O’Hare leading nation in cancellations, delays after lighter-than-expected snowfall

O’Hare International Airport was leading the nation in delays and cancellations Monday morning after Chicago’s first major winter storm of the season brought a fraction of the anticipated snowfall.

Passengers were dealing with a double-whammy: weather-related delays and the stress of being caught up in the fourth day of government-mandated flight cancellations amid an air traffic controller shortage and a prolonged government shutdown.

“You can either make a choice to be frustrated — or you accept your fate,” said Rhiannon Pabich, 32, who was dealing with a 2-hour delay on her flight from Chicago back to Boston.

O’Hare logged nearly 150 delays and nearly 40 cancellations from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to the tracking website FlightAware. The transit hub had 50-minute delays on average late Monday morning, and nearly 300 flights had been canceled in the last 24 hours, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Despite the disruptions, security lines at O’Hare were minimal late Monday morning.

On Friday, O’Hare also led the nation in cancellations for a few hours on the first day of the Federal Aviation Administration’s mandated cuts to flights to maintain the safety of air travel. Due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, who haven’t been paid since Oct. 1 and are suffering from absenteeism, the FAA asked airlines to cut flights at 40 of the largest airports by 4% last Friday. The cuts ramp up to 6% on Tuesday and 10% on Friday.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said the cuts may rise further if the federal government shutdown continues.

Many flights in Chicago were delayed after a snowstorm dropped 1.6 inches of snow at O’Hare and 2.5 inches at Midway by 7 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Another snow front had passed later in the morning. Over 5 inches of snow were reported in Kankakee and parts of northwest Indiana.

The Weather Service initially predicted 7 to 15 inches of snow for the Chicago area through Tuesday evening. The area may see an additional “half an inch at worst” as the snow begins to taper off, Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack said.

The snow “may stay just offshore of the city, so the city may not pick up much more,” Yack said.

A winter storm warning for Cook County is expected to expire at noon Monday.

One couple missed their connecting flight to their week-long vacation in Mexico after the lighter-than-expected snow delayed their flight from Columbus, Ohio two hours.

Now they must stay a night in Chicago until the next available flight. They estimate they are out $2,000 between the unexpected Chicago hotel stay and missed day at the resort.

“We’re very frustrated that we can’t do anything about it,” said Dylyn, who did not want to share her last name.

Temperatures are expected to hover around 35 degrees in the city throughout the day, though wind chills are expected to be in the 20s, with a potential to drop into the teens Monday night into early Tuesday.

Various warming and senior centers throughout the city will be open throughout the day in response to the frosty temperatures.

Yack urged commuters to drive with caution since road visibility can drop quickly beneath the snow band.

“Even though some of the snow totals weren’t as big in some spots as originally forecast, there is still some slick spots on the road because all the rain we got over the weekend did freeze a little bit,” Yack said.