Flights canceled, plows on streets as snow gets going

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Updated: January 12, 2012 12:46PM

The snow has started to fall and 184 plows from the city of Chicago’s Department of Streets & Sanitation are out on the streets Thursday morning, ready for the wallop that could bring as much as 8 inches to the Chicago metro area over the next 24 hours.

Already, the Chicago Department of Aviation reports, there has been a significant number of flight cancellations and delays at the city’s two airports.

At O’Hare International Airport, airlines have “proactively canceled more than 325 flights in and out of the airport” as of about 11 a.m., according to a release from Aviation. Airlines are reporting delays for flights to and from the East Coast averaging about 20 minutes, the release said.

At Midway Airport, Southwest Airlines has proactively canceled all flights in and out of the airport between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the release. This equates to approximately 100 flights, or 25 percent of total flights scheduled at Midway for the day. Other airlines have also canceled flights.

Travelers are advised to check their airlines’ websites to confirm the status of flights.

The 184 plows hit Chicago’s streets Thursday morning, according to a release from Streets & San. The city has also engaged its new online “Plow Tracker” application for the first time. Plow Tracker, which allows residents to observe snow plows in real-time, is part of a new website focused entirely on snow: www.ChicagoShovels.org.

While the snow has been more of an annoying poke Thursday morning, the wallop will come in the afternoon through the evening, National Weather Service meteorologist Ed Fenelon said. Mother Nature is expected to toss in wind gusts reaching 35 mph during the evening hours, when wind chills could drop to zero.

The snow should taper off Thursday night, but the stinging cold will remain through the weekend, forecasters say, with lows hovering near single digits.

A winter weather advisory — meaning falling and blowing snow could impact visibility — is in effect through 4 a.m. Friday for all area counties, according to the weather service.

Motorists should relax, avoid sudden braking, and drive with care.

“We want all motorists to be aware of winter road conditions and encourage drivers to slow down, buckle up, and cooperate with snow plows,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider said. “IDOT winter crews remain prepared to clear state roadways as needed, but we also ask motorists to take the necessary steps to help ensure their personal safety, as well.”

ComEd says it has taken a number of steps to ensure its electric system is prepared for the challenges of the coming cold, high winds, ice and snow.

The company has conducted inspections and preventive maintenance work for more than 850 substations and thousands of miles of power lines as part of its ongoing effort to maintain its system and enhance reliability, a release from ComEd said.

ComEd’s winter preparations also include ensuring that field crews are prepared and their vehicles are adequately stocked with winter materials. In addition, the utility has reinforced safety practices for employees and updated procedures for responding to storms, working closely with municipalities to integrate preparation effort, the release said.

In addition, the utility has instituted a two-way text messaging capability that allows customers to text their outage to ComEd and also enables ComEd to text restoration information back to customers. The expanded outage alert text message program will provide added convenience for customers and improve their experience during an outage. The new program enhancements:

• Allow customers to text the company to report an outage

• Offer real-time information on outages

• Allow customers to text ComEd to opt into the program.

To report an outage, customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED).

“It’s going to be a shock to the system,” Fenelon said. “We’ve been experiencing weather typical of November or March. This is now going to be a punch of January weather.”

If you’re dreading the snow, remember, by this time of the season, the city has typically seen about 13 inches of snow. Through Tuesday, we’ve had only 1.9 inches in the Chicago area, Fenelon said. Until Thursday, this was set to be one of the least-snowy seasons ever, Fenelon said.

— Sun-Times Media