Chicago's winter wrath shows no mercy, with a heavy storm grounding flights and snarling plans across the city. O'Hare International Airport enforced a ground stop early Friday morning, halting inbound and outbound flights because of "snow or ice," according to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport isn't expected to resume normal operations until 7:59 p.m., as reported by CBS News Chicago.
Travelers groaned as the flight board lit up with cancellations; nearly 1,000 across O'Hare and Midway International Airports combined by 7 a.m., per NBC Chicago. Midway, not as severely hit, still saw a sizeable number of its flights—276 to be precise—canceled. Those hoping to brave the roads were met with similar dismay, with hazardous travel conditions and potential blizzard conditions on the horizon, as the city is put under a Winter Storm Warning that's set to last until Saturday noon.
Chicago's resilience will be tested beyond the airports as over 100 Illinois schools decided to shut their doors in the face of the storm. NBC Chicago details a slew of closures from Joliet to Arlington Heights, libraries and daycare centers included, as families are left to scramble for last-minute arrangements.
The sheer might of nature's blast has had rippling effects, with services like the Emergency Closing Center offering a lifeline for parents and commuters to check the status of schools and roadways. Meanwhile, an untold number of homes are left without power, according to NBC Chicago, as tens of thousands of ComEd customers have been plunged into darkness, peering out at a city held captive by winter's unrelenting grip.
