Howling Snowstorm Paralyzes Chicago Traffic

A howling, blinding snowstorm blew into the Windy City on Wednesday, paralyzing air traffic, reducing rush hour auto traffic to a crawl and stranding couples out on the town to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

At one point early in the evening, weather gauges were recording snow falling at an inch an hour with 7 inches on the ground. Snow plows were powerless to keep streets clear of the accumulating snow, and forecasters described conditions for the rest of the night as unpredictable with more than a foot of snow possible by morning.

O’Hare International Airport closed at about 7:30 p.m. when an American Airlines jet bound for Zurich slid off the one open runway as it attempted to take off. None of the 146 passengers and crew were injured.

“We don’t have any runways available,” said Lisa Howard, spokeswomen for the Department of Aviation. O’Hare was not expected to open until sometime today. Midway Airport was only open for departures, but since no arriving flights were permitted to land there were few airplanes available to depart.

Air traffic was not the only problem for commuters. At least one commuter train derailed as it attempted to leave Union Station.

Expressways and surface streets were still crowded more than three hours after the evening rush is normally over. The ride from O’Hare to downtown, normally a 30- to 45-minute trip during rush hour, took up to three hours.

Traffic at major expressway exits was backed up more than two miles, and some streets were blocked by abandoned and stalled cars and multi-vehicle accidents.