Chicago sees heaviest single-day snowfall in a decade; nearly 7 inches recorded at O’Hare

Though more than 1,300 flights have been canceled at Chicago airports as a snowstorm hit the area, O’Hare Airport was relatively quiet Saturday afternoon and there wasn’t much chaos evident, according to Kate Paulsen, who was trying to catch a flight to Budapest, Hungary, for some holiday shopping.

As of 6 p.m., 6.9 inches of snow had fallen at O’Hare and 5.5 at Midway, making it the heaviest single-day snowfall since Nov. 21 2015, when 7 inches fell at O’Hare, according to the National Weather Service.

O’Hare had been predicting its busiest Thanksgiving week ever, despite the FAA recently lifting flight restrictions across the country during the country’s longest government shutdown. More than 1.63 million travelers were expected to pass through O’Hare during the seven-day Thanksgiving period through Monday.

Sunday is expected to be the peak travel day at O’Hare, with up to 290,000 passengers arriving. The snow is expected to fall through Sunday morning, snarling travel for those returning home from Thanksgiving. Another snow system could move in Monday night.

The Chicago area could see up to 10 inches of snow by the time the storms move out of the area, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Donofrio.

Paulsen, her mom, and her sister were supposed to land in Budapest on Saturday, but a last-minute American Airlines cancellation threw their plans off course. They’d already lost the first day of their trip, and even after hours of searching for another flight, they were striking out.

“We’re supposed to be visiting the holiday markets there,” said Paulsen, 37, of Iowa. “If we can’t fly out today we’ll have to cancel the whole trip.”

Los Angeles resident Gail Edenson found herself sitting and waiting at O’Hare’s Terminal 2 after her flight home was delayed more than an hour due to the weather. Edenson, who grew up in Chicago, wasn’t surprised by the setback, but she was still hoping to get out of the city on Saturday.

“If it’s Chicago, you have to expect for this to happen,” said Edenson, who was in Chicago visiting family for the holiday.

As of Saturday afternoon, 1,160 flights were canceled at O’Hare and about 246 at Midway, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. By 6 p.m., delays at O’Hare were down to about 63 minutes, and 36 minutes at Midway.

A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. High temperatures Sunday will range from 27 to 33 degrees, and the lows from 5 to 18 degrees.

The snow is expected to taper off by Sunday morning, with the heaviest snowfall occurring before 8. p.m. Saturday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack.

Motorists are advised to take precautions while driving in hazardous conditions.

“Just be aware of any drastic changes in visibility and snow in the roadway,” Yack said. “Take it slow and allow extra time to travel.”

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed more than 220 salt spreaders in response to the storm.

Crews continued to work into the afternoon, monitoring arterial streets, DuSable Lake Shore Drive, bridges and overpasses, to ensure roads are safe and passable for emergency vehicles, public transportation and other travelers, the agency said.

Frank Velez, with Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, told the Sun-Times on Saturday that Streets and Sanitation had extended plowing hours through Sunday, and could go into Monday. The city’s warming center at the Garfield Community Service Center had its hours extended through the weekend, remaining open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Pacific Gardens Mission representative Nick Bustillo told the Sun-Times the mission has had a “100%” spike in people needing their help during the storm.

The West Loop neighborhood mission, at 1458 S. Canal St., is the city’s largest homeless shelter, with 877 beds. They’re not at capacity yet, Bustillo said, but are “getting close.”

For the first time in the mission’s decades-long history, it canceled Saturday events due to the inclement weather.

“People are calling and wanting to come in because the weather is pretty bad,” Bustillo said. “We don’t want someone to drive in here and have an accident.”

Some of Brookfield Zoo’s animal residents enjoyed their first snowfalls in Chicago, including a 4-month-old Amur leopard cub and polar bear Amelia Gray.