Jan 22, 2008 6:32 am US/Central
Snowstorm Makes For Miserable Commute
Accidents, Spinouts Reported On Roadways
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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The snowstorm Tuesday morning caused bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Edens Expressway.
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But the snowstorm made for lovely scenes in Winnetka.
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A Streets and Sanitation Department salt truck clears Lincoln Avenue at the intersection with Webster Avenue and Larrabee Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
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Snow piles up along the Edens Expressway in Northfield.
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Another winter storm hit the Chicago area overnight, and caused headaches for morning commuters and air travelers.
As CBS 2 Meteorologist Don Schwenneker reports, the snow began falling around 5 p.m. on Monday. As the night progressed, the snow kept clobbering the area, and by 3:30 a.m., the city Department of Streets and Sanitation sent out its full fleet of 273 snow fighting trucks on the road.
They spent the predawn hours clearing main roads, followed by side streets.
Even with plows around the region running at full speed, the snow kept coming, and many commuters still had a rough ride. Accidents and spinouts were reported on expressways across the area, and many of the expressways were bumper-to-bumper.
The weather has also played havoc with flights at O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday morning.
The airport has issued a Ground Delay Program affecting flights arriving between 6:05 a.m. and 9:59 p.m., because of snow and ice, according to the FAA. Flights are being delayed an average of 85 minutes.
Between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., there were 225 scheduled departures from O'Hare, according to the Web site flight stats. Of those scheduled flights, at least 186 were delayed for more than 45 minutes, with about 20 delayed more than two hours and a few flights delayed as much as three hours. According to the site, 42 Tuesday morning departures were cancelled between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Midway International Airport was comparatively unscathed by the weather conditions Tuesday. Of the 67 scheduled departures between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., only eight have been delayed more than 45 minutes, according to flight stats.
But it wasn't all bad news. Those who did not have to drive took it in stride as part of winter in Chicago.
"I was away for a few days during Christmas break, so I had some warm weather when I was down in Florida. But no, I'm not too tired of it," said Laura Radcliffe of Winnetka. "Ask me again in March and I'll tell you."
In some neighborhoods it really was a beautiful scene. The quiet streets of Winnetka looked like something out of Hollywood movie.
And believe it or not, some folks were actually happy to see the snow.
Marty Murphy runs a snowplow business, and he said the weather that annoys many of us has been a boon for him.
"It's been a real busy December. We're looking forward to a real busy January, and it will be a beautiful year," Murphy said.
The drive home will be a sunny one, but temperatures are plummeting. They are expected to sink to about 14 degrees by 5 p.m. with wind chills as low as -3. Overnight, the temperature is expected to drop to about 6 degrees.
CBS 2's Ed Curran, Don Schwenneker and Susan Carlson, and the STNG Wire, contributed to this report.cbs2chicago.com's Most Popular Pages
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