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Snowfall At Midway Breaks Records, With More On The Way, Officials Say

By  Kelly Bauer Alisa Hauser Patty Wetli and Heather Cherone | March 14, 2017 7:30am | Updated on March 14, 2017 2:40pm

 Heavy snowfall plagued commuters Tuesday morning.
March 14 Snow Storm
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CHICAGO — About 8.2 inches of snow fell at Midway Airport through 2 p.m. Tuesday, breaking the record for snowfall in March, city officials said.

About 7.6 inches of snow fell at O'Hare Airport by 2 p.m., said Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams, praising the crews operating the 287 plows striving to keep Chicago's streets "safe and passable."

Plows can be tracked at chicagoshovels.org

However, another band of lake-effect snow was expected to move through the city. A lake-effect warning from the National Weather Service ends around 4 p.m.

Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-teens overnight. The forecast for Wednesday and Thursday calls for sunny skies and high temps in the 30s, followed by rain on Friday.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised the commuters who managed to make it into work despite the storm that snarled traffic and created near white-out conditions at times. A baby girl was born in gridlocked traffic Tuesday when her parents got stuck in the morning snowstorm on Lake Shore Drive, officials said.

Chicagoans struggled to get to work Tuesday morning after snowfall dumped nearly 5 inches on O'Hare and even more in other parts of the city.

"We're the city that works," Emanuel said. "Let's get this winter behind us."

In all, Chicago has recorded 25.9 inches of snow this winter — a far cry from the more than 50 inches city officials had been prepared for, Williams said. The months of January and February were entirely free of snow.

In a typical winter, the city gets 36.1 inches of snow, officials said.

 

 

Scenes from #downtown as a #snowstorm hits #Chicago. #weather #snow 📷: @bauerjournalism

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The National Weather Service has warned that areas hit by the lake-effect snow could get 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour, and that band of snow will move southeast during the day.

RELATED: Cool Video Shows Chicago Scenes After Snowstorm - In 1920

 

Mother Nature all hahahahaha today. #snow #Chicago #march

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The morning commute was a messy one with numerous accidents reported on area expressways and schools canceled throughout the region.

Monday night, 35 cars were involved in two crashes on the Kennedy Expy. Seven people were taken to area hospitals.

Early Tuesday, commuters near the CTA Damen Blue Line L station in Wicker Park appeared to be taking the snow in stride.

"It's not bad for Chicago," one bundled-up commuter said.

 

Snow warriors #wickerpark

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Good morning to you too Chicago #chicago #winter #snow #storm

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