O'Hare officials are reporting some delays, but the big problem with those 75-plus cancellations is that many of those flights heading to the East Coast.
The snowstorms on the East Coast and in Chicago have been making things a mess for people everywhere. There were lots of accidents on the Stevenson Expressway and ordinary Monday morning made for a challenging commute for some. One hundred eighty-four snow fighters plus 24 smaller plows were in action on Chicago's expressways and side streets.
"We hope that will get the trick done by putting down salt wherever it's necessary and looking for any bad conditions," said Matt Smith, Dept. of Streets and Sanitation.
Lake-effect snow blanketed the entire city at various times. Even when the weather cleared in Chicago, the effects of Monday's East Coast storm reached to O'Hare International Airport.
"I'm a dentist from north of Atlanta, and I have cancelled patients today," said traveler Marshall Mann.
Fliers to other destinations, such as New York, Washington, D.C. and Boston were affected.
"I got here about an hour ago and just waiting, keeping my fingers crossed to try to get there, I started a new job," said traveler Mark Loucks.
Loucks has been rerouted once already, hoping to get to Boston Monday. And another woman may miss work if she can't get to Charlotte, North Carolina.
"I'm going to have to find something and wait until one -- I think my plane leaves at 1:15," said traveler Pamela Hutto.
"I have to be in Moscow. I had to call Moscow while I'm standing here to rearrange my next flight to Siberia. So it's been a day," said traveler Phyllis Smith-Pemberton.
Lake-effect snow blanketed Chicago beyond the normal reach of such snow. Earlier Sunday, the lake-effect snow was limited to the lakefront and the areas immediately west of the lake, Lake Shore Drive and downtown, the Department of Streets and Sanitation said.
There was approximately half an inch of snow at O'Hare and close to 3 inches of snow at Midway.
The light snowfall created some problems for travelers, including U.S. Sen. Roland Burris.
Burris spokesman Jim O'Connor says the senator has been trying to get a flight from Chicago to D.C. on Monday, but the weather there is making it difficult.
National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Krein says some parts of Chicago received more than 2 inches of snow by Monday morning. He says some flurries could continue into the afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
