Chicago Weather: Up to 3 in. of snow expected Sunday, more snow Monday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A winter storm began moving through the Chicago area Saturday night bringing up to 3 inches of snow to northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. A second storm is expected to bring a total of 5 inches to our area by Monday evening.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois from 9 p.m. Saturday until noon Sunday, and in Cook County and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana from midnight to 6 p.m. CT Sunday for snow accumulations of 3-5 inches.
ABC7 meteorologist Phil Schwarz said snow will fall mainly between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. with 1 to 3 inches expected. The higher amounts will be close to the lake. As winds shift to the north and become gusty, there will be some blowing snow along with temperatures falling into the teens.
By early Monday, the temperature will be down into the single digits with sub-zero wind chills. Clouds will then increase with snow arriving just in time for the afternoon commute. Right now this looks like a 2 to 4 inches snowfall with the heavier amounts south, Schwarz said.
WATCH: Latest ABC7 AccuWeather Forecast
The forecast estimates that the Chicago area should see between 1 to 3 inches of fresh snowfall, which could make for slippery road conditions.
On Sunday night, mostly clear conditions are expected as single-digit temperatures and sub-zero wind chills move into the area.
The Chicago area is still looking at three more rounds of snow later this week - Monday afternoon or night, Wednesday and Friday, McGinnis said.
The latest models show a dusting to 1 inch on the ground by 8 a.m. Sunday, with some areas seeing as much as 2 inches, ABC7 meteorologist Larry Mowry said.
On Sunday, snow showers in the morning will persist into the early part of the afternoon, with the Illinois side of Lake Michigan possibly picking up some lake-enhanced snowfall.
In all, most areas will see 1 to 2 inches of snow, with some areas near the lake seeing closer to 3 or 4 inches.
Over at the Lake County salt pile in Libertyville Saturday night, plow truck drivers started loading up around 8 p.m. for a 12-hour shift.
There were 26 drivers were drivers called in and another 26 were coming in Sunday morning to relieve the overnight crews.
"It looks like it should be over about noon, what they are saying, maybe flurries in the afternoon. So that's two to four inches," said Paul Serzynski with the Lake County Division of Transportation.
Lake County is responsible for about 800 miles of road.
"There are 26 routes. Each route covers approximately 30 to 35 lane miles. We spray liquid as we are spreading salt. We are using a 70/30 mix," said Serzynski.
Cherissa Davis didn't expect to see snow on her drive back to Chicago Saturday night.
"We went to go visit family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I didn't know it was going to snow. If I knew it was going to snow I wouldn't have came," said Chicagoan Cherissa Davis.
She said she's going to take her time getting home.
"I drive slow and I get in the last lane so if people want to speed and go around me, go ahead. I am taking my time," said Davis.
Chicago has not had a lot of snow this winter, but the supply of road salt is shrinking because much of the salt supply is being sent to Indiana and other states in the Midwest that have had more snow.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
