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CHICAGO — The holiday travel frenzy faced disruptions on Sunday due to a winter storm, culminating in a small plane veering off a runway at a Chicago airport.
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At approximately 7:39 p.m. on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instituted a ground stop lasting about an hour because of a “disabled aircraft” stranded on the runway.
The Chicago Department of Aviation reported that a private aircraft managed by Signature Aviation encountered difficulties upon landing, resulting in the plane becoming immobilized on the airfield.
To alleviate the situation, another runway was opened to ensure the continuation of air traffic, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident.
The CDA said no further operational impacts are anticipated for Sunday night. However, passengers “are encouraged to check with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.”
Over 270 flights into and out of O’Hare had been canceled by midafternoon, while over 1,200 had been delayed, according to the tracking site FlightAware. The Federal Aviation Administration said at one point on Sunday that departures to O’Hare were delayed on average by nearly an hour due to snow or ice, and that departures from the airport were delayed an average of 15 minutes.
On Saturday, 8.4 inches (21.34 centimeters) of snow fell at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, setting a record for the highest single calendar day snowfall in November at the airport, according to the National Weather Service. That broke the previous record of 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) on Nov. 6, 1951.
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In Wisconsin, We Energies reported more than 6,000 power outages, with more than half in Milwaukee and South Milwaukee. Mark Paladino said on Facebook that he was shoveling snow Sunday when his apartment complex lost power in Fredonia. Others said power lines were sagging under heavy, wet snow.
Elsewhere in Iowa, gusty winds Sunday were blowing snow back onto roads, extending hazardous travel conditions, the National Weather Service said.
“We did have areas of Iowa and Illinois that saw over one foot of snow,” including 15 inches (38 centimeters) in Fort Dodge, Iowa, said meteorologist Andrew Orrison.
He said snow in the Great Lakes region was tapering off, but a new storm was heading to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow by Tuesday.
“It’s going to be the first snowfall of the season for many of these areas, and it’s going to be rather significant,” Orrison said. “The good news is that it does not look like the major cities at this point are going to be looking at any significant snowfall.”
ABC7 contributed to this report.
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