Large swathes of the Midwestern United States is gearing up for almost one foot of snow as a major storm forced schools and government buildings to close while grounding over 1,100 flights throughout the region on Friday.
Chicago officials say about 6 to 7 inches of snow has fallen on the city and they’re gearing up for three more waves through the weekend.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a Friday morning news conference that the city, its workers and residents are up to it.
He says ‘we’re tried and tested here.’
City officials say they’re expecting another round of snow later Friday, one overnight and then a final round Saturday night into Sunday.
Those could bring another 3 to 9 inches total.
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at the city’s O’Hare and Midway international airports.
Pedestrians photograph Cloud Gate, known as the Bean, during a snow storm in Chicago on Friday
Roger Smedley, an employee of Downtown South Bend, shovels a downtown sidewalk as northern Indiana continues to be hit by a significant winter storm on Friday
Snow is blown onto commuters while an arriving Chicago Transit Authority train arrives on Friday
Delays at O’Hare are averaging 35 minutes and less than 15 minutes at Midway.
Thousands of air travelers are being delayed by the snowstorm that’s moving across the across the upper Midwest.
The Chicago Department of Aviation reported Friday morning that about 550 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and about 230 flights were canceled at Chicago’s Midway Airport.
By early Friday, more than 100 flights were canceled at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, according to Fox 11 TV.
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at the city’s O’Hare and Midway international airports.
A woman navigates a snowy path to a car in Chicago on Friday
Airlines had warned travelers earlier in the week to expect flight cancelations to and from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Chicago Public Schools canceled classes Friday.
CPS officials say they anticipate students being back in classrooms Monday.
Snow is piling up from a winter storm that’s moving across the across the upper Midwest, snarling traffic and closing some freeways.
The National Weather Service says Friday morning it’s received reports of between 9 and 11 inches of snow over a 24-hour period in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Eight inches was reported in parts of northern Illinois.
Totals could be about a foot by day’s end.
Portions of northern Indiana were hit hard, with 8 inches reported in New Carlisle.
Snow across southern and central Michigan ranged from 7 inches on the western side of the state to more than 2 inches so far in the Detroit area.
Crashes were reported, including a multi-vehicle smashup that closed a stretch of eastbound Interstate 94 near Ann Arbor.
Some courts and government offices shut down, joining schools in the path of the storm that closed for the day in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Court closings were reported in Chicago and Detroit, and driver’s license offices were shut in the Chicago area.