Windy conditions and snow have caused hundreds of flight cancellations and delays Friday at O'Hare International Airport, officials said.
As of 11:00 a.m., more than 300 flights were reported canceled and delays of up to an hour were reported at O'Hare, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Midway International Airport did not report any cancellations or delays, officials said.
According to FlightStats, an online site that monitors air traffic, 463 flights in and out of O’Hare have been canceled.
Blustery conditions near Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue early Friday. (John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune)
Halloween started with a record snowfall for many Chicago-area residents. As of 8 a.m. Friday, O'Hare and Chicago Rockford Airport had one-tenth of an inch of snow, the most snow on record for Oct. 31 for the city of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service.
Scattered snow showers are expected throughout Friday morning, said Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"It's just scattered showers, but it could come down decently, briefly," Izzi said. "I doubt anything will stick though."
Precipitation should end later Friday morning for the Chicago metropolitan area, but a high wind warning will be in effect until 6 p.m., with wind gusts expected to reach 60 mph near the lake.
Parents will want to bundle up their kids for trick-or-treating Friday afternoon and evening when temperatures dip down to the mid-30s with wind chills reaching the 20s.
Northwest Indiana and far southeast suburbs should expect some lake-effect snow Friday evening, and the rest of the Chicago area could see some precipitation, the weather service said.
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The National Weather Service records indicate that the snowfall in Chicago comes more than two weeks before the average date of measurable snowfall, Nov. 16. And though Friday’s accumulation at O’Hare marked a record for snowfall on Oct. 31, it is not the earliest snow the city has seen.
The Weather Service reports the earliest measurable snowfall -- of .1 inch or more -- occurred on Oct. 12, 2006 when Chicago saw .3 inches fall.
Bill Nelson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the most observed accumulation occurred in Rockton, 13 miles north of Rockford where more than .2 inches of snow fell. Roscoe, 12 miles northeast of Rockford, also recorded snowfall of .2 inches, Nelson said.
“Most people just had trace amounts, flurries,” Nelson said.
With ground temperatures still in the 50s and air temperatures above freezing, Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel said the snow likely would not stay through the weekend.
Rain and some snow are in the forecast for Chicagoland this Halloween.
“It might stick on trees and bushes and grass. And it might be kind of pretty, but otherwise it will be kind of sloppy on sidewalks and roads,” Angel said.
Though Halloween snow may cause goose bumps for some, Angel said the flurries should not cause nightmares for those reliving haunting memories of last winter.
“Don’t get worried that the early season snow is an omen of what’s to come,” Angel said. “There’s nothing to indicate a recurrence of last year, thank goodness.”
Saturday will be less windy but still chilly, Izzi said, and there is a chance the area will see rain or snow showers in the morning near the lake.
Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda will be happy to hear Sunday's forecast calls for sunny or partly cloudy weather. Winds of 10 to 15 mph are expected, Izzi said.
Copyright © 2014, Chicago Tribune
As of 11:00 a.m., more than 300 flights were reported canceled and delays of up to an hour were reported at O'Hare, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Midway International Airport did not report any cancellations or delays, officials said.
According to FlightStats, an online site that monitors air traffic, 463 flights in and out of O’Hare have been canceled.
Blustery conditions near Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue early Friday. (John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune)
Halloween started with a record snowfall for many Chicago-area residents. As of 8 a.m. Friday, O'Hare and Chicago Rockford Airport had one-tenth of an inch of snow, the most snow on record for Oct. 31 for the city of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service.
Scattered snow showers are expected throughout Friday morning, said Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"It's just scattered showers, but it could come down decently, briefly," Izzi said. "I doubt anything will stick though."
Precipitation should end later Friday morning for the Chicago metropolitan area, but a high wind warning will be in effect until 6 p.m., with wind gusts expected to reach 60 mph near the lake.
Parents will want to bundle up their kids for trick-or-treating Friday afternoon and evening when temperatures dip down to the mid-30s with wind chills reaching the 20s.
Northwest Indiana and far southeast suburbs should expect some lake-effect snow Friday evening, and the rest of the Chicago area could see some precipitation, the weather service said.
What do you see outside? Community Contributors share weather photos with TribLocal and Chicago Tribune. (Upload your own weather photos here.)
The National Weather Service records indicate that the snowfall in Chicago comes more than two weeks before the average date of measurable snowfall, Nov. 16. And though Friday’s accumulation at O’Hare marked a record for snowfall on Oct. 31, it is not the earliest snow the city has seen.
The Weather Service reports the earliest measurable snowfall -- of .1 inch or more -- occurred on Oct. 12, 2006 when Chicago saw .3 inches fall.
Bill Nelson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the most observed accumulation occurred in Rockton, 13 miles north of Rockford where more than .2 inches of snow fell. Roscoe, 12 miles northeast of Rockford, also recorded snowfall of .2 inches, Nelson said.
“Most people just had trace amounts, flurries,” Nelson said.
With ground temperatures still in the 50s and air temperatures above freezing, Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel said the snow likely would not stay through the weekend.
Rain and some snow are in the forecast for Chicagoland this Halloween.
“It might stick on trees and bushes and grass. And it might be kind of pretty, but otherwise it will be kind of sloppy on sidewalks and roads,” Angel said.
Though Halloween snow may cause goose bumps for some, Angel said the flurries should not cause nightmares for those reliving haunting memories of last winter.
“Don’t get worried that the early season snow is an omen of what’s to come,” Angel said. “There’s nothing to indicate a recurrence of last year, thank goodness.”
Saturday will be less windy but still chilly, Izzi said, and there is a chance the area will see rain or snow showers in the morning near the lake.
Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda will be happy to hear Sunday's forecast calls for sunny or partly cloudy weather. Winds of 10 to 15 mph are expected, Izzi said.
Copyright © 2014, Chicago Tribune