CHICAGO, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Winter weather gripped much of the U.S. Midwest and Northeast Thursday, causing travel delays and warnings.
The Illinois Department of Transportation described roads in the Chicago area as "treacherous" and "dangerous" due to a thin sheen of black ice.
"When we say we want the public to stay off the roads, and if they are going to be on the roads, to drive carefully, we're really not joking around," said IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias.
Amtrak reported severe winter weather conditions caused delays and cancellations of some train service Thursday, including the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago and New York and passenger train service to Montreal.
In Philadelphia, the city's decision to salt and not plow the icy roads at the beginning of Wednesday's storm was not popular with many drivers, the Inquirer reported.
"It's a disaster," said cab driver Ahmed Beladi. City officials said the lack of plows early in the storm was intentional, as the strategy was to focus on the ice.
In Baltimore, 1.3 inches of snow and a half-inch of ice Wednesday caused 90,000 power outages, numerous flight delays and cancellations and widespread school closings, the Baltimore Sun reported.
