Latest Midwest snow wave delays flights, makes driving tough

After 10 inches of snow felt in norhter Illinois on Friday, another wave of snow moved across the area late Sunday (Pixabay photo)

CHICAGO — A winter storm that moved across the Upper Midwest over the weekend ended Sunday after delivering a ninth consecutive day of snowfall in Chicago, and snow and freezing rain in Michigan and Indiana.

After 10 inches of snow fell in northern Illinois on Friday, another wave of snow moved across the area late Saturday, leaving an additional 3 inches by the time the storm ended Sunday afternoon.

The National Weather Service said Sunday was the ninth consecutive day of “measurable” snowfall in Chicago. Meteorologist Stephen Rodriguez said it ties a record and marks just the third time this has happened since the weather service began keeping records in 1885.

The weather service defines “measurable” as 0.1 inch or more.

The Chicago Department of Aviation said about 215 flights were cancelled at O’Hare International Airport by Sunday afternoon. There were 245 flights cancelled at Midway International Airport. That is significantly less than the approximately 1,300 cancellations at the two airports on Friday.

Southwest Airlines had trouble de-icing planes and cancelled its flights departing Midway, according to the Chicago Tribune.

In Detroit, city road crews worked back-to-back 12-hour shifts since Friday morning clearing major roads. An army of private contractors was hired to plow snow off more than 1,880 miles of side streets, the city said Sunday.

In western Michigan, a stretch of U.S. 131 in Grand Rapids was closed for about an hour late Sunday morning following multiple vehicle crashes. No injuries were reported.

The Indianapolis Star reported that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security reported restrictions in 26 counties Sunday and that routine travel or other activities may be restricted in some areas.

Icy roads were blamed for several crashes along highways in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area, according to WANE-TV.