Weather
9 Inches Of Snow Hits Chicago Area, More On The Way
Roads were snow covered and slippery Wednesday morning. Police and weather officials urged drivers to use extreme caution.
ILLINOIS — Nearly 10 inches of snow had fallen in parts of the Chicago area — and even more in other parts of Illinois — by Wednesday morning, with New Lenox getting the most so far.
As of late morning, the following snow totals were reported as Winter Storm Landon continued:
- New Lenox: 9.5 inches
- Midway airport: 8.2 inches
- Tinley Park: 7.5 inches
- Lemont: 7 inches
- Plainfield: 7 inches
- Naperville: 6.1 inches
- Shorewood: 6 inches
- Woodridge: 6 inches
- Lockport: 6 inches
- Oak Forest: 5.5 inches
- Crest Hill: 5.4 inches
- Downers Grove: 5.3 inches
- Oak Lawn: 5 inches
Accumulating snow is expected to continue in Illinois through the afternoon before a second round of snow Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
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Meanwhile, 615 flights had been canceled at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports as of late Wednesday morning.
More snow coming
The National Weather Service said the Wednesday night/Thursday morning snowstorm could bring localized amounts of 2 to 5 inches near the lake, with 1 to 3 inches near Chicago and up to an inch in the Joliet area.
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Further south, 1 to 3 inches and even 2 to 4 inches in some areas.
Hazardous road conditions
"This is the worst part of this storm, and when snow is piling up fastest," the National Weather Service said around 7 a.m. Wednesday, as snowfall rates of half an inch to 1.5 inch per hour continued. By late morning, the heaviest snowfall rates were along the I-57 corridor, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow should gradually taper off from west to east later in the day, but "until then, roads will be snow-covered and slippery."
NWS is urging drivers to postpone travel if possible and bring an emergency kit if you must drive. On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared of state of emergency and reminded residents to make sure their phones are fully charged if they absolutely have to travel, to have a full tank of gas and to bring along blankets and shovels.
As of just before 7 a.m., Illinois State Police were reporting road closings due to multiple crashes.
WBBM reported that "roads are passable," but "a boatload of extra travel time is needed if you must hit the road this morning."
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