Winds
gusting up to 65 mph caused Lake Michigan waves to slam into the
Chicago shoreline, sending water onto part of Lake Shore Drive.
The waves which were up to 23-feet high slowed traffic and prompted the cancellation of a Halloween attraction.
Parts of the scenic highway were flooded on Friday, leading to some lane closures and traffic was backed up for miles.
Splish:
Huge Lake Michigan waves raised by gale force winds forced the closing
of northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive on the right at right
Splash: Gale force winds produced waves of over 20 feet as measured at a NOAA weather buoy far out on the big lake
Splosh: A snow squall during today's gale obscures the buildings of downtown Chicago as a large wave crashes into the seawall
Cars
moved slowly through the area. At one point cars were in a single-file
line as waves crashed across the three lanes closest to the water.
Emergency crews and trucks blocked the lanes to traffic while they worked to remove water off the road, city officials said.
At one point, waves reached the southbound side, causing traffic in both directions to stop.
It was a magnificent sight, and some people risked getting splashed just to see it.
The high waves prompted Navy Pier, one of Chicago's top tourist attractions, to close its eastern end.
The Ferris Wheel, Grand Ballroom and End Plaza were also closed because of the extreme weather.
Wet
welcome: A large Lake Michigan wave soaks a photographer who got a bit
too close to the action during the gales. The man beat a hasty retreat
out of the danger zone
Rough:
High waves from Lake Michigan crash into a break wall behind the Shedd
Aquarium Friday. Winds gusting up to 65 mph caused Lake Michigan waves
to slam into the Chicago shoreline
Crashing ashore: The waves slowed traffic along Lake Shore Drive and prompted the cancellation of a Halloween attraction
Not beach weather: High winds cause huge waves to crash along a Lake Michigan retaining wall at Chicago's 31st Street Beach
Flooded:
Emergency crews and trucks blocked the lanes to traffic while they
worked to remove water off the road, city officials said
A haunted house attraction on a floating barge, called Zombie Containment, was affected by water and was sinking into the lake.
The
attraction was closed Friday because of the inclement weather, and has
been damaged by the wind and waves, according to a Navy Pier spokesman.
Gary Chicago International Airport saw a wind gust of 69 mph, the highest in the area.
Most other places have recorded gusts of 30-50 mph on Friday afternoon, the weather service said.
At
O'Hare Airport, airlines have canceled 760 flights because of the
weather and are reporting delays up to 30 minutes, the city's Department
of Aviation said.
Further west, mountain residents are excited about the first strong winter storm that hit the Sierra Nevada overnight.
Change of season: A wintry mix of colder temperatures, snow and strong winds seem to be heralding the arrival of winter
People in Truckee, a local ski resort, are hoping for a wet and snowy winter.
The director of ski operations said the resort's 40 snow guns were primed for the weekend.
'We're excited -- (the) first real storm of the season is coming in,' Shaydar Edlemann said to KCRA. 'It looks like we might get a couple of real good nights of cold snow-making at the end of the weekend.'
In
the Sierra above 7,000 feet, 8 to 14 inches of early season snow was
possible, with up to 6 inches falling around the Lake Tahoe's level.
This
photo shows snow in Lexington, South Carolina. Snow fell on states in
the Upper Midwest and the South for the first time this season
Snow
in Asheville, North Carolina: Areas of the South got in on the action
over the weekend, with reports of snow falling in North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Georgia
Snow
was falling across the mountains of western North Carolina early
Saturday, and higher elevations could see up to 10 inches of snow by
Saturday evening
Several inches of snow was possible in some higher foothill locations.
The
storm is fairly typical for this time of year but decidedly welcome as
the region struggles through three straight years of drought and looks
to the coming winter to help turn things around.
The
storm should clear out Sunday, with temperatures in Reno Sunday night
dropping below freezing. If people have yet to prepare sprinkler systems
for winter, now is the time, Boyd said.
Conditions should warm to average levels by Tuesday, with highs in the lower 60s expected in Reno.
Snow also fell on states in the South for the first time this season.
There were reports of snow falling in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Georgia.
Up
to 2.5 inches of snow coated grassy areas near Greenville, South
Carolina, as well as Boone, North Carolina, early Saturday and two
inches were reported in Asheville, North Carolina
For parts of the South, it's the earliest snow in 46 years. Up to six inches may fall in some places
The imminent arrival of winter is also given another visual reminder with the darker evenings beginning from Sunday night.
At 2 a.m. Sunday, people will be turning back their clocks by an hour to mark the end of daylight savings time this year.
As
people return to standard time, police and safety officials are taking
the opportunity to remind the public to change the batteries in their
smoke detectors.
Daylight savings time will return on the second Sunday in March 2015.
Daylight saving time was put in place during the First World War to save energy in North America and Europe.
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