The Winter Storm Warning will go into effect at 3 p.m. Friday for Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Lake (Ill.), McHenry and Kane counties and will remain in effect until noon on Saturday. The Winter Storm Warning will go into effect at 7 p.m. for LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties in Illinois and Lake, Porter, Jasper and Newton counties in Indiana. That Winter Storm Warning will also remain in effect until noon Saturday.
Snow will begin falling Friday afternoon into Saturday morning in the Chicago area, leaving behind 3 to 9 inches for many areas. Some could see well over that, with higher totals most likely north of I-88.
Snow is expected to begin falling across the Chicago area during the Friday afternoon rush hour, but will ramp up in the evening hours. The heaviest snow will fall from about 8 p.m. Friday until about 6 a.m. Saturday.
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Snow will taper off from north to south Saturday afternoon and evening.
Snow will likely be heavy enough to impact road and air travel. Winds will gust up to 35 mph which will lead to poor visibility in snow showers and also blowing/drifting snow.
Saturday’s temperature will reach a high of 26 degrees and a low of 12.
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On Sunday, bitter cold temps and wind chills will take over with high temps reaching only 12 degrees, and a low of 0.
Lake effect snow will begin falling on Sunday, beginning along the Illinois lakeshore then rapidly swinging into northwest Indiana, adding additional accumulation in those areas.
The City of Chicago says it is ready for the storm, with 350,000 tons of salt at piles across the city and more than 300 snow vehicles ready to clear the streets.
Amtrak is warning people to check their train status this weekend, as some trains out of Chicago have already been canceled.
ComEd says it has increased staffing and is getting equipment ready ahead of the storm.
“ComEd has developed a plan and is prepared to have crews ready to respond in the event that there are weather-related issues,” said Terence R. Donnelly, president and chief operating officer, ComEd. “Our team is committed to responding to inclement weather issues and restoring any power interruptions as quickly and safely as possible.”
ComEd says anyone who encounters a downed power line can call 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) and Spanish-speaking customers can call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). ComEd warns you should not approach downed power lines and do not shovel snow onto ComEd equipment.
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