Travelers stuck, again, as snow hits, one more time

For the second straight day, heavy weekend snowfall affected air travel at both Chicago airports today.

At 1:30 p.m., Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride said at O'Hare Airport, there were nearly 200 cancellations, with delays running at about 30 minutes. The cancellations, she said, were primarily due to weather on the East Coast.

On Saturday, O'Hare experienced more than 200 cancellations and slightly longer delays.

Pride said there 25 cancellations at Midway Airport, with delays running about 45 minutes.

She advised travelers: "Check ahead, call ahead, check the Web site for your airlines and check the status of your flights." She added, "Get to the airport two hours early."

A third consecutive weekend winter storm brought more than 10 inches of snow to portions of Illinois, causing problems for drivers.

Chicago's Midway Airport received 10.1 inches of snow by this morning. Southern Illinois received up to 3 inches and accumulation totals were much higher near St. Louis and in other parts of central Illinois.

The National Weather Service says gusty wind will continue today causing snow drifts, especially in rural areas.

Illinois Department of Transportation trucks were clearing snow, but there were still numerous spinouts reported across the state.

Road travel also became tricky across the area where officials reported spinouts and cars in ditches.

"It's coming down steady," said Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

About 1,000 IDOT trucks were deployed Saturday and expected to plow and salt roadways and highways throughout the state into Sunday morning, Claffey said.

The National Weather Service was predicting an additional 3 to 5 inches of snow overnight with the possibility of winds gusting up to 30 mph through Sunday morning.