Winter has finally come to Chicago. For the second day in a row, the whole city was covered in a blanket of powdery snow after a band of storms hit the area over the weekend. Despite nearly 8 inches of snow, Monday won't be another day of snow — instead, it will provide the city with temporary relief before temperatures drop into negative digits later in the week.
Chicago Experienced An 8-Inch Winter Snow
According to the National Weather Service, Monday is expected to be partly sunny, with temperatures falling to around 21 degrees by 9 a.m. and winds of up to 15 mph. By Thursday afternoon, highs will reach only 8 degrees with overnight lows in the negative digits. As of early Monday, 7.8 inches of snow had been recorded at O'Hare. Other heavy snowfalls were reported in Rockford, where 6.3 inches fell from Saturday to Sunday.
Snow and wintry precipitation made for messy, difficult traveling conditions on Monday morning in the Northeast as commuters made their way into work. Boston saw 1 to 2 inches overnight and snow continued to fall into the early morning. Below freezing temperatures are expected for millions across a large part of the country in the coming days as an arctic blast moves in from Canada.
Due to this winter snow, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) are making sure that buses undergo a thorough inspection process to get ready for cold weather operation. This includes checking heaters, engine thermostats and batteries, and making sure windows, roof hatches and doors close securely. People traveling via train can keep warm under overhead heaters at more than 120 outdoor stations across the city.
Airlines To Cancel More Than 1,300 Fights
As reported by Chicago Tribune, winter storm warning was in effect through late Sunday for Cook, Lake, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties in Illinois and in Lake County, Ind. Nearly 70 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport, and one was canceled at Midway Airport. Complicating road travel, many Chicago-area expressways had patches of snow and ice, with Interstate 290 west of the Tri-State Tollway reported as covered in both at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
As per NBC News, more than 1,390 flights were canceled in Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports — about half arrivals and half departures, flight-tracking website FlightAware reported. O'Hare recorded 3.9 inches of snowfall and Midway recorded 3.7 as of noon on Sunday, the National Weather Service in Chicago said.
