Snowy conditions from Monday’s storm and unrelenting freezing temperatures prompted Chicago’s two major airports to cancel 450 flights Tuesday morning.
As of 9 a.m., 166 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport while 284 were grounded at Midway International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Both airports were reporting delays averaging less than 15 minutes.
That’s a significant reduction from Monday night, which saw more than 1,300 flights canceled between O’Hare and Midway. Both airports were hit with roughly 3 inches of fresh snow by Monday morning before more flurries moved in overnight and into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures plummeted to dangerous, sub-zero levels Tuesday, the weather service said. The brutal cold snap could force windchill values to drop to 50 degrees below zero in some parts of the Chicago area by Wednesday.
As a result, the weather service issued a wind chill warning for northern Illinois and much of northwest Indiana that will remain in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday until noon Thursday. The “dangerously cold” conditions could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, the weather service warned.
