CHICAGO (WLS) — A massive winter storm sweeping across the U.S. brought several inches of snow to the Chicago area on Sunday.
The winter weather has caused hundreds of flight cancellations and delays at Chicago airports and led to school districts across the area announcing closures for Monday.
Sunday has the highest number of flight cancellations nationwide in a single day since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While all major airlines are offering travel waivers, the disruption across the board is huge.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Cook County until 6 p.m. Sunday, Lake County, Indiana until 8 p.m. Sunday, Porter County, Indiana until midnight Monday and LaPorte County, Indiana until 9 a.m. Monday.
A Winter Weather Advisory went into effect for much of the area on Saturday night. DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake (Ill.) and Livingston counties will be under the advisory until 6 p.m. Sunday. Newton and Jasper counties will be under the advisory until 9 p.m. Sunday. Lake (Ind.) and Porter counties will be under the advisory until midnight Monday.
The Chicago weather forecast Sunday had a Winter Storm Warning and over 10 inches of snow in some areas. Many O’Hare and Midway flights were canceled.
Snowfall totals as of 5 p.m. Sunday:
– Chicago (Loop): 10.5 inches
– Chicago (Bronzeville): 8.0 inches
– Chicago (Navy Pier): 7.0 inches
– Porter, Indiana: 6.0 inches
– Northbrook: 5.5 inches
– Midway: 4.4 inches
– O’Hare: 3.5 inches
– Oak Lawn: 2.7 inches
– Naperville: 2.0 inches
– Elmhurst: 1.7 inches
– Elk Grove: 1.4 inches
– Aurora: 0.8 inches
The lake effect will not start to ramp up in northwest Indiana until around 8 p.m., so there will be a bit of a lull as the spray of snowfall migrates there.
Cook County was expected to get another inch or so of snow between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., with Porter County looking at another 2 to 3 inches between about 8 p.m. Sunday and midnight Monday.
The winter blast has caused air travel troubles across the country, with thousands of flights canceled nationwide.
Chicago airport flight cancellations and delays as of 3 p.m. Sunday:
– O’Hare: 626 cancellations, delays averaging 21 minutes
– Midway: 111 cancellations, delays averaging less than 15 minutes
The inside of O’Hare Terminal 1 sat nearly empty Sunday, with more than 600 flights canceled leading some stranded passengers to give up on flying altogether as a means to get home.
“My flight has been canceled twice so far, but I made it here from international, so I’m probably driving to Columbus,” traveler Abel Girma said. “I don’t want to wait another two days.”
Several inches of snow hit the Chicago area Sunday, causing hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at airports.
Charlotte, Atlanta and New York were among the cities with the hardest hit airports nationwide. La Guardia canceled 91% of their scheduled flights. Some major hubs were spending more than $30,000 an hour to keep runways plowed.
“Flight was fine. It wasn’t delayed until we go here,” Chicago traveler Miranda Vordermark said. “Then we sat on the tarmac for about an hour, I think because the snow.”
“We were supposed to leave Hartford on Monday, but supposedly they’re getting 10-15 inches, so we said we said we have to get out of here,” said Rich Smith, who was traveling to Denver.
On Saturday, a one-hour, non weather-related delay led Rich and Jill Smith to miss their connecting flight to Denver. So, they tried again Sunday.
“We were lucky we ended up on the same flight as my sister and brother-in-law and we just said, ‘Okay we’ll go over to your house,’” Smith said. “We had pizza last night and a beer.”
Fortunately for them and others heading west, most of those flights were still at least getting out if not on schedule. That was good new for one happy couple.
“We going to Vegas to get married,” traveler Tyler Powers said. “Finally tying the knot after a couple of years. I’m really happy and excited, and excited to get away from this storm.”
And it doesn’t end Sunday. Already nearly 2,000 flights have been canceled for Monday, and airlines haved moved to reposition aircraft and crews.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also warned about airport closures. The agency says they will be working with airlines and airports on recovery efforts including snow removal and deicing planes.
Video shows a semi jackknifed on the Dan Ryan near Calumet City on early Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026.
Saturday night and early Sunday morning, slick roads covered the area as snow plows worked to keep up with the accumulating snow.
Chicago Public Schools confirmed it would be open with regular hours on Monday, will many other school districts will be cancelling classes or moving to remote learning.
READ MORE | School Closings: Chicago Area Complete List
Next week will remain very cold in Chicago.
Monday will mark 59 years since the record-breaking 1967 Chicago blizzard, which brought 23 inches of snow. ABC7 AccuWeather meteorologists say just days before the storm, it was about 60 degrees in the area.
Nearly 60 years ago Chicago saw the most snow fall ever.
Click here for tips about keeping yourself, others and your pets safe, as well as how to protect your homes and vehicles, in the extreme cold.
IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda joined ABC7 on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026.
Watch the latest forecast:
At least 20 states declare state of emergency amid winter storm
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