every Metra line reported delays, primarily for equipment malfunction and signal problems.
CTA riders were spared, as no weather-related problems were reported on either trains or buses.
Cancellations and delays still plagued airport travelers as of Monday afternoon, with more than 1,300 cancellations at both airports, most of them at O’Hare.
Delays for arrivals at O’Hare averaged more than 70 minutes as of Monday afternoon. Conditions were better at Midway Airport, where delays averaged less than 20 minutes. Just 73 flights were canceled at Midway, compared with 1,302 at O’Hare, according to the city’s Aviation Department.
Boards displaying departures at O’Hare were filled with red-marked cancellations. A snack cart was wheeled up to appease American Airlines customers waiting in a particularly long line.
Some inbound flights at O’Hare were more than three hours behind schedule, frustrating passengers heading home from the Thanksgiving holiday.
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