Chicago Halloween weather forecast brings snow, cold temps; spin-outs and multi-car crashes reported
Winter Weather Advisories issued for Tuesday night into Wednesday morning
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Snow and cold, gusty winds played a trick on Halloween celebrations in the Chicago area Tuesday.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Lake (IL) and Cook counties from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday night. The burst of lake effect snow could result in slushy totals of 1 to 3 inches, which will impact evening travel, ABC7 Meteorologist Larry Mowry said.
A Winter Weather Advisory has also been issued for Lake (IN) and Porter counties from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday. A band of lake effect snow could produce 1 to 3 inches of accumulation and slick roads, Mowry said.
The first wave of light snow moved in Tuesday morning, beginning at around 7 a.m. in the northwest suburbs. The early season snow caught even well-prepared pedestrian commuters by surprise.
"It was snowing a lot, and then, it got sunny, and snowed again. What's going on? Please make up your mind," said Evelyn Kim.
More bursts of snow came sporadically through the late morning and early afternoon, with wind gusts up to 35 miles-per-hour and wind chills in the 20s.
"Not bad, because I can still walk. I can still plant my feet on the ground," said Matthew Diaz.
The stretches of sidewalk over the Kennedy Expressway quickly turned slick in a fresh burst of snow and near freezing temperatures late Tuesday afternoon.
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For the office workers trying to escape downtown a little early for Halloween festivities, low visibility and cautious drivers jammed the outbound lanes.
At one point, the Willis Tower was nearly invisible, identifiable only by an outline to the trained Chicago eye.
"I think we're going to have a very hard winter this time. Not ready for it, but, it is what it is," Kim said.
Tuesday evening, the snow showers began to diminish in most of the area, but parts of northwest Indiana could see some lake-effect snow.
By 8 p.m. there were reports of some spin-out crashes on I-57 and I-80 due to slick road conditions. Salt trucks are being deployed on Illinois highways and on the streets of Chicago overnight in an effort to keep roads safe for the morning commute.
There was a crash involving seven cars on Vollmer Road over I-55 in the south suburbs near Matteson, a village spokesperson said. No one was injured and crews are working to clear the scene at this time.
Chilly temps don't deter Halloween trick-or-treating, celebrations
In addition to the snowflakes, gusty winds will also be a challenge for trick-or-treaters.
"Hopefully, I can convince my kids to stay inside with a scary movie tonight," said Tabitha Edmondson. "I was prepared for a little bit, not this much."
Fall decided to masquerade as winter this Halloween as drifting colored leaves were quickly disguised by blowing short-lived snow squalls that settled in over an elaborate Northbrook display.
Tiny trick-or-treaters were seen with costumes covered by coats. It looked, for a time, like they could be pieces of a snow globe scene.
At Conrad Fischer Elementary School, kids have been waiting for their chance to dress up and hold their Halloween parade, but it had to be moved inside this year because of the sudden onset of winter outside. After school there will be trick-or-treating as well.
In high school there are fewer costumes, but there's still plenty of Halloween fun. In one science class students got to choose their Halloween lesson, and picked candymaking. They choose their flavor, mix the ingredients and heat it up. When it's ready, they pour it into the mold to cool. When it's done they pop it out and it's ready to eat.
The students will all bring their handmade lollipops home with them, if they don't eat them before then.
