If the weekend’s snowstorm seemed unusual for this time of the year, it was.
Saturday was the snowiest November day ever recorded in Chicago, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm dumped almost 9 inches of snow on parts of the city over two days. O’Hare Airport reported 8.4 inches on Saturday and .3 inches on Sunday. Midway had 7.2 inches as of noon Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm didn’t let up until later Sunday morning, and a winter weather advisory was extended from 6 a.m. to noon. A “quick coating of snow” blanketed the city before the storm system moved out of the area, NWS meteorologist Zachary Yack said.
Saturday was the snowiest November day since Nov. 6, 1951, which saw 8 inches, Yack said. The 8.4 -inch figure also broke the daily snowfall record for Nov. 29. The previous record was set in 1942 with 3 inches of snow.
Travelers both on the road and in the air were impacted by the weather.
State troopers responded to 480 crashes, 66 of them with people injured, on Chicago-area expressways from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Illinois State Police. Troopers also helped about 300 motorists who called for assistance, according to state police.
The Illinois Department of Transportation said it was continuing to treat and clear roads, but warned “trouble spots” could freeze overnight and add to already slick conditions.
It wasn’t the end of headaches for area motorists either, as the city’s parking ban was slated to go into effect at midnight Sunday.
More than 1,300 flights were canceled at Chicago airports Saturday.
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, about 53% of O’Hare’s flights had been delayed and another 10% canceled in the preceding 24 hours; at Midway, about a third of flights were delayed and about 1% canceled. The average delays were under an hour at O’Hare and less than 15 minutes at Midway.
Despite fewer cancellations and delays, people traveling by air were still feeling the impact Sunday.
Ashton Zigler, a third-year student at Virginia Tech University, stood in front of the United departures board Sunday afternoon and saw his flight to Virginia was delayed four hours. That was after his Saturday flight home was canceled about 12 hours before it was set to take off.
It was the first time he experienced a canceled flight since he started the trips back home for the holidays three years ago. Luckily for his parents, it meant they had an extra pair of hands to help shovel snow outside the family’s South Side home.
“Usually, it doesn’t snow this early,” Zigler, 21, said. “I should’ve flown out on Friday. It’s always that Chicago weather. … [But] that’s the upside, I get to spend more time at home, which is nice.”
Before heading off to his terminal, Zigler said he planned to catch up on homework in the airport. He hoped his flight stayed on track so he wouldn’t have to miss class Monday morning.
Kim Ottum was the only one in her family whose flight wasn’t delayed or canceled this Thanksgiving. Her son and daughter-in-law’s flight Saturday out of Midway was canceled and they had to spend a night in a hotel.
She glanced at the United Airlines screen to see no delays on her seven-hour flight to Alaska, where she moved 30 years ago.
“But we’re not there yet,” Ottum said.
❄️ Stay warm, Chicago! ❄️
Our Garfield Community Service Center, located at 10 S. Kedzie, will be open for warming on Saturday, Nov. 29 & Sunday, Nov. 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For shelter placement and well-being checks for seniors and unhoused neighbors, call 3-1-1. pic.twitter.com/qUYlRTG7eo
— Chicago Department of Family & Support Services (@ChiFamSupport) November 28, 2025
Anna Bettmering, a 29-year-old German native, had already been traveling for 24 hours when she arrived at O’Hare on Sunday, missing her connecting flight to Las Vegas, where she’s heading for a business trip.
Bettmering said her time in Chicago consisted of getting off the plane and heading to the United Airlines desk to try to find another flight. She eventually did and was hoping to make it there by midnight.
She was hoping to see some of Las Vegas before she got pulled into work.
“I thought I’d have a little bit more time to see” Vegas, she said. But “I will come back [to Chicago] when it’s not winter and I’m not on business.”
Her advice to other travelers?
“Maybe avoid Chicago in the wintertime,” she said, laughing. “Now I’m on standby, but I’m not really trusting it.”