Sunny, dry conditions to move through Chicago area after 13 inches of snowfall

A winter storm that hit portions of the Chicago area with more than 13 inches of snowfall tapered off Sunday afternoon, making way for dry, sunny conditions for much of the upcoming week.

The southwest suburbs were hardest hit by the relentless storm. Romeoville saw 13.7 inches of snowfall by Sunday afternoon, while Crest Hill recorded 14.3 inches of accumulation, the weather service said.

In addition, Midway International Airport clocked 13.3 inches of snowfall since Thursday, while O’Hare International Airport recorded 12.3 inches, the weather service said.

Chicago has recorded measurable snowfall every day since Feb. 3, tying a record for the longest such stretch that’s only been matched twice since 1885, the National Weather Service said.

On Sunday, the snowy conditions continued to cause headaches for people traveling out of Chicago’s airports.

As of 3:40 p.m., 221 flights had been canceled at O’Hare, and another 265 other flights were grounded at Midway, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Travelers at O’Hare were experiencing delays that averaged 23 minutes, while delays at Midway averaged 16 minutes.

Light winds and clear skies will usher in colder temperatures Sunday night, plunging wind chills to possibly 15 below zero, according to the weather service said. Despite the brief cold spell, the forecast for the upcoming week calls for sunny, dry conditions, with temperatures expected to push to 40 degrees on Wednesday.

“It looks like we’re finally out the snow,” said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist at the weather service’s Chicago office. “But we can look forward to temperatures warming up this week.”

For complete snowfall totals and information about snow plow deployment visit the Sun-Times trackers.