It was yet another reminder of the winter ahead for Chicagoans, but it was fortunately not a work day for many.
Snow started to fall in the area between 9 p.m. Saturday and midnight before stopping, from west to east, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Sunday, ABC7 Chicago AccuWeather meteorologists said.
By 8:15 a.m., snow had stopped in most areas along and north of Interstate 80. The last burst of snow in the Chicago area was moving along I-80, from around Joliet to around Gary, at the same time.
Between 2 and 4 inches of snow accumulation is expected for most areas, with some isolated higher totals north of Interstate 80.
Rain mixing into snow will impact totals for Kankakee, southern Will, Grundy and southern LaSalle counties.
O'Hare measured 4.8 inches of snow as of 5 p.m. Sunday, bringing its season total to 17.1 inches so far.
More snow totals as of 5 p.m. Sunday
- Sleepy Hollow: 7.1 inches
- Streamwood: 6.5 inches
- Schaumburg: 6.1 inches
- Evanston: 6 inches
- Batavia: 5 inches
- Wheaton: 5 inches
- Midway: 4.3 inches
- St. John, IN: 2.1 inches
- Lake Station, IN: 1.9 inches
- Valparaiso, IN: 1.5 inches
- Kankakee: 0.8 inches
All Chicago-area Winter Weather Advisory alerts from the National Weather Service have expired as of 11 a.m.
Sunday morning was the best time to shovel driveways, as temperatures are expected to drop significantly in the afternoon hours.
Lake-effect snow could set up in the evening hours, dropping another inch of snow in parts of Illinois, but it is expected to move out of the area fairly quickly.
Snow creates hazardous driving conditions, disrupts public transportation
ABC7 meteorologists issued an AccuWeather Alert for Sunday morning, as roads became slick and snow-covered.
Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications encouraged drivers to slow down and use caution.
"DSS will activate a Phase II snow program overnight. More than 220 salt spreaders will be out citywide," the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation said in a statement. "Crews will monitor arterial streets, DLSD, bridges, and overpasses to ensure roads are safe and passable for emergency vehicles, public transportation and other travelers."
Main streets definitely got the attention first. In Rogers Park, like much of Chicago, the main streets were cleared by the time Chicagoans had to hit the road.
But for the side streets, that took some extra time clearing out and clearing off cars.
Even walking was challenging, especially in areas that hadn't been clear properly from last weekend's snow .
"The combination of the remelted ice and fresh snow, it was kind of like an adventure," Chicagoan Shreya Bhatnager said.
Nick Ramos said his drive to his River North restaurant Bongiorno's was doubled and he was hoping more customers would brave the snowy streets for some cozy cuisine.
"No plowing everything is still dirty only the main streets are clear, but all the neighborhood streets are still full of snow," Ramos said. "The snow the cold scares people away."
Despite the conditions, tourists were still visiting Chicago this weekend.
"It took a long time to get our cars out of the snow, but after that, and the first 15 miles were pretty bad, but after that it was a pretty drive," Wisconsin resident Marlee Sivak said.
Sivak's group of friends drove down from Milwaukee.
"There was probably an accident every mile, and the far two right lanes were just full of snow and slush," Wisconsin resident Garrett Priebe said.
The Hernández family drove in from Valparaiso, Indiana. They say the highways were okay as they brought 10-year-old Mia to skate.
"I like snow, because I like snowboarding and skating and having snowball fights," Mia said.
Some Chicago friends found the Millennium Park Ice Rink to be the perfect spot on a day like Sunday.
"I've learned to love it I've been here seven years," Avi Nash said. "Ice skating is one of the things we love to do together, so we have to make do."
"It's pretty romantic honestly," Heather Nielsen said. "The tree, the leaves were blowing on, so it was really cool."
Chicago snowfall makes roads slick, causes O'Hare delays
While driving through the area in ABC7's Storm Tracker early Sunday morning, ABC7 crews witnessed multiple traffic incidents.
Illinois State Police were seen trying to help a driver whose car had apparently spun out from the roadway and into a bank on the city's Far South Side.
Another vehicle was seen speeding before side-swiping a car in front of Strom Tracker.
Be sure give plows plenty of space as they work to clear area roads.
Around 9:15 a.m., the CTA said bus services were temporarily rerouted off of DuSable Lake Shore Drive due to severe weather conditions.
No buses were running between Outer Lake Shore Drive, Hollywood and 67th Street.
The CTA said disrupted routes may experience major delays from congestion as buses approach the area and return back in the other direction. The CTA encouraged riders to consider using L trains as an alternative.
Winter weather causes O'Hare delays, flight cancellations
The snowfall is also impacting air travel.
There was a ground stop at O'Hare due to snow or ice from 7:53 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration's website.
The FAA site said there was also a ground delay at O'Hare due to snow or ice from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, with delays averaging 158 minutes.
The city's FlyChicago website says 350 flights have been canceled at O'Hare as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
Two flights were canceled at Chicago Midway International Airport Sunday morning, where delays had been averaging under 15 minutes.
How does this winter's snowfall compare to previous years, so far?
According to the NWS, 17.1 inches of snow have fallen since the beginning of the snowfall season.
This is the quickest start to winter since 1978, when 24.1 inches of snow fell by 12/7.
This is also the fifth most snowfall on record between July 1 and Dec. 7. The records are 24.1 inches (1978), 18.3 inches (1950), 17.6 inches (1940) and 17.2 inches (1978).
With 17.1 inches, Chicago has already picked up almost the entire amount of snow that fell last winter (17.6 inches in 2024-2025).
The 30-year average annual snowfall for Chicago is 38.4 inches.
What's next?
More snow is in the forecast for this week before temperatures take a drastic dip on Saturday.
Light snow is forecast for Monday night.
Tuesday's forecast includes a light morning mix.
Rain to snow is expected Wednesday.
Snow showers are forecast for Thursday.
Friday could see some PM snow.
Click here for the latest seven-day forecast.