Chicago Weather: Wind Chill Advisory in effect as temps plunge
ABC7 STAFF REPORT
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Bitterly cold temperatures moved into the Chicago area on Sunday, making the 10-degree kickoff of the Bears-Packers game at Soldier Field among one of the coldest football games ever played in Chicago.
Temperatures plunged Sunday night, bringing low single digits to most of the area. By 10 p.m., the temperatures in downtown Chicago was -5.
Monday morning, temperatures will be between -5 and -20 in the Chicago area -- potentially breaking a 1983 record of -14. However, wind chills could bottom out at between -15 and -30 degrees.
The National Weather Service issued a Wind Chill Advisory for the Chicago area until 10 a.m. Monday.
Earlier Sunday, a winter storm dumped several inches of snow on parts of the Chicago area with northwest Indiana getting the most snow due to lake effect. Porter and Portage in Indiana reported the highest snow totals at 10.5 and 9.5 inches, respectively.
Gary, Hammond opened warming shelters during this dangerous cold snap. Other shelters also opened in Hobart, Lake Station, East Chicago and Cedar Lake.
The winter weather thwarted airport travel again.
A United Airlines plane full of passengers partially slid off the runway as it was landing at O'Hare. No one was hurt. Meanwhile, people were stuck inside the airport and forced to sleep on cots after more than 500 flights were cancelled Saturday.
Sunday evening, O'Hare reported 242 canceled flights and a 30-minute delay. Midway had 28 cancellations and an average of 16-minute flight delay.
The snow and ice created hazardous driving conditions across the area. In Skokie, slick conditions caused a three car crash at the intersection of Skokie and Gross Point Road. The Illinois Department of Transportation sent more than 1,700 trucks to apply salt and plow snow, but officials said the high winds and several inches of snow made it tough for melting materials to work effectively.
The Indiana Department of Transportation said Sunday morning that many roads were still snow covered after some areas got 2-10 inches of snow. The weather may have played a role in a crash that led to the westbound lanes of I-80/94 being shut down Sunday morning.
The winter weather caused problems in other parts of the country, with 12 people killed in crashes across the country since Friday. Two of the victims were in Maryland, killed in a fiery pileup involving dozens of vehicles.
SUNDAY'S BEARS GAME WAS COLD
Bears fans bundled up and were not hindered by the cold temperatures, even as it was predicted to be the coldest game ever played. It did not break the 2008 record of 2 degrees. On Friday, StubHub said seats are going for less than $40. Regardless of the temps, the Bears lost to the Packers, 30-27, in a nail-biter.
Due to the Arctic weather, Bears allowed fans to bring in blankets, battery-operated warming jackets and warming socks. Heaters were on the field and extra medical staff roved around Soldier Field to help fans and additional warming stations were added to help.
The cold didn't stop many fans from tailgating in the Soldier Field parking lots Sunday morning.
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