From travel to shopping and worship, winter storm bears down hard on holiday plans
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A serious winter weather system is coming to the Chicago area this week just before Christmas – and it's demanding center stage for everyone from Amazon to the airlines and the Chicago Archdiocese.
The strong storm is expected to hit Chicagoland with just about everything -- cold temperatures, high winds, dangerous wind chills, and potentially significant snow – and even blizzard conditions – Thursday evening through Friday. Indeed, shoppers, travelers, and worshipers alike are feeling the threat as it bears down.
As CBS 2's Chris Tye reported Monday night, traveling will be more than punishing to some people leaving town even if the snowfall amounts to half of some of the projections.
"I've been watching the airlines a long time, and I just don't remember a snowstorm on the eve of Christmas quite like this," said DePaul University professor and transportation expert Joseph Schwieterman.
The last big blizzard in Chicago was not around Christmas – it was on Groundhog Day 2011. It dumped 21 inches of snow and hundreds of drivers stranded on DuSable Lake Shore Drive to the point where they abandoned their cars.
Going back before that, the infamous blizzards of 1999, 1979, and 1967 were all in January.
This time, those in charge of keeping Chicago moving aren't sitting on their hands.
United, Southwest, and American Airlines are waiving - among other things - change fees, rebooking fees, and difference in fare fees for flights out of Chicago between Wednesday and Friday to get ahead of the storm.
Airport officials are warning travelers to arrive early. You will want to give yourself extra time.
What they haven't done yet and the answer is mass cancellations.
"They definitely aren't ready to pull the trigger yet, because it's going to cost them big dollars to pull down that holiday schedule - and you know, things can change," said Schwieterman.
On the ground back in that infamous blizzard in 2011, the conditions deteriorated to the point where the plows had to be towed. This time around, city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications warns impacts could include "white-out conditions with zero visibility at times, making travel extremely difficult, if not impossible. Power outages will also be possible."
As the heaviest of the snow expected to fall on Christmas Eve-eve – that is, Friday, Dec. 23 – the Chicago Archdiocese telling the faithful to "check their parish's websites and social media (Facebook) pages closer to the end of the week for Christmas Eve and Christmas."
And while the snow totals may get the talk, it's the wind that could pack the travel punch.
"Combination truck get a lot less safe over bridges and high winds – and of course, Amtrak with some of those double-decker cars," Schwieterman said.
From the rails to the roads, the sky to the heavens, it's four days and counting as Mother Nature beats Old St. Nick to the Christmas punch.
As for last-minute shoppers, Amazon said, "For customers making last-minute purchases, look for an 'arrive by Christmas' message on the product page."
Our travel expert says to make some final decisions on air travel plans by Tuesday night - or the airlines might do it for you.
