(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) A powerful lake-effect snowstorm swept into Chicago overnight into Monday, November 10, 2025, reducing visibility, clogging roads and prompting hundreds of flight cancellations as commuters confronted heavy, wet snow and biting wind gusts across the metro area and into Northwest Indiana. Plows fanned out before dawn and airport boards filled with red as the first major blast of the season created hazardous travel and forced some school districts outside the city to cancel or delay classes.
Air travel bore the brunt through the weekend and into the morning rush. More than 400 flights were canceled at Chicago airports on Sunday, November 9, as the lake-effect snowstorm settled in, and the disruption lingered into Monday with fresh cancellations and delays. By 4 a.m. Monday, O’Hare International Airport reported 231 cancellations and average delays of 24 minutes, while Midway Airport recorded 130 cancellations and average delays of 15 minutes. Airlines warned of rolling delays as crews deiced aircraft and the weather triggered ripple effects in schedules. Travelers also faced significant frustration due to both the storm and an FAA reduction in operations this week, compounding the tangle of flight cancellations and missed connections.
On the ground, Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed salt-spreader trucks across the city to fight icy patches and slush, focusing on arterial routes and known trouble spots. Broad stretches of roadway became slick in the pre-dawn hours as snowbands pulsed off Lake Michigan, and police and tow trucks responded to spinouts and disabled vehicles in multiple corridors. “These roads are sloppy. The snow is heavy and wet. It’s basically slow going everywhere… We do have a snowplow that was stuck on I-94 near Portage. Overall it’s very slow travel this morning over here,” FOX 32 Chicago reported live, underscoring how quickly conditions deteriorated as snowfall intensified near the lake. Reports from Wentworth and the Dan Ryan spoke of slushy lanes and low visibility as waves of snow moved through.
The storm snarled traffic well beyond city limits. In Crown Point, Indiana, a truck became stuck on an uphill bridge on I-65 southbound at 109th Avenue, triggering a chain reaction of stopped vehicles and long backups. A snowplow stuck on I-94 near Portage further complicated efforts to keep lanes clear, as local crews battled both accumulation and wind-driven drifts. Road sensors and cameras showed periodic whiteout conditions near the shoreline, where snowfall rates surged up to 3 inches per hour in the heaviest bands. Wind gusts up to 35 mph pushed and piled the heavy, wet snow, making lane markings hard to see and on-ramps treacherous. Forecasters warned drivers to slow down, turn on headlights and allow extra stopping distance, noting the combination of slushy pavement and gusts could obscure hazards in an instant.
Schools weighed the timing and intensity of the storm as families scrambled to make morning plans. Chicago Public Schools said classes would continue as normal on Monday, but the district emphasized it would notify families if conditions forced a change. “Our Facilities Team will be working hard to ensure all buildings are warm and dry, and will be clearing any accumulating snow from sidewalks and parking lots to ensure all staff and students are safe,” the CPS statement said, adding that any updates would be sent via email, text and robocall. Some suburban districts in the Chicago area and schools in Northwest Indiana announced closures and delayed starts as plow crews struggled to keep up, though CPS itself remained open as of the latest update.
The slow-moving nature of the lake-effect snowstorm meant accumulations varied widely across the region. Areas under the Winter Storm Warning saw 3 to 6 inches of snow, with localized totals reaching 8 to 12 inches and reports of up to 1 foot near Lake Michigan where the snowfall persisted longest. Kankakee, Gary and eastern Will County were among the hardest-hit zones in the early hours, with 4 to 8 inches reported and some pockets pushing into double-digit totals as the heaviest bands rolled through. Meteorologists urged caution for the Monday commute and warned that fresh bursts of snow could quickly refill lanes that had been recently plowed, especially close to the lake where winds favored more persistent bands.
Warnings and advisories spanned a patchwork of counties in Illinois and Indiana. A Winter Storm Warning covered Cook, Will, Lake and Kankakee counties in Illinois, and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, with varying end times from 9 a.m. to noon Monday as forecasters tracked the retreat of the most intense bands. A Winter Weather Advisory remained in effect for DuPage and Will counties until noon Monday, signaling continued slick conditions and reduced visibility even as the heaviest snow eased. In Northwest Indiana, transportation departments cautioned that continued bursts could rapidly degrade driving conditions through the late morning. Local officials urged drivers to limit trips when possible and to carry extra clothing, water and a scraper in case of unexpected delays.
By daybreak, Chicago’s airport cancellations and delays echoed the wider disruption. O’Hare and Midway ground operations slowed intermittently as crews plowed runways and taxiways and airlines cycled planes through deicing pads. The cumulative effect of Sunday’s 400-plus cancellations carried into Monday’s schedule as passengers rolled over to later flights. With an FAA reduction in operations contributing to tighter capacity, travelers were advised to check status updates frequently and consider rebooking if their route crossed the lake-effect zones. The Federal Aviation Administration’s advisories provide current delay programs and airport status updates through the agency’s traveler resources, available at Federal Aviation Administration delay advisories.
For many commuters, the first hint of trouble came with the crunch of tires on slush in their own neighborhoods. Residential streets saw uneven treatment, with plows concentrating on major corridors first. The heavy, wet nature of the snow created a dense layer that, once compacted, quickly turned slick under traffic. Intersections on the South Side and West Side required extra time to navigate as left-turn pockets vanished under wind-driven drifts. Bus riders faced slowdowns as vehicles eased through reduced traction zones and stops became mounds of snow, while rail lines reported normal service with some minor weather-related delays. Taxi and rideshare drivers reported longer trip times and detours around ramps with poor traction.
Public works teams said the storm’s structure posed challenges for steady cleanup, as lulls in snowfall prompted drivers to resume normal speeds only to hit another band and lose visibility. Officials repeated that plows could make greater progress if traffic volumes stayed lower through the morning, particularly in the warning zones. Grocery store and warehouse workers who began shifts overnight described long, creeping commutes that doubled in length as the heaviest bands drifted across the interstate spines into the city. Utility crews remained on alert for downed limbs that could create localized outages, though early reports focused more on road hazards than power disruptions.
Meteorologists emphasized the practical realities for anyone planning to head out. “Drivers should look for their snow brushes and fill up the windshield wiper fluids, as they will be needed,” said Mary Kay Kleist, who highlighted that even short trips demanded patience as the lake-effect snowstorm pulsed across neighborhoods. With snowfall rates peaking near 3 inches per hour, the heaviest bursts reduced visibility to near nothing in places and made highway merges risky. In addition to I-65 at 109th Avenue in Crown Point and I-94 near Portage, drivers reported stop-and-go conditions on the Dan Ryan Expressway where slush collected near lane dividers and ramps, and FOX 32 Chicago noted “The snow is heavy and wet… definitely a slow travel this morning” during a live shot from Wentworth and the Dan Ryan.
At O’Hare, the morning wave of departures and arrivals attempted to rebuild after Sunday’s extensive disruption, but the numbers told the story: 231 cancellations by 4 a.m. Monday and average delays of 24 minutes. At Midway, 130 cancellations and 15-minute delays pointed to a tighter schedule but the same stubborn weather constraints. Airlines prioritized safety checks on aircraft after prolonged exposure to snow and wind, and gate agents worked through long rebooking lines as customers weighed whether to wait or try alternate connections. The odds of cascading delays rose with each passing hour of intermittent snowfall and wind gusts up to 35 mph, and crews scrambled to keep aprons and jet bridges clear.
Chicago Public Schools underscored that families should expect ongoing updates if conditions worsened during the day, reiterating that messages would arrive directly by email, text and robocall. The district said facility workers and custodial teams were focused on clearing entries, sidewalks and parking lots while keeping buildings warm. “Our Facilities Team will be working hard to ensure all buildings are warm and dry, and will be clearing any accumulating snow from sidewalks and parking lots to ensure all staff and students are safe,” CPS said. Some charter and private schools opted for delayed starts to give plows more time, and districts in the surrounding suburbs and parts of Northwest Indiana shifted to e-learning or closed outright as bands intensified near the lake.
In the neighborhoods most exposed to the wind, drivers said the snow seemed to “move back” onto cleared stretches minutes after plows passed, a hallmark of gust-driven squalls that refill lanes faster than crews can scrape. The heavy, wet consistency added weight to snowbanks and increased the risk of slush spraying across windshields, requiring frequent washer fluid use to maintain sight lines. As the storm’s core moved and reformed, the mess left behind kept speeds down everywhere, a reality summed up by the FOX 32 Chicago report: “These roads are sloppy. The snow is heavy and wet. It’s basically slow going everywhere… We do have a snowplow that was stuck on I-94 near Portage. Overall it’s very slow travel this morning over here.”
Authorities in both states urged people to reassess nonessential trips through the morning hours, noting that the Winter Storm Warning in Cook, Will, Lake and Kankakee counties in Illinois, and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, could lapse at different times between 9 a.m. and noon Monday, depending on how quickly the most intense bands broke apart. The Winter Weather Advisory in DuPage and Will counties until noon Monday signaled continued slickness even after the heaviest bursts faded, and highway managers cautioned that compacted slush might persist in shaded areas and on bridges. The emphasis remained on patient driving, lower speeds and longer following distances, especially near ramps and merges where vehicles could struggle for traction.
By mid-morning, parts of the city saw brief improvements as crews got ahead of lighter bands, but the patchwork nature of the lake-effect snowstorm meant improvements were uneven and fragile. In neighborhoods closer to the lakefront, crosswinds continued to push fresh flakes into cleared lanes, and major corridors like the Dan Ryan Expressway reflected the seesaw of the day: stretches of wet pavement giving way to sudden snowy mats. Even as the warnings tapered, forecasters cautioned that brief heavy bursts could still materialize and drop quick accumulations through midday.
For airline passengers, the advice was to build in contingency and verify flight status often as carriers adjusted to aircraft and crew availability following the weekend’s wave of cancellations. With more than 400 flights scrubbed on Sunday and fresh cancellations early Monday, Chicago remained a focal point of disruption. For drivers, the path to normal would depend on the storm’s next moves and whether gusts continued near 35 mph. And for families, the school day moved ahead in Chicago with watchful eyes on the sky, even as some neighboring districts delayed or stayed home.
As cleanup continued, the numbers framed the morning: 3 to 6 inches for most in the warning area, with 8 to 12 inches in lake-effect zones and reports of up to 1 foot near Lake Michigan; snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour in the most intense bands; wind gusts up to 35 mph pushing and drifting heavy, wet snow; more than 400 flights canceled Sunday, followed by 231 cancellations at O’Hare and 130 at Midway by 4 a.m. Monday. The common thread across Chicago and Northwest Indiana was simple enough: slow going everywhere, and a long morning for anyone who had to be out in it.
