Air travel in Chicago slowly returned to normal Monday after dense fog early in the day forced airlines to delay and cancel hundreds of flights.
Most flights experienced delays of less than 15 minutes by Monday evening, said Bob Handschiegel, duty officer of the Federal Aviation Administration in northwest suburban Des Plaines.
But a number of flights at O`Hare International Airport and Midway Airport still had to be canceled or diverted to nearby cities, Handschiegel said.
”We`re backed up, but we`re trying to catch up,” said Joe Stroop, a spokesman for American Airlines. He said flights from O`Hare were delayed up to an hour Monday afternoon as the carrier caught up on the back-up caused by 75 morning cancellations. The airline also diverted 21 incoming planes to other cities in the region, including Milwaukee and Cincinnati, Stroop said.
The fog, created by a combination of warming temperatures and the snow cover, limited visibility at 6 p.m. Monday to a quarter of a mile at O`Hare, to zero at Meigs Field and to three-eighths of a mile at Midway Airport, according to the Central Weather Service.
The weather service predicted the fog would remain in the area through Tuesday morning, but visibility should improve by noon, when a cold front pushes drier air into the city. Foggy conditions, though not as severe, could return Tuesday evening, as warm air arrives from the South.
Temperatures gradually rose throughout Monday. O`Hare reported a high of 36 degrees at 4 p.m. before temperatures began falling gradually through the night. Low temperatures Monday night were predicted to range from 28 degrees in the western suburbs to 33 degrees near the lake.
Despite the fog, Monday`s rush hour was generally trouble-free, police said. There were a number of minor accidents on area expressways, but no major tie-ups.
Like American, United Airlines was backed up Monday afternoon in Chicago but had canceled no more flights, spokesman Joe Hopkins said. Monday morning, United, the airport`s largest air carrier, scrubbed 60 incoming flights and 60 departing flights at O`Hare and diverted some inbound planes to Milwaukee, Cleveland, Louisville and Cincinnati, Hopkins said.
At Meigs Field, on the city`s lakefront, only one helicopter had departed since the airport opened at 6 a.m. Monday, said Bill Qualiardi, an air traffic controller. He said the airport remained open for emergency flights.
The weather was blamed for the death Sunday night of a 44-year-old Elk Grove Village man. Floyd Whitford, of the 500 block of Northport Drive, died after he collapsed while operating a snow blower in front of a neighbor`s home, said Sgt. Ken Krzywicki of the Elk Grove Village Police Department. Whitford was seen by a passing motorist, who called police, Krzywicki said.
The cause of death was not determined, Krzywicki said.
Temperatures Tuesday are expected to reach the upper 30s, according to the weather service. The day is expected to be cloudy with occasional drizzle. Mild weather should prevail through the week, with high temperatures in the mid-30s and lows in the low to mid-20s. The weekend will be cooler, with expected highs in the mid to upper 20s, according to the Central Weather Service. Lows should reach the mid to upper teens.
