Thursday's snowfall totals varied widely throughout area
3:02PM Friday
February 8, 2013

Thursday's bout of rain, sleet, ice and snow across the Chicago area tied up traffic, left hundreds of flights delayed or canceled, and left some north suburbanites digging out of nearly 10 inches of snow, while making driving and walking treacherous for Chicagoans and suburbanites alike.

And by early next week, the snow, sleet and ice could be just a memory, as temperatures are expected to rise.

Snowfall amounts varied widely, according to the National Weather Service. The highest reported snowfall was in Beach Park, where 9.6 inches fell, the weather service reported on Friday. High snowfall amounts were reported across the far north and northwest suburbs, according to the weather service. Lake Villa saw 8.8 inches; Woodstock, 8 inches; Gurnee, 7.8 inches; Mundelein, 7.1 inches, and Highwood, 6.4 inches. Closer to the city, 2.1 inches was reported in Lincolnwood, and just under 2-inches fell in Oak Park. The official snowfall total for Chicago in the 24-hour period from 7 a.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday, taken at O'Hare International Airport, was 1.5 inches, according to the weather service.

The conditions caused airlines to cancel more than 225 flights at O'Hare, where delays averaged 60 minutes, according to the city Department of Aviation. Midway International Airport reported "a dozen" flights delayed 30 minutes or more with minor cancellations. Flight cancellations continued into Friday at Chicago's two airports, but these were the result of a big storm that was expected to bear down on the East Coast.

Snow showers were expected in far southeast Cook County and Lake County, Indiana Friday afternoon, with one to two inches expected on the Illinois side of the border and up to three inches possible in Lake County, according to the weather service.

While temperatures will be seasonal on Saturday, with highs in the mid-30s and lows in the 20s, Sunday could bring rain or more freezing rain in the morning, with all rain in the afternoon. Highs will be in the lower 40s, but it will be blustery, with gusts up to 35 mph.
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