Chicago Weather: Freezing rain leads to icy roads, multiple crashes

Jessica D'Onofrio Image
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Chicago Weather Freezing rains leads to multiple crashes
Freezing rain caused dangerous driving conditions in the Chicago area overnight.

HILLSIDE, Ill. (WLS) -- Freezing rain caused dangerous driving conditions in the Chicago area overnight. A number of crashes and spinouts were reported on expressways and local streets, but no one was seriously injured.

Although the pavement is still wet Tuesday morning, the roads have been salted. Drivers are advised to reduce speed and keep a safe distance from other vehicles.

A car spun out and hit a guard rail in west suburban Oak Brook on southbound Route 83 near 31st Street around 9 p.m. Monday. An ambulance was on the scene but fortunately no one was seriously hurt.

Heavy snow fell on the Dan Ryan Expressway around 10 p.m. Monday, causing many drivers to lose control of their vehicles. An SUV hit a wall near 35th Street around 10:15 p.m., a northbound vehicle hit a wall near 59th Street around 10:45 p.m. and two cars crashed in the northbound express lanes around 11:15 p.m. All of the drivers are OK.

Michael Chapman had a hard time driving on the Tri-State Tollway Monday night.

"It was really, really stop and go. Everybody was sliding all over the place. I was coming back from Milwaukee. I-294 coming here, just stop and go. Everything was shut down pretty much because there were accidents all over the place," Chapman said.

Crews were out in full force all night long, clearing snow and melting the ice. The Chicago Department of Transportation said more than 280 plows and salt spreaders were deployed overnight. They will focus on neighborhood streets ahead of the morning commute.

ABC7 Meteorologist Tracy Butler said the Chicago area will see areas of fog and flurries Tuesday morning. The winds may turn off Lake Michigan, causing patchy freezing drizzle in some areas, but nothing widespread.

Any precipitation is expected to end by 10 a.m. Tuesday. The clouds will clear slowly, but the sun will peek through later in the day. The Chicago area will see a high of 30 on Tuesday.