Chicago area hit with snow squalls during morning rush: 'Blowing sideways'

Heavy burst of snow hits Chicago, creates whiteout conditions

Heavy snow came down in Chicago on Wednesday morning, stalling flights and leading to whiteout conditions.

CHICAGO - A snow squall warning was issued with whiteout conditions across the Chicago area during the Wednesday morning rush.

What we know:

A snow squall warning with whiteout conditions was put in effect until 9 a.m. for portions of Cook, Will, Lake, Porter, Kankakee, Jasper and Newton Counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Departures to O'Hare Airport were grounded from 7:15 a.m. until 8:45 a.m. due to weather, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A second ground stop was issued from 9: 04 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. A ground delay is expected to last until 7 p.m. Departures from O'Hare are averaging 55 minutes.

In the past 24 hours, five flights have been canceled at O'Hare. Midway Airport has not been impacted.

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What are snow squalls and why are they so dangerous?

Snow squalls can happen at a moment's notice and pose extreme danger to motorists who are unfortunate enough to drive into this sudden burst of heavy snow.

At least two inches of snow came down in less than two hours in the Gurnee/Wadsworth area. Visibilities dropped and winds gusted in some spots to more than 50 mph.

Lake-effect snow will be attacking parts of Chicago, northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan today and tomorrow. Porter County is under a Winter Weather Advisory while LaPorte and Berrien counties are dealing with a Winter Storm Warning. Travel in these areas will be difficult both today and tomorrow. 

What they're saying:

Chicago commuters said conditions were rough with winds playing a heavy factor.

"I would say definitely whipping winds," said Annie. "You need to make sure you’re careful with your face because that wind is swirling around and will hit you at different points and feel like blizzard conditions. "

"Snow is blowing sideways it’s kinda rough walking around down here," said Gwen, who came downtown from Humboldt Park. "But there’s salt downtown and, honestly, like the CTA is always pretty reliable. But traffic, like for the cars, it’s really slow going out there."

What you can do:

For more flight information and updates, visit the National Airspace System Status website.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.