Chicago Record Snow Falls, Commuters Struggle In Rush 8.8 Inches At O'Hare Sets Recor
Feb 14th 2007 | 4:27 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Chicago Record Snow Falls, Commuters Struggle In Rush 8.8 Inches At O'Hare Sets Recor
SLIDESHOW: Snowstorm Blows In
WEB EXTRA: Illinois And Northwest Indiana Snow Totals
Get breaking news alerts
(CBS) CHICAGO There is not nearly as much snow falling today as
yesterday, but the problems it has caused for commuters are far from
over this morning.
A total of 8.8 inches fell at O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday,
which set a record for the date of Feb. 13. The 9.7 inches that fell
at Midway International Airport was the record for a one-day snowfall
there.
As CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, many side streets remain unplowed,
but the wind has died down compared with Tuesday, which may mean
drifting over the roads is diminished.
But city Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael
Picardi says extreme caution is still needed on side streets.
"Right now, they're in bad shape. The South Side -- they had 8.8
inches dumped on them, and we really haven't had a chance to knock it
down," Picardi said. "So they're dangerous. I'm very concerned as
people are leaving for work, they need to be careful on those side
streets. They need to be very slow, they need to be careful when
they're approaching those intersections and they need to be careful
around schools."
At 8:30 a.m., 100 snow fighting trucks were moved from main roads to
side streets, where 100 plows attached to garbage trucks and 22 more
smaller plows were already working.
A Phase Three Snow Removal is also in place for the city, bringing 747
workers and 70 pieces of equipment from the city departments of
Transportation and Water Management, as well as non-snow related
bureaus of Streets and Sanitation.
Crews are working not only to clear streets, but also crosswalks and
areas near fire hydrants, as well as sidewalks in front of such
facilities as police and fire stations, hospitals, social service
agencies, schools and places of worship.
"We're still getting blowing snow, but we're ready for the rush hour,"
Picardi said.
It was the drifting on Tuesday that blew snow back onto roads right
after they were plowed, making it difficult for crews to keep roads
clear.
A stretch of northbound Lake Shore Drive, between 31st and 57th
streets, was closed late Tuesday due to blowing snow, and drifts there
reached 2 to 5 feet. It reopened sometime after 6:30 a.m., after crews
spent hours clearing the snow.
Motorists are still advised to use caution on local streets, both
major roadways and side streets.
Further, Streets and Sanitation points out that private companies that
are hired to clear snow are forbidden by law from pushing snow into
the street. The companies will be ticketed and fined by if they are
found to be doing so.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Public Schools are open on Wednesday, but
school buses are not running. The Chicago Public Schools say students
who normally ride the bus may attend their neighborhood school. More
On the expressways, as CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, Illinois
Department of Transportation crews are still out Wednesday morning,
and the temperatures are not as low as IDOT officials expected they
would be.
IDOT snow fighting truck crews worked through the night on 12-hour
shifts to salt and plow about 9,000 miles of roadway.
The drifting and blowing also caused a serious problem on the
expressways, but Illinois State Police said the most serious problem
by far was speeding drivers.
"People are driving too fast; they're changing lanes," said state
police Sgt. Margaret Madrigal. "It's very hard to stop in this kind of
weather, and you fishtail, so that's the result of most of the
accidents out here."
Madrigal said state police on Wednesday morning were working under
their emergency snow plan, which means drivers who are involved in
minor accidents are asked to drive their vehicles off the expressway,
exchange information, and contact police about the accident at a later
date.
Public Transportation Also Sometimes Dicey
For those whose cars might be buried, public transportation is always
an option, but even that is not always problem-free.
Train riders had a relatively smooth ride on Tuesday, considering
there was a minor derailment on the Pink Line, backing up trains all
the way to the Loop.
But bus riders had even more serious problems, since the buses had to
share the same snowy roads as the cars.
"It's pretty rough, because buses are taking about an hour, as far as
I hear the Pink Line might be down. But I'm going to get there," said
Ronica Cauhe.
As for Metra, some frozen rail switches caused scattered delays of up
to 15 minutes.
As bad as the situation was in the city, some frozen rail switches
caused scattered delays of up to 15 minutes. Residents armed with just
snow shovels seemed to be fighting a losing battle, and even snow
blowers could barely keep up.
Drivers were spinning their wheels as they tried to get around, and
many got stuck.
Metra riders did not fare much better, as conditions delayed some
trains for two hours or more. Some Metra stations were locked up
tight.
Trying to get out of town was no easy task either, and that is not
expected to change on Wednesday.
The Chicago Department of Aviation says to expect hefty delays and
plenty of cancellations at both airports on Wednesday.
As of 10:30 a.m., O'Hare reported about 430 flight cancellations, with
delays of 30 to 45 minutes for scheduled flights. Midway reported 42
cancellations. The Aviation Department attributed the cancellations to
the snowstorm now in the Northeast.
On Tuesday, Midway was completely shut down, while about a third of
all flights were cancelled at O'Hare International Airport.
What To Expect For The Rest Of The Day
CBS 2's Ed Curran reports there is still some lake effect snow
falling, and the closer to the lake shore you are, the more likely
there will be snow. For that reason, a winter storm warning remains in
effect for much of the Chicago area until 9 a.m.
The winter storm warning is extended through Wednesday afternoon for
Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana, where an additional 3
to 6 inches of new snow is expected to fall by Wednesday afternoon.
The lake effect snow showers, which will remain considerably lighter
than the snow on Tuesday, will migrate to Northwest Indiana later in
the day as the wind turns from the north to the northwest.
Snow totals measured only 3.1 inches in Woodstock, but as high as 8.3
inches at Midway. In Cedar Lake, Ind., 10 inches of snow were
measured.
As of the 4 a.m. hour, it was 12 degrees at O'Hare with a wind chill
of -3. The temperatures for the day will not rise above the teens. But
this weekend, the mercury will rise to the 20s, and next week, the 30s
are expected.
WEB EXTRA: Illinois And Northwest Indiana Snow Totals
Get breaking news alerts
(CBS) CHICAGO There is not nearly as much snow falling today as
yesterday, but the problems it has caused for commuters are far from
over this morning.
A total of 8.8 inches fell at O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday,
which set a record for the date of Feb. 13. The 9.7 inches that fell
at Midway International Airport was the record for a one-day snowfall
there.
As CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, many side streets remain unplowed,
but the wind has died down compared with Tuesday, which may mean
drifting over the roads is diminished.
But city Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael
Picardi says extreme caution is still needed on side streets.
"Right now, they're in bad shape. The South Side -- they had 8.8
inches dumped on them, and we really haven't had a chance to knock it
down," Picardi said. "So they're dangerous. I'm very concerned as
people are leaving for work, they need to be careful on those side
streets. They need to be very slow, they need to be careful when
they're approaching those intersections and they need to be careful
around schools."
At 8:30 a.m., 100 snow fighting trucks were moved from main roads to
side streets, where 100 plows attached to garbage trucks and 22 more
smaller plows were already working.
A Phase Three Snow Removal is also in place for the city, bringing 747
workers and 70 pieces of equipment from the city departments of
Transportation and Water Management, as well as non-snow related
bureaus of Streets and Sanitation.
Crews are working not only to clear streets, but also crosswalks and
areas near fire hydrants, as well as sidewalks in front of such
facilities as police and fire stations, hospitals, social service
agencies, schools and places of worship.
"We're still getting blowing snow, but we're ready for the rush hour,"
Picardi said.
It was the drifting on Tuesday that blew snow back onto roads right
after they were plowed, making it difficult for crews to keep roads
clear.
A stretch of northbound Lake Shore Drive, between 31st and 57th
streets, was closed late Tuesday due to blowing snow, and drifts there
reached 2 to 5 feet. It reopened sometime after 6:30 a.m., after crews
spent hours clearing the snow.
Motorists are still advised to use caution on local streets, both
major roadways and side streets.
Further, Streets and Sanitation points out that private companies that
are hired to clear snow are forbidden by law from pushing snow into
the street. The companies will be ticketed and fined by if they are
found to be doing so.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Public Schools are open on Wednesday, but
school buses are not running. The Chicago Public Schools say students
who normally ride the bus may attend their neighborhood school. More
On the expressways, as CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, Illinois
Department of Transportation crews are still out Wednesday morning,
and the temperatures are not as low as IDOT officials expected they
would be.
IDOT snow fighting truck crews worked through the night on 12-hour
shifts to salt and plow about 9,000 miles of roadway.
The drifting and blowing also caused a serious problem on the
expressways, but Illinois State Police said the most serious problem
by far was speeding drivers.
"People are driving too fast; they're changing lanes," said state
police Sgt. Margaret Madrigal. "It's very hard to stop in this kind of
weather, and you fishtail, so that's the result of most of the
accidents out here."
Madrigal said state police on Wednesday morning were working under
their emergency snow plan, which means drivers who are involved in
minor accidents are asked to drive their vehicles off the expressway,
exchange information, and contact police about the accident at a later
date.
Public Transportation Also Sometimes Dicey
For those whose cars might be buried, public transportation is always
an option, but even that is not always problem-free.
Train riders had a relatively smooth ride on Tuesday, considering
there was a minor derailment on the Pink Line, backing up trains all
the way to the Loop.
But bus riders had even more serious problems, since the buses had to
share the same snowy roads as the cars.
"It's pretty rough, because buses are taking about an hour, as far as
I hear the Pink Line might be down. But I'm going to get there," said
Ronica Cauhe.
As for Metra, some frozen rail switches caused scattered delays of up
to 15 minutes.
As bad as the situation was in the city, some frozen rail switches
caused scattered delays of up to 15 minutes. Residents armed with just
snow shovels seemed to be fighting a losing battle, and even snow
blowers could barely keep up.
Drivers were spinning their wheels as they tried to get around, and
many got stuck.
Metra riders did not fare much better, as conditions delayed some
trains for two hours or more. Some Metra stations were locked up
tight.
Trying to get out of town was no easy task either, and that is not
expected to change on Wednesday.
The Chicago Department of Aviation says to expect hefty delays and
plenty of cancellations at both airports on Wednesday.
As of 10:30 a.m., O'Hare reported about 430 flight cancellations, with
delays of 30 to 45 minutes for scheduled flights. Midway reported 42
cancellations. The Aviation Department attributed the cancellations to
the snowstorm now in the Northeast.
On Tuesday, Midway was completely shut down, while about a third of
all flights were cancelled at O'Hare International Airport.
What To Expect For The Rest Of The Day
CBS 2's Ed Curran reports there is still some lake effect snow
falling, and the closer to the lake shore you are, the more likely
there will be snow. For that reason, a winter storm warning remains in
effect for much of the Chicago area until 9 a.m.
The winter storm warning is extended through Wednesday afternoon for
Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana, where an additional 3
to 6 inches of new snow is expected to fall by Wednesday afternoon.
The lake effect snow showers, which will remain considerably lighter
than the snow on Tuesday, will migrate to Northwest Indiana later in
the day as the wind turns from the north to the northwest.
Snow totals measured only 3.1 inches in Woodstock, but as high as 8.3
inches at Midway. In Cedar Lake, Ind., 10 inches of snow were
measured.
As of the 4 a.m. hour, it was 12 degrees at O'Hare with a wind chill
of -3. The temperatures for the day will not rise above the teens. But
this weekend, the mercury will rise to the 20s, and next week, the 30s
are expected.
