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Chicago's first winter storm, in 2019, fell on the area Friday night, dumped its heaviest snow in the northern suburbs and began to accumulate in the city early Saturday morning .
Abundant snowfall began to fall around 8 pm Friday night. On Saturday at 5 am Wadsworth in northern Lake County had recorded more than six inches of accumulation as snow began to pile up in the western suburbs and at Midway Airport.
"We are still seeing moderate snowfall in northern Illinois here, but we are getting closer to the background," said meteorologist Ben Deubelbeiss of the National Meteorological Service on Saturday morning. He said Chicago could expect moderate snow, with accumulations of 1/2 or 1 inch per hour, until noon, when it would give way to snow flurries. A snow band from southeastern Wisconsin is expected to pivot and move south over the Chicago area in the late evening, arriving in northwestern Indiana early Sunday morning, according to Deubelbeiss.
Forecasters also say the storm swept Minnesota Throughout Friday in Iowa, will follow a period of lake effect snow between the late Saturday and Sunday at noon, accompanied by conditions of bursts, then a sharp drop in temperatures. Deubelbeiss said that lake effect snow can be very localized, with serious differences in accumulation only five miles apart. According to Mr. Deubelbeiss, two to six inches of lake effect powder were possible, said Saturday.
Wind conditions have already begun to develop on Saturday morning, which will be particularly marked in rural areas and open areas.
CTA did not report any problems because of the weather started, but delays began to occur on Metra, with three trains taking 15 minutes behind schedule at 6:45 am – a Union Pacific Northwest train, an incoming Union Pacific North train and a departing Metra Electric train. There are usually more snow problems on Metra than on CTA because the commuter rail covers much longer distances.
"These are issues that you really can not avoid because of the weather," said Sylvia Cooper, Metra spokeswoman. "We have 24-hour coverage with teams from all departments, all hands are on the deck."
According to Cooper, Metra crews salted the rigs, cleared snow, and used blowers. hot air to clear the tracks. The crews are also inspecting all the doors, because the snow can remain trapped and Cooper insisted that the customers must be safe and make sure they have enough time to get on the train.
According to flychicago.com, delays were 15 minutes or less at both airports.
The Illinois Department of Transportation website indicated ice and snow covered roads throughout most of the state
. Plows could be heard crossing Logan Square.
Here's what to expect and how to check the condition of roads, traffic, public transportation – and ways to get help.
Check for updates
.
As of 6 am, according to the National Weather Service, three inches of snow had fallen at Midway Airport.
In total, combined thunderstorms could leave 6 to 14 inches of snow on the ground in some places and be followed by explosions of early arctic air. Sunday. According to the National Meteorological Service, the first storm, which will end around noon, is expected to be 5 to 8 inches deep throughout the region, with deeper accumulations in the northern suburbs.
The storm should include dangerous blowing snow conditions. , with gusting winds as strong as 35 mph persistent at the beginning of Sunday. Travel may become difficult because of drifting snow, which could reduce visibility on the roads. It was expected that Lake Michigan's waves would reach 10 feet from Saturday morning at about 9 am, blocking part of the trail at Lake Chicago and causing lake-side flooding.
Indiana Peak should receive up to 8 inches of snow during the first storm, sometimes falling to about 1 inch per hour. The deepest snow will be in Lake, Northern Cook and McHenry counties, according to Deubelbeiss.
Winter storm warnings were in effect throughout northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and parts of northern Indiana from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning. [19659002] Weekend storms could set daily records – most snowfall ever recorded on January 19th was 8.8 inches in 1963. However, the Chicago area has seen less snow since December 1 that she usually gets it: Up to now this winter, only 4.1 inches of snow were recorded at the O. Hare International Airport on Friday morning, said Amy Seeley , meteorologist at the National Weather Service. Today, winters have generally recorded 13.9 inches of snow.
Icy Temperatures
Chicago is going through a transitional period between a polar vortex disturbance and the arrival of icy air in the Arctic, according to Max Vido, Meteorologist at AccuWeather. in Pennsylvania.
Anyone looking for a shelter against the storm in Chicago can find a warming center on the city's data portal. Warming centers are also available in Cook County, in the suburbs, on the county's Homeland Security Department's website.
For those looking for a way to help their neighborhood weather the storm, My Block, My Hood, My City, Chicago-based organization, organized volunteers to shovel snowy sidewalks for elderly or disabled homeowners.
What to expect on the roads
Road condition updates in Illinois can be found on the website of the Illinois Department of Transportation. [19659002] To prepare Illinois roads for the storm, the Transportation Department treats deck decks, ramps, viaducts, raised areas and other parts of the system likely to frost said spokesman Guy Tridgell Friday.
Load the salt trucks today and have equipment on the roads before the snow, "said Tridgell. "It is more than likely that we will have more than 350 trucks and plows deployed throughout the weekend in Cook and Coll counties."
Tridgell warned that high winds and low temperatures would make difficult driving after snowfall
"We advise people to plan ahead, to leave more time on their schedule if they travel, to slow down and to leave our plow drivers a lot of leeway. maneuver, "said Tridgell. 19659002] On the Illinois tollway, crews began Friday morning to apply brine on deck decks and ramps to prevent ice formation, once he has started to snow, said Dan Rozek, spokesman for the toll. A fleet of 196 salt plows touched the toll highway about two hours before the expected snow began, he said.
The Toll Highway Snow Removal Operations Center is located in the suburbs of Downers Grove, where staff will monitor the condition of roads. Several employees, ranging from equipment operators to mechanics, will work in 12-hour shifts to provide 24-hour coverage, Rozek said.
In Chicago, the city's streets and sanitation department was monitoring the storm to determine when to send its fleet of trucks, said Department spokesman Marjani Williams. The department has a fleet of 300 vehicles, but determining the number of these trucks that will be sent to the streets depends on the expected snowfall. Natalia Derevyanny, spokeswoman for Cook County, said the county should have its entire fleet of 60 trucks on 560 kilometers of roads starting Friday night, and use 2,000 tonnes of salt. She said Saturday morning that blowing snow was a challenge, especially in the more rural areas of the northwestern and southwestern parts of the city.