Snow puts a chill on first day of spring

Welcome to spring, everyone!

The first day of spring arrived in the Chicago area Saturday with - what else? - a small snowstorm. Wet flakes fell throughout much of the day, resulting in a few canceled outdoor events, some delayed flights at the major airports and plenty of grumbling from residents.

"After the beautiful weather we had the past two days, I really thought we'd left winter behind," said Kelly Neubert of Lombard, who'd stopped for lunch in the Wheaton Town Square shopping center Saturday afternoon. "I guess I should've known better."

Charles Mott, a technician at the National Weather Service's Chicago-area office in Romeoville, said residents should expect to see 1 to 3 inches of snow on the ground when they wake up Sunday. By 2 p.m. Saturday, more than 1 inch had already fallen at O'Hare International Airport.

Snow in March is not uncommon in Chicago, Mott said. The average amount of snowfall for the month is 6 inches, he said.

What is unusual is that this year's March snow happened late in the month, he said.

"Whatever snow we get in March usually falls during the first couple of weeks of the month," Mott said. "March 20 is definitely on the late side."

The snow, and the poor visibility it caused, created delays at both airports Saturday afternoon, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. At O'Hare, some airlines were seeing delays of 45 minutes or more. At Midway, the delays were 30 minutes or more. The department encouraged travelers to check ahead on travel times before heading to the airport.

A few outdoor events that had been planned in the suburbs were canceled Saturday, including a spring river cleanup in St. Charles and a parade to mark the beginning of the Pajamapalooza pajama drive in Glen Ellyn. (The pajama drive itself took place as planned.)

Stephen Tillman of Glen Ellyn said that Saturday's snow was no big deal.

"You knew we'd get something this month, and it doesn't look like it will hang around much, so no big deal," he said.

Mott said there might be a few isolated flurries on Sunday, but with temperatures expected to get into the 40s, most of the day's precipitation will likely be rain. Temperatures in the mid 50s are expected the rest of the week.