Storm strands Chicago commuters for hours

Travelers sleep in Terminal 2 at O'Hare International Airport, Tuesday, June 21, 2011, in Chicago. Heavy rains across northern Illinois caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights from Chicago's two major airports. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)

CHICAGO - Thunderstorms and heavy winds pounded the upper Midwest Tuesday night, stranding Chicago commuter train riders for hours, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, and delaying Vice-President Joe Biden's return to Washington after a fundraiser.

The National Weather Service issued several tornado watches and warnings in the region, forcing staff at O'Hare International Airport to herd frightened passengers into a lower-level baggage claim area. High winds also damaged two hangars at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, injuring at least three people.

Ashley Luthern of Youngstown, Ohio, who was trying to make a connection to Pittsburgh after a flight from Istanbul, was among the hundreds of passengers ushered to safety at the American Airlines terminal at O'Hare.

"At first they said get away from the windows, which is very hard to do in an airport," she said. "They then became forceful in telling us to go down to the baggage claim area."

Karen Ramsey of Williamsburg, Iowa, was trapped at O'Hare after flying in from Cancun, Mexico on United Airlines when her connection to Moline was cancelled.

"It was beautiful down there. Come home to this," Ramsey said.

Biden had been attending a Democratic fundraiser and raising money for an epilepsy foundation in Chicago when the storm struck, delaying his arrival at O'Hare and subsequent return to Washington.

More than 300 flights were cancelled at O'Hare, with incoming and outgoing flights delayed by at least two hours, the Chicago Aviation Department said. More than 30 flights were cancelled at Midway International Airport.

No twister sightings were reported in the area.

In Michigan, WZZM-TV and The Grand Rapids Press reported Wednesday that high winds pulled two hangars off their foundations at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. WOOD-TV said members of the Civil Air Patrol were preparing for natural disaster training when the storm hit Tuesday night. They took cover in one of the hangars as powerful gusts ripped a door off and blasted some of the service members off their feet. Three suffered minor injuries.

Michael Gillis, spokesman for Chicago's commuter rail network Metra, said one outbound train was stuck for about five hours when a storm knocked a power line onto the rail. After 2 a.m. Wednesday, the train headed back downtown and passengers were asked to find alternative transportation or face an even longer wait for another train.

Two inbound trains remained stranded before dawn Wednesday, and the storm caused numerous other delays and cancellations to the service, Gillis said.

"Since the wind stopped, we've been dealing with various track obstructions," Gillis said.

Some 267,000 customers remained without power in Illinois, particularly in the north where the storm hit hard, Bennie Currie, a spokesman for the utility Commonwealth Edison, said early Wednesday. About 5,600 customers in Chicago still have no electricity, he said.

The storm also delayed play for 1 hour, 44 minutes in the second game between Chicago rivals the Cubs and White Sox. The game at U.S. Cellular Field was temporarily halted in the top of the sixth with one out and the Cubs having runners on the corners.

On Monday, a massive storm forced fans attending a College World Series game in Omaha, Neb. to evacuate the stadium. Sirens blared and fans were ushered to an underground shelter as black clouds shrouded the city.

The game between Florida and Vanderbilt was suspended until Tuesday, with the Gators winning 3-1.

--The Associated Press

Travelers sleep on cots in Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)

Snow for afternoon commute

Heavy snow is in store for some commuters around the GTA Friday, according to Environment Canada.

A special weather statement released for York, Durham, Halton and Peel regions said a low pressure system was moving over Ontario and bringing colder air and snow.

The snowfall — heavy at times – will likely dump 3 to 5 cm of the white stuff each hour, accumulating to 10 cm over the course of the day.

The periods of heavy snow will significantly reduce visibility and will affect part of the afternoon commute, particularly in areas outside the city limits.

Toronto was not included in the statement, but the city will experience periods of rain and snow throughout the day with a steady temperature of 1C. 

The mixed bag of precipitation will continue this weekend, with periods of flurries and rain  Saturday and a high of 6C. There is also a risk of freezing rain Saturday morning.

Other areas of Southern Ontario are already feeling the effects from this system. London OPP say there were more than 150 accidents – and some injuries - in the region Friday morning.

OPP urged motorists to drive for the snowy conditions and avoid unnecessary travel altogether. Environment Canada is predicting up to 25 cm. of snow before system clears that area Friday afternoon.

Several school divisions in the region cancelled buses and closed schools Friday morning, although there was bus service in London.

In Windsor and Essex County, buses were cancelled outside the city, but schools were open.

-- Noel Grzetic, Staff Reporter

Heavy rain expected for much of Thursday

(Steve Russell/Toronto Star)

It’s going to be a dreary day in the city with plenty of rain and slush, which will linger for the rest of the work week.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement Thursday morning for Toronto and much of southern Ontario, stating that 15 to 30 millimetres of rain will fall by the end of the day.

This comes after nearly 15 millimetres of mixed rain and snow fell on Wednesday, making for a difficult morning and afternoon commute in the city.

A large low pressure system that made its way to southern Ontario from Texas is creating the wet weather and fog patches, which could cause for tricky driving conditions.

The Toronto and Regional Conservation Authority also issued a high water safety bulletin for the week, warning people to steer clear from rivers and streams.

“Expected rainfall amounts will increase water levels in rivers and streams and cause them to become fast flowing, creating dangerous conditions,” the statement advises.

But on the bright side, the mercury is set to hover at about 6 C even into the evening, which is 2 C higher than average temperatures for this time of year.

The balmy and wet weather is expected to stay for much of Friday, but temperatures will start to dip into the evening as the rain begins to taper off.

Environment Canada is predicting that the soggy weather will clear up by the weekend, just before March break commences.

-- Daniela Germano, Staff Reporter

Driving to Florida? Here's the I-75 forecast

Families are in for a mostly sunny March Break drive to Florida after Thursday, though there will be areas of freezing rain and snowfall closer to the Canadian border throughout the weekend.

The roughly 2,000-kilometre drive on the popular I-75 route passes through five states —Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia — before hitting Jacksonville, Florida.

Forecasts by the Weather Network show the drive will get progressively better as travellers head south.

Those entering the I-75 near Saginaw or Flint, Michigan may find the road slippery from scattered flurries, ice pellets and freezing rain predicted for Friday into the weekend. The highway will also be slippery nearing Detroit, with moderately heavy rain forecasted for Thursday.

Drivers starting their trek on Thursday will experience a mixed bag of weather along the way, the National Weather Service in the U.S. predicts.

Northwestern Ohio will see scattered snowfall that will end nearing Cincinnati in the southern part of the state. The forecast is clear and sunny for Kentucky, but drivers passing through Knoxville in eastern Tennessee may run into showers there.

Thunderstorms in north-central Georgia, including Atlanta, overnight Wednesday could make roads slippery and wet early Thursday. Some rainfall is expected along I-75 down to Valdosta, Georgia in the southern part of the state before travellers reach Florida.

Friday’s forecast has scattered flurries in Michigan, but the route should clear up in Ohio and be sunny with a mix of clouds the rest of the drive south, according to the Weather Network.

Saturday drivers should be prepared for a mix of snow and rain around Detroit that will turn into snow showers nearing Toledo. The skies should clear up in Kentucky and the highway is expected to be dry all the way to Florida.

Similar conditions are expected along I-75 for Sunday and Monday. There is also a chance of light showers in parts of Tennessee and Georgia on Monday that could make the drive slippery and wet.

Tampa, Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are expecting thundershowers on Thursday. They should clear up by Friday and the rest of the weekend in all four cities looks sunny with temperature highs in the low-20s.

 

--Gloria Er-Chua, Staff Reporter

Video: De-icing planes at Pearson

Jetting off somewhere warm when it’s freezing out? Make sure your plane had a hot morning shower. No worries though, according to the GTAA, Pearson International Airport claims to have the largest and most advanced de-icing facilities in the world. On a recent frosty February morning, we record the facility in action. Video by Chris So.

Snow storm slams U.S. northeast, cancels flights

A lone pedestrian walks her dog during an evening snow storm in Washington, January 26, 2011. A winter storm brought snow and icy rain causing havoc as some motorists abandoned their stranded vehicles on the Washington capital beltway during evening rush-hour in the capital region. (Hyungwon Kang/Reuters)

BOSTON—Americans up and down the East Coast dug out their cars, shovelled sidewalks and slogged through a treacherous morning commute Thursday after a fast-moving winter storm dumped up to 48 centimetres of snow on the region.

Airlines warn of turmoil as snow heads for U.S. northeast

Unclaimed bags in the foreground as travelers retrieve their luggage at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 28, 2010. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

With more snow forecast for the Northeast this weekend, major U.S. airlines hit hard by a December blizzard are warning of delays and cancellations and waiving the usual fees to change flights.

American, United and Continental all say there could be travel disruptions at large airports such as Newark, LaGuardia and JFK in the New York City area. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches and advisories from eastern Pennsylvania to Vermont ahead of the storm.

AMR Corp.'s American said Thursday that customers scheduled to fly to, from or through 14 airports in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts on Saturday or Sunday can change their itinerary without paying the usual $150 rebooking fee if they begin their rescheduled trip no later than Monday.

Delta Air Lines Inc. made the same offer for weekend travel to those states plus Rhode Island if the rescheduled trip starts on or before next Friday. Customers could get hit with a higher fare.

United and Continental, owned by United Continental Holdings Inc., waived their $150 change fee for travel at 14 airports in the Northeast between Friday and Monday. They said they would also waive any difference in fare if the rescheduled trip starts by Jan. 23.

JetBlue, AirTran and Frontier also said they would waive change fees.

Airlines often drop the fees when bad weather is forecast, and they advise passengers to call and check on flights before heading to the airport.

The airlines are still reeling from late-December storms that caused the cancellation of more than 10,000 flights and delayed travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers. Aviation data provider FlightStats.com said North American airlines canceled more than 29,000 flights last month, up from about 21,000 in December 2009.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said Wednesday that severe weather in the U.S. and Europe last month will cut $45 million from its fourth-quarter earnings. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the company to report adjusted earnings of about $210 million for the period.

George Hobica of travel website airfarewatchdog.com said airlines are canceling more flights ahead of time to avoid penalties when planes sit on the tarmac for more than three hours.

Mike Benjamin, CEO of FlightView, which tracks airport delays, said airlines were trying to make the best out of a bad weather situation by waiving rebooking penalties and using Twitter to warn passengers early about possible delays.

"There's definitely a shift in how airlines are responding to the weather," he said. "Gone are the days when they'd just say, 'It's weather and there's nothing we can do about it.'"

--The Associated Press

Workers remove snow from the tarmac at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 28, 2010. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

Bizarre weather? Blame 'rollercoaster' jet stream

A snowplow is driven on the second runway, in an attempt to get it operational again, at Heathrow Airport on Dec. 21, 2010. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Parts of Europe may be getting the cold shoulder, but parts of Canada have been experiencing abnormally warm weather.

There have been record-breaking temperatures in parts of northern Canada like Iqaluit, which has had its warmest year ever.

Anger rises over European travel chaos

Passengers wait for their flights, which were disrupted by snow and freezing temperatures, inside Terminal 4 at London's Heathrow Airport, Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/PA, Steve Parsons)

LONDON--Frustrated travelers in Europe expressed fury Monday at transportation officials' inability to clear snow and ice from planes, runways and high-speed train tracks, failings that have caused holiday travel chaos and fears that many will not get home in time for Christmas.

Snow snarls air, road and rail travel in Europe

A plow clears snow at Heathrow Airport in London on Dec. 19, 2010.

LONDON - Snow and freezing temperatures continued to cause holiday travel chaos Monday for road, rail and air passengers in Britain and much of Europe after a weekend of disruption.

Airlines said that Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, was the worst hit by the poor weather — with only a limited number of flights to arrive and depart. Hundreds of passengers camped overnight in terminal buildings after services were cancelled or delayed.

Eurostar reported that its trains linking England to France and Belgium were also severely delayed or cancelled and urged travellers to cancel or postpone their trips if possible.

In Germany flight operations were slowed even though Frankfurt airport, Germany's biggest, was clear of snow and ice. Officials cancelled about 300 flights there Monday, out of a planned total of 1,340, because of problems elsewhere in Europe, airport operator Fraport said.

French civil aviation authorities, meanwhile, asked airlines to reduce their flights at the two main Paris airports by 30 per cent.

French aviation spokesman Eric Heraud said these reductions take into account the problems at other European airports that may be destinations for flights from Charles de Gaulle or Orly airports.

More snow is forecast in some areas of Britain for Monday afternoon, adding to the problems, with British Airways warning of more flight cancellations, particularly in the greater London area, where all airports have been affected.

Airports and British travel industry group ABTA have warned it is almost inevitable that some cancellations and delays will continue through this week and likely snarl those attempting to head away for the holiday season.

British Airways warned passengers not to travel to London's Heathrow airport unless they have a confirmed seat on a flight known to be operating despite the weather problems and the backlog of delays. It urged travellers to consider cancelling their flight if possible.

Icy conditions were also hampering travel across Europe, with flights cancelled and delayed in multiple countries at the weekend.

"We are awaiting further updates," before publishing the schedule for the remainder of the day, British Airways said in a statement. "Customers should continue to check their flight status as more snow is forecast this afternoon, which could cause further disruption to airport operations."

In Britain criticism of the breakdown in the air and road system mounted, prompting Transport Secretary Philip Hammond to promise an inquiry into the way passengers were treated after their flights were cancelled. He was expected to address Parliament about the crisis Monday afternoon.

Travellers described scenes of chaos for those arriving at the Heathrow airport, with officials offering contradictory messages about the status of flights.

"What I am hearing is a sense of outrage about the way they were then treated when they were stranded at Heathrow airport," Hammond told BBC television.

Authorities in parts of western Germany banned trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons from highways as a safety measure.

Bus traffic in the Paris region was "very disturbed," the RATP transport authority said, with buses to the airports halted.

Forecasters have said Britain is experiencing some of the most severe winter weather in a century, with continued freezing temperatures and snowfall accumulations expected Monday afternoon and evening.

Temperatures plunged to a record low overnight in Northern Ireland, and forecasters predicted fresh deluges of snow across Britain.

Motoring organizations have warned of potentially fatal conditions on Britain's icy roads as commuters tried to get to work.

- Gregory Katz, The Associated Press; Geir Moulson in Berlin and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.