Winter weather slows travel in Midwest, Northeast

[December 01, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- A storm system moving across the Great Lakes delivered Illinois' first snowstorm of the season Sunday and forced the cancellation of more than 50 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Low visibility also caused delays of up to 90 minutes for flights, aviation officials said.

National Weather Service officials said the storm could dump up to 8 inches of snow in some northern Illinois counties.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that airports around the country have been affected by Sunday's weather.

Flights arriving at and departing from New York City's major airports were delayed an average of three hours because of foul weather, said officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Snowy weather also created travel problems in Colorado. Blowing snow and ice closed parts of eastbound Interstate 70 through the mountains as holiday travelers headed home, and at least four people were injured in separate accidents on icy roads in the eastern part of the state, authorities said.

More than 200 stranded travelers had made it to a shelter that the American Red Cross opened for in Silverthorne, west of Denver, spokeswoman Melinda Epp said.

At Vail Resort, skiers enjoyed 9 inches of new snow -- if they could stand the blowing snow and wind.

"It's windy. It's not beautiful, but it's snowing, so that's good," said Christa Oberlohr, evening manager at Pepi's Bar & Restaurant in Vail.

Denver International Airport reported few problems as light snow showers fell. About 157,000 travelers were expected to pass through the airport Sunday as the holiday weekend wrapped up.

[Associated Press]

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