Several inches of snow fell Tuesday morning as the first round of snow moved in.
ABC7 Accuweather Meteorologist Tracy Butler says a second round will move into the area a Tuesday afternoon, making conditions slushy and sloppy with additional mix of rain and snow.
Mix of rain snow creates slick roads across Chicago area
Snow will diminish into the evening, but windy conditions will continue. Areas to the north and west additional four to seven inches of snow, whereas areas in and around the city could see an additional one to two inches of snow
SCHOOL CLOSINGS: See full list of Chicago area school closures
As of 11 a.m. more than an inch of snow have fallen in parts of the area:
Plainfield: 3.6
Homer Glen: 3.5
Palos Park: 3.2
New Lenox: 3.2
Valparaiso: 2.8
Clarendon Hills: 2.8
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning effect for Boone, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, LaSalle and McHenry counties, which is in effect until midnight.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for northern Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kendall and Livingston counties until midnight.
The city of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation has deployed more than 200 salt spreaders to clear the streets, focusing on the main arterial streets and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
As of 12:01 p.m.., O’Hare Airport reported 100 flight cancellations with average delays of less than 15 minutes. At Midway, there were 35 flight cancellations, with average delays of less than 15 minutes.
As the system moved in, the Illinois Tollway deployed its full fleet of 196 snowplows and opened its Snow Operations Center to manage the agency’s response to the storm.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Transportation said their fleet has been out on area expressways pre-treating the pavement in anticipation of slick conditions.
“Even though the pavement may look more wet, it’s definitely more slick than you anticipate so you really need to go slower than you think,” Maria Castanada with IDOT said.
And while, it was a slow go for some motorists who had a tough time remembering how to drive in the snow, others like NATHAN STREETER welcomed the change of pace.
“It’s actually nice to have it for a change after such a warm Christmas, although we don’t mind having the nice weather,” commuter Nathan Streeter said.
Snow blankets western suburbs
The snow blanketed the western for the season’s first big storm.
It slowed down and picked up at time in Hinsdale as folks drudged their way to work.
Residents woke up to a cold blast for the first snowfall of the year.
“Got to get bundled up, two layers on, three layers on,” Kevin Cheung said.
Piles of snow now decorate the streets of Hinsdale, making for slippery conditions on the roads.
“There’s a little slush here and there, but not that bad,” Diab Zanayed said. “You just gotta be careful obviously.”
Crews have been hard at work, clearing streets and sidewalks.
The snow has fallen continuously overnight, turning to rain at points…
“Well, I wore clogs with holes in them, and I should not have because my feet are wet now,” Diane Giltner said.
“I’ve been out since about 330 this morning,” Bob Wood said.
Wood maintains some of the downtown businesses. He said he’s already had to shovel the sidewalk several times Tuesday to clear all the wet slush.
“I’m hoping it goes right to snow, Wood said. “I don’t want to deal with the wet stuff. I have a snowblower, but it won’t work in this.”
The ACE Hardware store was packed with customers Monday, the owner tells me, looking for all the typical items in preparation for the storm.
“Shovels and salt. That was the big thing,” ACE hardware owner Paula Fuller said. “And then, quite a few snowblowers went out, which has been two years with no snow. Even that type of product wasn’t moving.”
People were bracing for another messy commute Tuesday afternoon as the snow keeps coming down.
“Hopefully it will slow down later this evening, so the drive back won’t be that bad,” Cheung said.
“I have a Bronco, a new Bronco and it’s off road and it goes anywhere,” Giltner said.
Those that are headed out are asked to give some extra time to reach your destination and leave plenty of space between you and other vehicles.
It’s slushy and messy on the roadways.