Lake Effect Snow Blankets Chicago, Causing Mess For Roads And Airports
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Heavy lake effect snow created near-whiteout conditions in part of the Chicago area on Tuesday, threatening to dump up to 10 more inches on top of Monday's snow.
Snow was falling on and off for much of the night, stretching from the North Shore to the far south suburbs. At times, in some areas, the heavy snow made it almost impossible for snow plows to keep up, covering roads and parking lots almost as soon as they were cleared.
According to the National Weather Service, the lake effect snow was falling at rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour.
A lake effect snow warning was in effect for Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties in Illinois until 4 p.m., and in Lake County, Indiana, until 1 a.m. Wednesday, and in Porter County, Indiana, until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The system already had dumped 3 to 5 inches of snow in some northern and northwestern suburbs. At O'Hare International Airport, 2.8 inches of snow fell from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., and a total of 4.9 inches fell from 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday.
The Edens and Kennedy expressways were especially sloppy due to the heavy snow, with several cars sliding around on the slick roads, and multiple spin-out accidents.
As of 8 a.m., at least 430 flights at O'Hare International Airport had been cancelled on Tuesday due to the snow. At Midway International Airport, another 80 flights had been cancelled.
