Chicago's first snowstorm of the weekend ends but more snow is on the way
Chicago's first -- and biggest -- snowstorm of what is forecasted to be a snowy weekend had concluded Friday night, with the National Weather Service saying more than 10 inches had fallen in some areas. At least two deaths in the Midwest were blamed on the storm as of late Friday.
Snow-related crashed snarled highways across southern Michigan, with one person killed when a semitrailer struck the rear of a car stopped in traffic on U.S. 23 near Flint, police said.
A Michigan State Police trooper was hospitalized after a pickup truck lost control and slammed into his stopped squad on Interstate 94 northeast of Detroit. A pileup on the same highway just east of Kalamazoo in southwestern Michigan collected 38 vehicles, including 16 semitrailers, in the eastbound lanes Friday afternoon, causing only minor injuries.
In Naperville, Illinois, just west of Chicago, a man in his 60s died after suffering a heart attack while shoveling snow Friday morning, Edward Hospital spokesman Keith Hartenberger told the Chicago Tribune.
At times, the storm dumped more than 1 inch per hour, the National Weather Service said.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city was gearing up for three more rounds of snow through the weekend.
"This storm system is different. Usually you see a big dump and then it's over. This is coming, stopping, coming, stopping, coming and everybody is going to be working all the way through to make sure people are safe," Emanuel said at a Friday news conference.
The city's full fleet of 300 plows will be out all weekend, CBS Chicago reports.
More than 1,000 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and more than 300 were canceled at Midway, the Chicago Department of Aviation reported Friday afternoon. More than 260 flights were canceled at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan.
Caprisha Perteete told CBS News' Dean Reynolds about her travel woes in the storm.
"I had to push my flight back first, then the bus was late 'cause of the snow, which was OK because we were running late as well," she said. "My car was actually stuck in the driveway, and then we got here and my flights been delayed about an hour."
Three northern Indiana counties posted travel watches, recommending only essential travel
Thousands of children got a snow day after school districts in Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee canceled classes. Schools across Nebraska and Iowa also closed or delayed the start of classes.
It made for a great day for kids to go sledding, make snow angels and play with pets outside instead of reading, writing and arithmetic. Angela Lekkas took her children sledding in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
"The kids couldn't wait to get out today," she said. "This is the first true snowfall of the season."
The Indiana Department of Transportation resorted to sending teams of as many as four plows simultaneously to clear some highways. Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner John Tully said 300 salt-spreading plows hit the streets late Thursday and would continue their work through the weekend.
And a few more inches are expected on Saturday and Sunday.
