2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard, North America

Illinois
In Chicago, in anticipation of the imminent blizzard conditions, 1,300 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports. By 4:30pm, CST (22:30 GMT), the storm reached blizzard status with sustained winds exceeding 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), with white-out conditions being reported by spotters in the Old Town neighborhood on the city's North Side. The Chicago Public Schools announced, on February 1, that public schools would be closed on the following day (Wednesday, February 2), which marked the first cancellation of classes district wide since the Blizzard of 1999. Heavy snow and high sustained winds gusting in excess of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), caused rail switches to freeze on the CTA's Red Line and blew portion of the roof off Wrigley Field. Northwestern University and the University of Chicago canceled classes Wednesday for the first time in over a decade due to the weather. Over 39,000 state workers were ordered not to come into work due to the weather; this was the largest figure since a blizzard in 1978. Mail service was stopped on Wednesday for six post office regions in Northern Illinois. Amtrak train service out of Chicago was also cancelled across Illinois on Wednesday.
In the central part of the state, several municipalities were all but shut down by the storm. On Monday, residents rushed to the stores to stock up on groceries, and several stores reported record sales. On Tuesday, several school districts and universities pre-emptively cancelled classes for Tuesday evening and all-day Wednesday. Many school districts planned to close a second day in a row, on Thursday. About 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of snow fell Monday night. Tuesday afternoon brought heavy snowfall and sustained 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) winds, with gusts of over 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Local government officials encouraged all businesses to close down, and local hospitals braced for the storm by preparing living and sleeping areas for essential personnel. Flights from area airports were canceled, and local officials repeatedly urged residents not to travel, as due to the whiteout conditions, snow plows had been taken off the roads. Interstate 80 was closed Tuesday night between Morris and Princeton, while Lake Shore Drive was temporarily shut down due to impassible conditions. City officials said on February 2, that at least 900 vehicles were stranded on Lake Shore Drive, some for as long as 12 hours, and said closing the roadway earlier could have resulted in disastrous traffic conditions and possible accidents on other Chicago area streets. Tow trucks began pulling cars off of Lake Shore Drive on the evening of February 2, moving the cars to six temporary lots for motorists who abandoned their vehicles to arrive and claim. The city of Chicago did not keep track of the license plates of each vehicle, leading to complaints from many drivers and once they found their vehicles, many were not able to retrieve them from the lots due to them being parked bumper-to-bumper.; on February 3, the City of Chicago reopened Lake Shore Drive to traffic before rush hour.
On Wednesday, Interstate 290 and Illinois Route 53 were shut down from Lake Cook Road in Arlington Heights to St. Charles Road in Elmhurst. 40 vehicles were abandoned on Route 53. Parts of Interstate 57 were also shut down. The state police described most expressways as "impassable". 50 motorists stranded on Illinois Route 47 south of Huntley received assistance from a snowmobile club, while dozens of motorists had to be rescued on Illinois Route 72, west of Hampshire. During the storm's peak on Tuesday night, more than 100,000 customers were without power across the state, including 79,000 ComEd customers across Northern Illinois and 35,800 Ameren customers in Downstate Illinois. Several charities set up shelters for the homeless and those stranded by the blizzard, and Illinois governor Pat Quinn mobilized 500 Illinois National Guard troops to help rescue stranded motorists. Hundreds of motorists had been rescued off Interstates 290, 55, 57, and 80. In addition, over 80 traffic accidents were reported.