A fierce storm pummeling Illinois with sleet and snow Friday, canceled flights, knocked out power for thousands and snarled morning commutes as drivers tried to navigate the ice-slicked roads.
A fierce storm pummeling Illinois with sleet and snow Friday, canceled flights, knocked out power for thousands and snarled morning commutes as drivers tried to navigate the ice-slicked roads. "We are pleading with the public to stay home today if possible," said Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation. By Friday morning, between 3 and 7 inches of ice and snow had fallen on parts of northern Illinois, said James Auten, a meteorologist for National Weather Service’s Lincoln office. "There are a lot of issues going on across the state," he said. More than 300 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport had 24 canceled flights. Both airports had minor flight delays, Chicago aviation officials said. Slippery roads created dangerous driving conditions across the state. The ground was frozen from the recent bitter cold, so it wasn’t absorbing the melting ice and snow, Auten said. That caused slush to pool on roads, making driving even more hazardous. According to the Illinois State Police, there were no fatalities or injuries reported around the state, but several cars had slid into ditches. Also, in suburban Chicago, frozen tracks and power lines caused delays by up to an hour and some trains were canceled altogether, Metra officials said. Auten, the meteorologist, said the ice that coated southern and central Illinois overnight was melting because temperatures climbed into the low 30s. As the ice melted, tree branches broke under the weight and fell on power lines. ComEd spokeswoman Alicia Zatkowski said 20,000 customers were without power, most of them were south of Chicago’s Midway Airport to the Indiana border. More than 250 crews were working to restore service. Ameren said 40,000 of its customers also were without power. Outages were heaviest in Bloomington and Peoria, with some also reported in Champaign. Schools throughout the state canceled classes because of the weather. The city of Chicago deployed all its plows and salt trucks overnight, but spokesman Matt Smith said crews wouldn’t get to side streets until early afternoon. The city and other parts of northern Illinois will see more snow all day Friday, with accumulations of an additional inch or less, Auten said. In southern Illinois it was drizzling, and it was likely to stay that way. To add to it all, the warming temperatures clashed with the melting ice and snow, causing strong winds and dense fog across stretches of southern Illinois, Auten said. AP ______ Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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