450 Flights Cancelled, Schools Closed As Lake Effect Snow Blasts Chicago Area

CHICAGO, IL — After fast-falling snow in some areas overnight, lake effect snow will begin to drift south across most of the Chicago area Monday morning, especially across Cook and Lake counties, the National Weather Service said. At times, snowfall in excess of two inches per hour is possible in some areas, and some parts of the Chicago area could see snowfall totals of up to 14 inches.

NWS cautioned drivers that another period of lake effect snow is expected to hit portions of the area Monday morning, creating dangerous travel conditions and snow-covered roads.

In the past 24 hours, more than 450 flights have been cancelled at O'Hare and Midway airports, Fox Chicago reported. So far on Monday, FlightAware reported 277 cancellations at O'Hare and 124 at Midway.

A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon for eastern Will, northern Cook and southern Cook counties, with additional snow accumulations of up to 1 inch of show and localized snowfall totals of 4 to 8 inches expected. A winter storm warning for Lake County is in effect until 9 a.m., with similar snowfall accumulations expected.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until noon for central Cook County, with another 1 to 2 inches of snow expected to bring the snowfall total to 2 to 4 inches.

For DuPage, northern Will and southern Will counties, a winter weather advisory is in place until noon, with total snowfall of 1 to 3 inches expected.

In Kankakee County, a winter storm warning is in effect until noon, with an additional snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches, for a total snowfall of 10 to 14 inches near and east of I-57, NWS said.

Drivers are urged to plan for slippery road conditions and advised to keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicles in case of emergency.

Parts of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin have seen up to 10 inches of snow already as of Monday morning, the Weather Channel reported.

Some schools in the Chicago area were reporting late starts and closings due to the winter weather. School districts in Alsip, Oak Lawn, Oak Forest, Palos Heights, Evanston, Glenview and Highland Park were having late starts, delayed up to 3 hours for some districts, while others, including districts in Momence and Grant Park, were on e-learning. Other schools were closed for the day, including districts and schools in Chicago, Gurnee, Zion and parts of Northwest Indiana. See the full list at the Emergency Closing Center.