Storm hits Chicago area; up to 9 inches of snow expected
A strong winter storm has taken hold of the Chicago area and is expected to bring 5 to 9 inches of “very wet, heavy” snow, according to the National Weather Service.
The snow began falling around 4 p.m., and the swath of the storm includes most of northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana, said Brian Leatherwood, NWS meteorologist.
The city of Chicago itself is included in the “really tight area” that will see the bulk of the snowfall.
“It will be rather intense from 6 p.m. to midnight,” Leatherwood said. “We could get up to an inch or an inch and a half of snow per hour.”
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Sunday while a lakeshore flood advisory lasts until 3 a.m. Monday.
“Decent wind gusts” of between 25 and 35 mph are also expected with the storm, causing limited visibility, Leatherwood added.
The snow will continue until after midnight but decrease by later Sunday. Temperatures will remain around freezing.
Leatherwood pointed out that though some are predicting more like 12 inches of snow, the weather service is not.
“We don’t see the mechanism for that,” Leatherwood said of the foot prediction. At its highest, maybe 8 to 9 inches, he said.
Areas in the south and southwest, such as south of Pontiac, will not see as much snowfall, only about 2 to 5 inches.
“This is just a typical winter storm we would see this time of year,” NWS meteorologist Casey Sullivan said earlier.
“Travel could be dangerous due to the heavy wet snow and strong winds causing very low visibility and snow packed roads” with “power outages possible,” according to the weather service.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation will have about 300 salt trucks ready to go Saturday afternoon, starting with Lake Shore Drive and main routes, according to a city news release.
The storm comes after Chicago experienced its first heavy snowfall of the season earlier in the week. That storm moved through the Chicago area from Monday night through Tuesday evening and left 4 to 6 inches of snow in much of the area. Some areas were hit with about 8 inches because of faster rates of snowfall from Lake Michigan moisture, according to the weather service.