Sunday, January 31, 2021

More than 100 flights canceled in Chicago as major winter storm treks across US

 By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer & Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer

Updated Jan. 31, 2021 3:23 PM EST





After pummeling California with heavy rains and feet of snow, the same storm system moved east across the U.S. to deliver a blast of winter weather to the Midwest on Saturday and Sunday before moving on to pester the northeast.

By Saturday night, snow was already intensifying from northern Minnesota to North Carolina and Tennessee. Most of the snow was focused in Indiana and Illinois, where some towns had already received up to 5 inches.

As Chicago’s second major winter storm in a week, the storm dumped almost 10 inches of heavy, wet snow over the weekend. Conditions started to deteriorate across the windy city around 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday as the winter weather invaded the area from the south and continued to intensify. 

Accidents were already ramping up by 9 p.m., on Saturday across southwestern Ohio as snow begins to accumulate, according to the National Weather Service. In the Cincinnati area, 1-2 inches of snow already began to accumulate on roadways shortly after the storm moved into the area.

By early Sunday morning, snowfall reports of around a half of a foot had already been reported in the Chicago metro area, with snow still falling.

Westchester, Illinois, which is approximately 15 miles west of Chicago, recorded 9.3 inches of snow since Saturday.

The snow didn't spare roadways or runways, which led to countless travel disruptions and delays. Midway Airport recorded 7.4 inches of snow, while O'Hare Airport reported 6.8 inches by Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 100 flights were canceled in Chicago as a result of the storm. Delays of at least 15 minutes were reported Sunday morning at both O’Hare Airport and Midway Airport, according to Flight Aware. A mid-Sunday morning ground stop was reported at Midway Airport in Chicago.

Chicago officials announced 287 snowplows were deployed across the city on Saturday afternoon to stay ahead of the winter storm. Statewide, IDOT has more than 1,800 trucks and equipment available, however, where snowfall rates reach or exceed 1 inch per hour, snow removal crews had a difficult time keeping roads clear of snow and effectively safe for travel.

"Our crews are still out in full force, which is more than 130 trucks out there," INDOT spokesman Hunter Petroviak said in a social media update early on Sunday morning. "Road conditions aren't great right now. That's because we had a lot of snowfall coming down at a heavy, heavy rate, and so those trucks, as soon as they plow, more snow comes down on the roads."

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Winter storm warnings were in effect Sunday from western North Carolina to northeastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, including several major cities, as millions of Americans braced for an approaching nor'easter. Winter storm watches remained in place for other parts of the Northeast and New England, including Boston.

Areas in North Carolina, including Greensboro and Raleigh, received a rare dose of a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow on Sunday.

Virginia also endured its fair share of winter weather which sparked countless travel disruptions.

Troopers across the state responded to more than 34 traffic crashes by Sunday morning. No injuries were reported while officials reported most of the wrecks involved damage to vehicles.

Virginia State Police responding to a wreck on I-95 in Hanover County. (Image via Virginia State Police Twitter/VSPPIO)

Four Virginia firefighters were taken to the hospital for minor injuries after a Henrico County fire truck overturned on a call Sunday morning due to snowy road conditions. Officials said the truck spun on the road, traveled off the paved roadway and overturned, but no other vehicles were involved in the accident. 

As the rest of the Northeast prepares for the snowstorm, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also asked for travelers to give enough space to road workers for them to clear the roads safely. Hogan said the road crews will be working 24 hours a day until they are cleared and also called on people to avoid unnecessary travel amid the storm.

Ahead of the first flakes in New York City, the school district announced all buildings will be closed on Monday, therefore classes will be held remotely. After-school programs, adult education, food distribution sites and other programs will be canceled as well. The Big Apple has not announced the status for schools on Tuesday, CBS New York reported.

According to AccuWeather Meteorologists, as the coastal storm strengthens Sunday night into Monday, strong winds will develop along the mid-Atlantic and New England coast. Lending to the storm's classification as a "nor'easter", the winds will largely batter the coast from the northeast.

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Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, with an AccuWeather Local StormMaxTM of 65 mph will be likely. Strong winds will develop late Sunday night into Monday morning from the New Jersey coast to the southern New England coast, including Long Island. Strong winds will expand northward along the rest of the New England Seaboard Monday afternoon and evening.

These winds will be capable of causing localized damage to trees and power lines, and can also blow around loose objects such as lawn decorations or trash cans.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

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