CHICAGO (AP/WBBM) - A storm that buried parts of Illinois in nearly a foot of snow and grounded hundreds of flights was crawling east early Wednesday, leaving behind strong winds that safety officials warned would create a dangerous morning commute.
Tuesday's official snowfall of 12.6 inches set a record for snow on any single day in February for Chicago.
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Travel on area roads was hazardous with numerous areas of "black ice", WBBM's Bart Shore reported.
Airlines are not reporting delays Wednesday morning because of improved weather conditions -- but cancellations continue, according to a city Dept. of Aviation release.
More than 300 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport and more than 150 were canceled at Midway Airport as the winter storm moves east, according to the release, which said that as of 7:30 a.m., airlines at both airports continue to proactively cancel flights.
Southwest Airlines will resume its schedule at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the aviation release.
As of 5:30 a.m., the city of Chicago had shifted its full main fleet of 275 snow fighting trucks to the city's side streets.
Scores of schools were closed and travelers were stranded statewide following a storm that forced airlines to cancel more than 700 flights and bus companies to close all routes in and out of Chicago on Tuesday.
Drifting snow and low visibility concerns prompted the Illinois Department of Transportation to urge motorists to use public transportation if possible on Wednesday.
``We do expect (Wednesday) morning to be very slow moving,'' IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said late Tuesday, when snow was still falling in northern and central Illinois. ``I don't think the visibility will change all that much from now.''
Forecasters said the storm would be out of the state by morning rush hour, but wind gusts of up to 30 mph could stir up snow and impede visibility.
The Chicago Department of Aviation reported more than 600 canceled flights at O'Hare International Airport with delays averaging 30 minutes Tuesday night. Southwest Airlines stopped Chicago service at 10 a.m. Tuesday, canceling more than 140 flights in and out of Midway Airport. Airline spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said service could resume at late Wednesday morning, depending on the weather.
Greyhound canceled bus service from Chicago to Des Moines, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee and Omaha on Tuesday. Amtrak reported no immediate Chicago-area cancellations.
Gilson in Knox County reported more than 7 inches of snow by late Tuesday, while Decatur, Champaign and Urbana saw about 6 inches. But most of central Illinois reported between 4 to 5 inches.
``We had two fronts coming together - one from the southwest and the other one out of Minnesota - and that made it a very slow storm over Illinois,'' Dan Kelly, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Lincoln, Ill., said of the storm that began Monday night. ``But the fronts are consolidated now, and it will pick up speed and intensity as it moves toward the East Coast.''
Snow and ice was affecting most interstate roadways north of Effingham late Tuesday afternoon, according to the Transportation Department. Spokeswoman Paris Ervin said crews were having some trouble clearing the roads.
``With high winds comes blowing and drifting snow, which can be a challenge for our snow plow operators,'' Ervin said.
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