Videos: What people did after fifth-largest snowfall
The heaviest snowfall has moved on, but not before enough snow fell Sunday into Monday to make it the fifth largest snowfall event in Chicago history, meteorologists said.
By 6 a.m. Monday, 19.3 inches of snow had been recorded at O'Hare International Airport, said Stephen Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
That number is good for fifth on the all-time list, he said. It's about 2-inches less that the 21.2 inches the area recorded on Feb. 2, 2011.
Rodriquez said North Aurora received 16.5 inches of snow since late Saturday night, Bartlett received 14 inches, and 17 inches was recorded in Libertyville. Additional snowfall totals can be found on the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/chicago.
The National Weather Service is forecasting mild snowfalls for the rest of the week. Because temperatures are set to stay below freezing mark, the snow may be piled up for a while.
Many school districts across the suburbs announced by Sunday night that they would be closed Monday.
“The single most important factor in making our decision is the safety of our students and staff,” read a message on Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59's website Sunday evening. “While we always work diligently to have our schools open for our students, the conditions for tomorrow morning present a significant safety risk with the considerable amount of snow that fell.”
A list of closings can be found on the Emergency Closing Center website at emergencyclosingcenter.com.
With so many schools closed, several YMCA locations across the suburbs will offer daylong School Days Out programs to assist parents with child care challenges, according to a release Sunday night. A list of participating YMCA locations can be found at ymcachicago.org.
As of 7:20 a.m. Monday, O'Hare had canceled 785 flights and Midway canceled 90 flights, the Chicago Department of Aviation said. No delays were reported at either airport.
The cancellations are on top of the 1,300 flights canceled Sunday at O'Hare, and 305 flights at Midway.
People are urged to contact their airlines for additional flight delays.
Naperville's Snow Command dispatched all 22 of the city's snow plows. Drivers were on 12-hour shifts and will keep working until the snow is cleared, said Linda LaCloche, communications manager. One problem has been the weight of the snow.
Metra was reporting delays on its website at metrarail.com.