United Airines Computers Working After Overnight Glitch

United Airlines says its computer systems are back up and working Saturday morning after going down for more than five hours overnight.

Thousands of United passengers at Chicago's O'Hare and airports across the country have been affected. Many were still trying to get to their destinations Saturday.

The problems began Friday night just after 7 p.m. By 1 a.m. Saturday, United announced on its Twitter page its systems were running again.

In addition to departures, the computer outage also affected airport processing and reservations.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says because of the glitch, United passengers could not check in for their flights.

For many passengers at O'Hare, the experience was a nightmare.

"Well, we've been here for quite a while and they kept us hanging on and hanging on, and they finally let us know about 20 minutes ago that they're cancelling our flight. They were letting flights out to the United States but none that went to Canada, none that were international," passenger Louise Mackey said overnight.

United Airlines had not announced later Saturday morning what caused the computer problems or how many flights or passengers were affected.  They also don't know when they will be back operating on schedule.

Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Finally Opens

There are still digging out in the Midwest as the storm that dropped two feet of snow in some areas has moved out.

Chicago tow trucks worked overnight to clear cars and  buses that were trapped on a snowy Lake Shore Drive during Blizzard 2011.

After crews plowed the street, Lake Shore Drive reopened just after 5 a.m. from Roosevelt to Hollywood. Drivers are warned to be careful.

More than 200 vehicles became stranded during when a two-day blizzard dumped more than 20 inches of snow on Chicago, creating whiteout conditions. Several accidents in quick succession led to the mess, according to officials.

Motorists who have left vehicles on Lake Shore Drive should call 311 to recover their relocated vehicles.

Weather Forecasts for Sunday's Conference Championships

Chicago:

Pittsburgh:

Looks like some real football weather for Sunday.  If you are going to either of the games, dress warm.

First Significant Snow hits Chicago

The Chicago area charged head-on into full-fledged winter weather Saturday as the season's first snowstorm brought a general 3-7 inch snowfall to the area. Officially the city recorded 5.1 inches of snow at O'Hare International Airport, a record amount for the date, besting the 4.6 inches that fell here in1964. Areas  west and south of Chicago were even harder hit with up to 9 inches of snow blanketing areas in a band from Dubuque to Champaign.

A cold week is in store for the area with temperatures not expected to reach or break the freezing mark. With a fresh snow cover in place, overnight lows are forecast to plummet to single digits on several nights with coldest inland location flirting with zero.

With a northwest flow of arctic air sweeping across Lake Michigan the next few days, a major lake-effect snow is likely to bury portions of northern Indiana and southwest lower Michigan. Snow totals are expected to top two feet in some areas.

Looks like the Midwest is heading for a White Christmas.