Chicago weather: At least 4 inches of snow falls from winter storm in parts of area

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A winter storm moved into the Chicago area Wednesday and it is forecast to dump several inches of snow.

ABC7 AccuWeather meteorologists said the storm could dump three to six inches of snow across our area, with isolated areas getting more than six inches near the Wisconsin border.

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A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the entire Chicago area, including Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 3 a.m. Thursday.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 3 a.m. Thursday for Racine and Kenosha counties in Wisconsin.

SEE ALSO | School Closings: Chicago Area Complete List

Northern Indiana was also upgraded to a Winter Storm Watch until Thursday 7 a.m. for DeKalb, eastern St. Joseph, Elkhart, Lagrange, Marshal, Noble, northern Kosciusko, northern LaPorte, southern Kosciusko, southern LaPorte, Starke, Steuben, Western St. Joseph and Whitley.

Snow has become widespread, with low visibility. ABC7 AccuWeather Meteorologist Tracy Butler said moderate to heavy snow will fall at times between noon and 5 p.m., causing disruption on the road.

Butler said light snow will linger between 5 p.m. until midnight. Poor driving conditions can be expected Wednesday afternoon.

At least four inches of snow were measured in Wauconda, Illinois and Valparaiso, Indiana Wednesday evening, ABC7 Meteorologist Cheryl Scott said.

FULL FORECAST | AccuWeather Alert: Wind chills bellow zero Thursday; 7-day Chicago weather forecast

Temperatures will stay in the 20s on Wednesday, and Thursday will see some bitterly cold temperatures move in, with wind chills from 5 to -5 degrees.

Friday will be quiet, but snow showers are expected to arrive later in the evening, and the ABC7 AccuWeather Team is watching a storm system for Saturday as well. That could bring more accumulating snow, ABC7 AccuWeather Meteorologist Larry Mowry said.

Snowy road conditions

Safety officials are reminding drivers to make room for emergency vehicles on the road and generally take it slow out there. As the fine, dry snow continued to fall, the pavement was slushy.

Blustery winds and a new round of snow came down hard, leaving a fresh blanket of white in Waukegan.

The nearly all-day snowfall caused slick spots during periods of the evening commute.

"Bad. It's bad," driver Jeffrey Jones said. "Cars sliding all over the place. It's bad."

Kyle Whitlow was driving from Michigan to Wisconsin.

"It's been quite the adventure on the road," Whitlow said. "Not horrible, but it's slowing some things down a little bit."

There are slushy and slick spots. That's kind of unavoidable with this kind of weather," truck driver Michael Brown said. "The plows doing a pretty good job right now, keeping the roads pretty clean."

With the cold temperatures, there's still the potential for refreezing on the pavement.

I-94 was closed in Lake County after a semi jackknifed, blocking left and center lanes according to Illinois State Police.

The crash happened at about 11:54 a.m. on the northbound lanes of I-94 near Russel Road. No injuries were reported. No other information was available.

Snow in city of Chicago

Chicago dealt with the measurable snowfall Wednesday afternoon.

"It's very different," said Jose Antonio Urvan, a student from Mexico City. "We never get snow in Mexico City, so we never get this cold in Mexico City either."

Chicagoans dealt with the measurable snowfall Wednesday afternoon.

Winter weather began moving into the area Wednesday morning, promising to come to an end sometime in the evening.

The snow appeared to have kept many in the city at home. But Thursday when the snow clears, what is left behind will test commuters as the temperatures continue to drop overnight.

Fine snow flutters along the lakefront gave the city a snow globe-like look Wednesday night.

Wednesday's winter storm quieting the city noise and traffic as a blanket of white coated Chicago's streets and sidewalks.

Fine snow flutters along the lakefront gave the city a snow globe-like look Wednesday night.

"When we heard it was going to snow, oh my God, we were so happy," said Craig Weldon, who is visiting Chicago.

The storm follows what forecasters said is one of Chicago's warmest fall seasons on record.

Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation has a fleet of more than 300 snow vehicles prepared to respond with 425,000 tons of salt - stationed at salt piles throughout the city.

Two hundred Illinois Tollway trucks were used to salt the roads and snowplows are ready to hit the streets for the winter storm.

While most loathe the weather, Craig and Terri Weldon are taking it all in stride.

"I think it's fine. I think it's lovely," Terri Weldon said. "I love walking in the snow. It's so romantic."

The snow certainly can be romantic, but the drop in temperatures will test that romance tomorrow for commuters. With an anticipated drop in temperatures, it will be a good idea to budget extra time and keep caution on the roads tomorrow morning.

Homeowners were prepped Wednesday morning for the snow.

"We got prepared," Gino Bruno said. "We got some salt for the home for our house and checked our neighbors that are a little elder. We always check our neighbors to make sure they're OK."

It was a busy morning at the JC Licht Ace Hardware store in Bridgeport.

A winter storm began baring down on the Chicago area Wednesday.

Snow blowers were front and center with of course plenty of extra snow shovels and brushes for vehicles.

"I gotta be looking for safety, since today's going to be a hell of a day, you gotta be prepared for that," Enrique Raymundo said.

Employees were re-stocking the shelves with plenty of ice melter with bags of salt piled up outside for customers to throw in their cars.

Snow in north suburbs

Blustery winds and a new round of snow came down hard at times, leaving a fresh blanket of white in downtown Waukegan, where many had begun cleaning up.

With his battery-powered shovel, Maurice Barnett, who owns and manages multiple properties, was on his seventh location clearing snow.

"I'll be honest, I did expect a lot more, so it's not too bad for me," Barnett said. "It's still a little bit early, but I'm sure I'll sleep pretty good. Hopefully I'm not sore tomorrow."

Brian Spaid has been plowing the streets in Streamwood after snowfalls for 27 years, but this is the first substantial snow he's had to deal with so far this year. They've got 50 vehicles dedicated to clearing the roads in town, and they are trying to stay on top of it.

"We just started plowing and salting and that's what we'll do the rest of the day," Spaid said.

Streamwood has 50 vehicles dedicated to clearing the roads in town, and they are trying to stay on top of it.

They'll put in 12 hour shifts to get it done, but then they have had a bit of a break so far this year. The roads early in the day were pretty clear on the interstates. As the afternoon wore on, the snow increased, and the roads got quite a bit more slick.

"Looking a little treacherous," said Adrian Marquez with Schaumburg field services. "It came down in the last couple hours. We're doing our best to keep up with it. But it's gonna be the better part of 12 hours for sure."

For private snow removal contractors, the snow could not have come soon enough. Snow plow operator George Schlangen has been waiting on this since the last measurable snow in November.

"We've all been anxious," Schlangen said. "It ain't gonna snow in June. So we're excited."

Snow in south suburbs

The snow came down quite aggressively in South Holland over a few hours.

For private snow removal contractors, in the north subrubs, the snow could not have come soon enough.

There sledding hill here at the Municipal Park near 164th Street in South Holland, a perfect spot for kids to put the technology down for a bit and enjoy the fresh snow.

Snow trucks were all over the south suburbs Wednesday, clearing the way on expressways and side streets.

"It's a little slippery I see a lot of plow trucks throwing salt down," Lansing resident Ricky Scott said. "I'm hoping we don't get eight inches."

Snow really started to pile up Wednesday afternoon across neighborhoods in South Holland.

It made for a dicey evening commute, and Thornton Township District 205 said students still attended school in person Wednesday.

Meanwhile, truck drivers in the area are also trekked through the snow.

"Other people can stay in the house, but we don't take a break," a truck driver named Tony said. "We gotta go out there and make America move."

Another driver named Ralph told ABC7 he has no choice but to drive through the storm as he's delivering dialysis medicine.

"When you do a job like that your patients become like family and they need you to stay alive," Ralph said. "You're doing a good deed."

It certainly was getting worse as the afternoon went on. ABC7 saw many cars having issues on the roads.

Snow in west suburbs

The winter storm also brought heavy snow to Naperville and the surrounding area Wednesday.

The winter storm brought heavy snow to Naperville and the surrounding area Wednesday.

Heart safety tips

American Heart Association board member and cardiologist Dr. Tochukwu M. Okwuosa joined ABC7 Wednesday to give heart health tips for snow shovelers amid the winter storm in the Chicago area.

American Heart Association board member and cardiologist Dr. Tochukwu M. Okwuosa gave heart health tips amid the winter storm in Chicago.

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