Clutching a Minnie Mouse hat with large, plastic ears, 7-year-old Abby Buchholz slumped Friday in a chair at O’Hare International Airport, “depressed,” as she put it. Only the Mickey Mouse on her fleece was smiling.
“We’re never gonna make it to Disney,” her little brother, Tim, said in a whine he’d been repeating all afternoon.
As if a late March snowstorm weren’t bad enough, it hit just in time to thwart spring break travel plans to warmer climates.
Like many other times this winter, travelers at O’Hare and Midway airports stared at flight boards crammed with the words “Delayed” and “Canceled.” More than 450 flights at O’Hare and about 15 at Midway had been canceled by Friday evening, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Under a winter storm warning for almost 24 hours, the region saw 7 to 12 inches of snow in parts of the northern suburbs, to only rain in the southern area, according to the National Weather Service. In Lake County, it snowed at a rate of 2 inches per hour, at the worst.
In the northwest suburbs, there was a brief but intense snowfall in the afternoon. “It was pretty nasty out for about an hour and a half,” said Schaumburg Police Sgt. John Nebl.
Would-be travelers watched the white flakes pound O’Hare and recounted one horror story after another. Michelle Buchholz, the mother of Abby and Tim, said she got her family to the airport in Madison, Wis., by 6 a.m. only to sit on the runway through two de-icings and miss her connection to Orlando. They’re booked for a flight Sunday. “Now we’re losing about three days of our vacation that we’ve already paid for,” said Buchholz, of Green Bay.
“It has not been a good Friday,” she said.
Ellen Griffin and her family from Oak Park didn’t make the cut for standby on a flight after their original one was canceled.
Griffin said she was 79th on the list. Clerks at United Airlines told her she was looking at a two- to three-day wait because so many people travel during spring break, she said, sitting on the airport floor with three of her four children.
“I remember going to Florida as a kid, and there’s nothing like that adrenaline rush that you’re going to the beach,” said Griffin, who was heading to the Keys.
Her 7-year-old daughter remembered getting a sand bucket filled with beach gear last year in Florida instead of an Easter basket.
“Maybe he [the Easter bunny] will know we’re going there after Easter,” 4-year-old Libby Griffin offered hopefully.
Weather played havoc with other plans as well. Hawthorne Race Course canceled its Friday card after four races.
Far north suburban Beach Park’s annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday was called off, as were four in Chicago where there are no indoor facilities. Those canceled were: Sunshine Playlot, Cotton Tail Park, Harold Washington Playlot Park and Telcser Playlot.
“You couldn’t hide eggs in this kind of weather,” said Milt Jensen, Beach Park mayor. “We’ve already had 8 to 9 inches of snow up here. And then the kids wouldn’t be able to find them, especially the little ones.”
The Chicago area can expect snow showers Saturday morning, but then a chance to dry out later in the day. “Certainly nothing significant at this point,” National Weather Service meteorologist Casey Sullivan said Friday night.
The airlines “are hopeful” their flight schedules will be back to normal Saturday, said Karen Pride, Department of Aviation spokeswoman.
She could not say how soon travelers whose flights were canceled Friday would be able to catch new flights.
But the backlog sounds pretty bad, said Ray Flores, who was one of many grounded. The South Side resident — who was trying to get to Mexico for a family emergency — said Continental Airlines officials told him it might be Wednesday before he can fly.
“They’re saying the trains are booked, too,” he said. “There’s nothing to do but wait.”
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kkridel@tribune.com
