As Hurricane Sandy takes aim at the Atlantic coast, the effects were being felt here, 800 miles away.
Here are some of the ways the monster storm has been messing with Chicago:
• Lakeshore warnings (updated 2:15 p.m.): The National Weather Service says winds on and near Lake Michigan will pick up Monday afternoon and night, with gusts up to 60 mph. Weather watchers predict wave heights will reach 25 feet by late tonight, causing lake shore flooding and beach erosion.
• Roads (updated 3:30 p.m.): The high waves in the forecast could swamp Lake Shore Drive, but as of Monday afternoon, the city had no plans to reroute Chicago Transit Authority buses from Lake Shore Drive. CTA staff planned to closely monitor lakefront conditions throughout Monday evening and into Tuesday, a spokesman said.
• Air travel (updated 3:30 p.m.): As of 3:30 p.m. today, more than 450 flights at O'Hare International Airport and more than 100 at Midway International Airport had been canceled, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
United Continental Holdings, the world's largest air carrier, canceled 3,700 flights for Sunday through Wednesday, or about 16 percent of total flights scheduled during that period, because of the storm, a spokesman said on Monday.
Wall Street analysts expect United and other carriers, like JetBlue and Delta, to suffer a short-term hit to earnings as they spend money to shuffle crews and planes away from and then back to the East Coast.
Flights in the Northeast are all but stopped for at least two days. Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights for Monday and Tuesday from Washington to Boston. The disruptions spread across the nation and overseas, stranding passengers from Hong Kong to Europe.
• Amtrak:The nation's passenger rail service has canceled all Tuesday service in the Northeast, as well as between the East Coast and Chicago. It'll be the second day in a row for cancellations due to high winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Sandy. Passengers were urged to follow developments on Amtrak.com and Amtrak's Facebook and Twitter sites. As of Monday afternoon, no decision had been made on when service will be resumed.
A surfer on Lake Michigan today.
Erik UngerRead more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20121029/NEWS07/121029807/heres-how-hurricane-sandy-is-affecting-chicago#ixzz2AnWpAx8H
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