Chicago Weather: More snow creates slick roads across area Tuesday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Snow fell across the Chicago area all morning long Tuesday, leading to crawling expressways and lots of cranky commuters.
More than three inches of snow has fallen on the city since Sunday evening, with 3.5 inches of snow falling at O'Hare and 3.9 inches of snow at Midway as of 10:30 a.m.. In the suburbs, Batavia received 5.8 inches of snow, Algonquin received 5.5 inches of snow, Park Forest received 4.7 inches of snow, and Mundelein received 4.1 inches of snow. In Indiana, St. John received 4.4 inches of snow and Munster received 2.6 inches of snow. Snow is expected to diminish in the afternoon, with lake effect snow continuing in northwest Indiana.
A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect for Cook and Lake counties in Illinois until noon. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Lake County, Ind. until 9 p.m. Tuesday. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Porter County until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
The snow made a mess of Chicago area roadways, including in northwest Indiana, where a jackknifed semi created big delays on I-94.
At around 4:50 p.m., Chopper 7-HD was over the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash on the Indiana Toll Road just west of IN 149. Both westbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road are closed. By 5:45 p.m., crews were allowing cars stuck between the accident and IN 149 to get through.
Indiana State Police said multiple semis and multiple cars were involved in the accident. Only one injury was reported.
Jeff Delgado was running late. He had to stop at a gas station in Skokie midway through his much longer-than-normal commute to fill up.
"Typically it's about 15, 20 minutes and it turns into about 45 minutes to an hour," he said. "Better to drive slow, be safe that's what you've gotta do."
The Edens was moving a bit better by late morning, but Wilmette resident Leticia Martinez says she is not going anywhere near an expressway in these conditions.
"In this type of weather, I'd rather take the roads the side roads," she said. "At my age, I take things slow."
But it could be worse. It was slow going on the Jane Addams tollway late Monday and early Tuesday, where it was hard to see more than a few feet in front of you. Many drivers pulled over with the hazard lights on.
The plows have been running almost non-stop since late Sunday evening. Drivers on the North Side of the city are hoping it lets up.
"I actually had to pull over and wipe my wind shield off because it wasn't steaming fast enough to get the snow and ice off," Wilmette driver Veronica Price.
Her 1-year-old dog Bobby was ready for anything, suited up in his best foul weather gear.
"He thinks he's a lot bigger than he is," Price said.
She was glad she missed the crazy commute Tuesday morning, but she has to work later Tuesday night.
"I pray too because sometimes it can get slick so just careful, right," she said.
Moral of the story: Stay safe and drive slow and be sure to budget a little extra time when you're heading out Tuesday.
