Chicagoans suited up in puffer jackets and toted sleds over the weekend during the city’s snowiest November day on record, which saw 8.4 inches of snowfall at Chicago O’Hare airport. And as if that weren’t enough, the area is expected to receive up to four inches of snow on Monday during evening rush hour.
Snow could start at around 3 pm, with higher snow totals possible south of Interstate 80, according to the National Weather Service. Wind is expected to remain at around 5 to 10 mph while temperatures are likely to be near 30 with lows in the teens, according to meteorologists there.
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A winter weather advisory is expected to go into effect at 2 pm Monday in Chicago as well as parts of central and northeast Illinois until midnight, with snow and slippery road conditions expected during rush hour commute, according to the NWS.
“Even though we’re only expecting a few inches of snow, you bring that through the heart of the afternoon commute, it can create some pretty decent travel impact,” said NWS meteorologist Kevin Doom, who advised travelers to prepare for a slower commute and less favorable travel conditions this afternoon.
Doom also believes Chicago may be on track to see “a little more snow” this winter than in recent years, although he warned that a single snow event like the one on Saturday—Chicago’s highest snowfall on record for a single November day—does not necessarily mean more snow this season. It could just mean rain, he said, depending on the temperature.
“One particular event doesn’t necessarily allude to anything large scale,” Doom said. “But if you kind of step back and look at the overall pattern, it does look as though we could be on track for maybe some slightly above average snowfall this season.”
While children in full jumpsuits were sledding down snow covered hills, many travelers were left stranded at airports after Thanksgiving. On Saturday and through Sunday, amid Chicago’s historic snow day, over 1,300 flights were cancelled at O’Hare International Airport, according to FlightAware data from Sunday morning.
By Monday morning, flight cancellations at O’Hare were down to 446.
Road travel was also affected by snow Saturday, with Illinois State Police responding to almost 500 crashes—66 of which involved injuries—across Cook County, the five collar counties, as well as DeKalb, Kendall and Grundy. The Department of Streets and Sanitation’s Director of Public Affairs Ryan Gage said staff would be monitoring weather conditions Monday to deploy salt spreaders as needed.
A winter overnight parking ban covering 107 miles of the city’s main streets from 3 to 7 am also went into effect at midnight Dec. 1 to help ensure main roads are clear for snow removal, allowing for safer transportation, according to Streets and Sanitation.
Vehicles that do not comply with the parking ban, may be towed and ticketed. As of Monday morning, the department said it had already towed 227 vehicles.
