According to ABC7 Meteorologist Cheryl Scott, the day started with a very intense snowstorm heading north from Cook County.
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Scott expected the highest snow totals in Chicago and Cook County, as well as areas along Lake Michigan. Many areas had already fallen 4 to 6 centimeters by midday.
The heaviest snow is expected to fall between 6 p.m. and midnight as a winter storm system coming from Texas spread into the area Monday night.
As of 10 p.m., Valparaiso picked up 13.3 inches of snow, followed by Midway with 11.9 inches, Oak Park with 11 inches, Harwood Heights with 8.8 inches and 8.5 inches in Oak Lawn.
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From midnight to Tuesday morning, the system snow begins to drain, but the snow in the lake effect will continue. Eventually, the snow of the lake effect will gradually begin to end between 09:00 and 12:00.
A winter storm warning lasts until 12:00 Tuesday in Cook and Lake (IL) counties. Other advice and warnings in the area end at 9 p.m. Wind cold will remain below zero all day on Monday.
Heavy snow, bitter cold create dangerous driving conditions
Heavy snow, gale-force winds and bitterly cold temperatures caused dangerous driving conditions on superficial streets and interstates.
Illinois police said they responded to 135 different accidents in the Chicago area at 8:15 p.m. Monday and have been assisting about 60 drivers since midnight.
“The biggest concern was when it started to snow heavily and everyone was moving slowly, and I could not like the snow from my windshield,” said Steve Martin, manager.
The city of Chicago deployed more than 300 snowmobiles and asked drivers to slow down in the treacherous conditions. And with all the snow we ‘ve had recently, the city has said there are plans, if necessary, to dump the snow in designated areas to remove the piles from the neighborhoods.
“The main focus will be on arterial streets, so those who are in residential streets, please just be patient,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “This is a practical moment and we are ready to ensure that our city will function even in these extreme weather conditions.”
The snow has fallen so intensely, all plows can really do is make room for more snow.
“We have more than 3 feet of snow and when it comes down in bunches, it makes it very difficult,” said Doug Halverson, a team operator at Arctic Snow and Ice.
Eclipsed conditions reported along Lake Chicago
In Chicago, the Edgewater area, the wind blew along Lake Sheridan off the lake, creating intense snow conditions.
A few blocks west of the lake, it’s a very different story: the wind is much calmer and there is almost no snow. The snow caught some off guard.
“I just got to the ‘burbs’, and the ‘burbs’ were nothing,” Courtney Podczerwinski said. “And then you come down here by the lake, and it’s totally nut.”
Gas fire burns flames in Highland Park
The lake effect of the lake effect dropped a few inches of snow along Chicago’s North Shore on Monday afternoon. By 6 p.m., Evanston reported that 8 inches of snow had fallen. At one point, Wilmette saw 2.6 inches of snow fall in one hour.
In Highland Park, flames shot up on Green Bay Road, where the city said a contractor ripped open the gas pipeline with a Bobcat. Highland Park officials said ComEd is working with North Shore Gas to repair the line.
Evanston blew its tornado sirens to warn people to take their cars off the highways for a parking ban on snow routes, and Niles residents received a voicemail and text message warning people that the worst storm was coming.
High-impact snow piles up in northwest Indiana
Heavy snow also hit northwest Indiana, where white shortages were observed at Marquette Park Beach in Gary.
The Indiana Department of Transportation deployed 1,100 plow trucks on the roads Monday night.
Students from Gary Public Schools were told to stay home Tuesday. It was supposed to be their first day in the classroom since March – but they will now have to wait until Thursday.
Several vaccination sites in Cook County will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 16 due to the winter storm, officials said. Vaccinations will continue at Stroger Hospital, Provident Hospital and Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center, but all other locations, including large premises, will be closed.
Officials said anyone already scheduled for an appointment would be contacted this week and scheduled for another appointment.
Mobile COVID-19 test sites were shut down on Monday due to extreme cold; however, community-based test sites remain open.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, there have been more than half a dozen hypothermia deaths so far this winter season. Frostbite and weather-related injuries are also climbing.
To locate a heating center in the area, residents can call the city services at 311 or 311.chicago.gov.
The city also has dozens of other places where people can seek refuge during the day, including the Chicago Cultural Center, public libraries, Park District districts and local police departments.
The city is also asking people to shovel and salt in front of their homes and businesses in front of their neighbors. The city has also urged people not to shovel snow off the roofs as it is an excellent way to get hurt. Officials say if your home is properly heated, some of the snow will melt.
Firefighters are also reminding people to make sure their smoke detectors work, citing a recent outbreak of fatal fires and offering a reminder not to use stoves for heat and to keep space heaters at least three meters from anything flammable, to keep away.
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