Chicago sees 7 inches of snow, more than 1,000 flights canceled

(CHICAGO) Seven inches of snow fell across Chicago over the weekend, which contributed to the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.

By Sunday night, 6.4 inches of snow was recorded over the weekend at Midway International Airport, according to Ben Deubelbeiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. By 6:30 p.m., nearly 7 inches of snow was recorded at O’Hare International Airport.

Northwest suburban McHenry County saw the weekend’s largest snowfall totals with 10.8 inches recorded, Deubelbeiss said.

As of midnight on Sunday, 440 flights were canceled at O’Hare and 66 were canceled at Midway, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Delays were estimated at 15 minutes at O’Hare and 20 minutes at Midway.

A city fleet of 287 trucks was deployed Sunday morning to plow and salt the streets, according to the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. Early Monday, the department said that 210 snowplows began work clearing residential streets.

The Illinois Tollway mobilized 192 snowplows with a staff of 200 per shift for the weekend snowfall, according the tollway.