Chicago weather forecast: Several inches of snow fall in northern suburbs Friday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The calendar says spring, but a burst of winter weather moved through the Chicago area Friday, with some places seeing several inches of snow.
A Winter Storm Warning was in effect for Boone and McHenry counties until 4 p.m. A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect until 4 p.m. for Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha and Walworth counties in Wisconsin.
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By 9:30 a.m., several inches of snow had already fallen in some areas, with parts of McHenry County recording four inches of snow, with an additional two to three inches of snow, ABC7 Accuweather Meteorologist Jaisol Martinez said.
Area south of McHenry and Lake Counties could get an an additional half an inch to one-and-a-half-inches of snow, with a burst of snow pushing south between 2-6 p.m. for much of the area, Martinez said.
Latest snowfall totals:
The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation said they have deployed salt spreaders for the morning commute.
Winter didn't get the hint when spring arrived earlier this week, it barged in Friday morning covering the far north suburbs in snow.
In Woodstock, it wasn't the spring cleaning many had been planning.
"I have no problem with it snowing, although I do hope it's our last snow of the season, because all the flowers are coming up," Woodstock resident Katie Parkhurst said.
The snowblower woodstock resident Emery Langmar bought in January stopped working on its maiden voyage.
"I would just tell your viewers, if they get a new snowblower and they're forced to use it under circumstances similar to this, they should read the instruction manual first," Langmar said.
In Gurnee, snow plows were out in force clearing away a few inches of snow.
"I was envisioning nice, sunny weather at least 60 degrees, but unfortunately, we're here with snow," Gurnee commuter Gil Garcia said. "Happy spring."
Friday is the third full day of spring, when birds are supposed to be chirping and flowers starting to bloom. Instead, the flowers are covered in snow, and the sounds of snow plows and shovels are taking the place of the chirping birds. It's a reminder that spring in Chicago can be unpredictable.
Snow plow driver Scott Thompson got a bonus day of work this season. He spent the morning plowing and shoveling several inches of snow from sidewalks and driveways.
"Always good to keep busy," Thompson said.
With the temperatures barely below the freezing mark, the snow continue to fall most of the day, piling up and giving residents a choice: leave it for a couple days and let it melt or clear it now. It's an easy choice for the professionals.
Jason Pittman is the general manager of AMC Landscapes. He said this weather is good for business.
"Well, it's always a good day for us when it's snowing like this," Pittman said. "We take care of a lot of the restaurants and commercial properties here in Gurnee and it's a busy one."
The morning commute was complicated by this blast of winter weather. Gerry Jones said he slowed down significantly to stay safe.
"The roads are pretty slippery and icy, but I am around here being safe and I'm doing my best to keep these roads safe and drive like I have some sense this morning," Jones said.
David Artz dusted off his snow blower saying he hasn't needed his for a while. He also wasn't surprised to wake up to snow.
"We're gonna get a couple more big blasts of snow probably April so it happens but it's nice," Artz said. "It's mild. It was sunny in March and we didn't have much snow yesterday. This will be gone by Tuesday so, not bad."
Meanwhile, Corey Wisdom shoveled his driveway with a sunny attitude.
"You think spring is here, but then winter surprises us again so however inconvenient," Wisdom said. "It's not terrible. This winter has been pretty mild for us so far so just enjoying it a little bit."
