A ground stop was issued at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on Friday, causing significant delays across both airports as lake-effect snow brought several inches of the white stuff to the area.
Flight operations were severely impacted by the weather, with departure delays averaging around 85 minutes and increasing, while arrival delays clocked in at an average of 45 minutes. Midway Airport was not immune to the chaos either, with departing flights experiencing similar delays, averaging about 35 minutes.
The first wave of lake-effect snow swept through the region on Friday morning, with temperatures plummeting to a bone-chilling 17 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon. The National Weather Service had initially predicted that this batch would clear by early afternoon, but forecasts were revised to indicate it would intensify again overnight and into Saturday.
Residents closer to Lake Michigan can expect the worst of it, with areas near the lakefront bracing for a whoppings 4-6 inches of snow. Meanwhile, O'Hare and Midway airports are expected to see around 2-4 inches.
As the storms intensified, local authorities issued multiple weather advisories, including a winter storm watch that would come into effect from Friday evening until Saturday at noon. A more serious warning was in place for northwest Indiana, where snowfall totals could reach well over double digits.
Meteorologist Kevin Doom warned of hazardous travel conditions and advised drivers to exercise extreme caution on the roads. "These lake-effect bands are always a little tricky because they're so narrow and...they kind of wobble back and forth a lot," he cautioned.
While some were forced to stay indoors, those who had to venture out did so with reduced visibility and treacherous conditions making every drive a white-knuckle experience. "You will experience some pretty unfavorable travel, for sure," Doom urged.
Flight operations were severely impacted by the weather, with departure delays averaging around 85 minutes and increasing, while arrival delays clocked in at an average of 45 minutes. Midway Airport was not immune to the chaos either, with departing flights experiencing similar delays, averaging about 35 minutes.
The first wave of lake-effect snow swept through the region on Friday morning, with temperatures plummeting to a bone-chilling 17 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon. The National Weather Service had initially predicted that this batch would clear by early afternoon, but forecasts were revised to indicate it would intensify again overnight and into Saturday.
Residents closer to Lake Michigan can expect the worst of it, with areas near the lakefront bracing for a whoppings 4-6 inches of snow. Meanwhile, O'Hare and Midway airports are expected to see around 2-4 inches.
As the storms intensified, local authorities issued multiple weather advisories, including a winter storm watch that would come into effect from Friday evening until Saturday at noon. A more serious warning was in place for northwest Indiana, where snowfall totals could reach well over double digits.
Meteorologist Kevin Doom warned of hazardous travel conditions and advised drivers to exercise extreme caution on the roads. "These lake-effect bands are always a little tricky because they're so narrow and...they kind of wobble back and forth a lot," he cautioned.
While some were forced to stay indoors, those who had to venture out did so with reduced visibility and treacherous conditions making every drive a white-knuckle experience. "You will experience some pretty unfavorable travel, for sure," Doom urged.
after reading this article... have you ever noticed how weird it is to eat in an airplane? like who thought it was a good idea to serve soggy chicken nuggets and lukewarm soda up 30,000 feet? anyway back to the snow... i guess that's just what happens when you live near a big body of water, right? lakes can be pretty wild 
...
. I feel bad for all the folks stuck at O'Hare and Midway with delays as long as 3 hours 
. I've been there, done that, and got the snowsuit to prove it 
. On a more serious note, those winter storm warnings are no joke - Lake Effect Snow is brutal 
. As someone who's lived here forever, I know how quickly things can turn from "just another snow day" to "whiteout conditions". Kudos to the locals for braving the elements and all the poor souls stuck on the road with reduced visibility 
. Safety first, folks! 
! I live like 20 mins from O'Hare and I'm already seeing cars stuck on the roads with barely an inch of snow on them...it's gonna be a looong weekend 
. I feel for all those drivers out there, gotta be so nervous driving around in this mess 
. And yeah, 4-6 inches near the lakefront? That's just ridiculous 
. Can't wait to see what Saturday brings...I'm hoping it clears up a bit 
midway airport delays are getting worse too... hope everyone stays safe & warm 
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! On the bright side, maybe they'll finally get some decent snow day vibes 
, but I guess not for everyone. Safety first, though - those hazardous travel conditions are no joke 
.
️. But 85 minutes of delays? That's like watching a movie that never ends, man... and not the good kind 
. I was supposed to fly out last weekend but had to cancel 'cause of this sh*t storm 
.
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. Like, I get it, the weather guys warned us it would intensify, but still... 4-6 inches of snow? That's like, a whole lot of shoveling to do 
! And poor drivers out there, reduced visibility is no joke 
. Can't wait for the weekend and some warmer temps, fam 
! And on top of it, hazardous travel conditions? No thanks, not worth the risk 
. Meteorologist Kevin Doom is totally right though, those lake-effect bands can be super tricky