Snow causes ground stop at O'Hare, creates hazardous conditions for morning rush

Snow moved swiftly into the Chicago area Wednesday morning, causing a ground stop at O'Hare International Airport and creating hazardous road conditions for the morning rush.

The ground stop went into effect around 7:15 a.m. due to snow and ice and lasted until 8:45 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flight delays were averaging about 45 minutes.

More than 800 flights had been delayed at O'Hare as of 3 p.m., according to FlightAware. At Midway Airport, 64 flights were delayed.

State troopers responded to 12 crashes, one of them with injuries, on expressways between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., when snow was falling, according to Illinois State Police.

The Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed salt spreaders at 4 a.m. However, due to high winds and the pace of the snowfall, the morning commute was slow, the department said.

Crews would continue to clear main road and would transition to residential streets Wednesday afternoon.

Chicago police did not say how many weather-related calls officers responded to.

Wind gusts were expected to reach 40 miles per hour and about an inch of snow was expected to created poor visibility and slowed driving, the National Weather Service said.

"Although it's not gonna last very long, an hour or two at most in any location, it is gonna be pretty nasty out there as it comes through," Brett Borchardt, a meteorologist with the weather service, said.

Borchardt urged commuters to stay cautious if it's not possible to delay hitting the roads until after the burst of snow has passed through the area.

"We haven't really had to deal with this kind of snow in a little bit but just take it slow," Borchardt said. "If you're able to wait it out, that's the way to handle it."