RADAR: Follow the winter storm with LIVE Doppler7 MAX
Snow spread to northern Illinois late Tuesday afternoon and quickly piled up in the suburbs as snow fell in some areas at 1 to 2 inches per hour.
As of 9 p.m., Carol Stream reported 4.5 inches, Elburn 4.2 inches, Aurora 3.6 inches, Naperville 3.5 inches, Romeoville 3.2 inches and Elk Grove Village 3 inches.
WATCH: latest ABC7 AccuWeather forecast
The heaviest accumulation will occur in the northwest suburbs, where some parts of McHenry and DeKalb counties can see as much as 8 inches of snow.
Snowfalls of more than 4 inches are possible north of Interstate 88, but in the southern suburbs and northern Indiana only about 1 to 3 inches are expected.
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Between 21:00 and 03:00 the snow started mixing with snow and icy rain. Ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch are also possible only inland, away from the Michigan shore.
After 4 p.m., precipitation for most of the area changed in all rains as the temperature rose above freezing.
Total avalanches and avalanches of 1 to 4 inches are expected, with the highest amounts of snowfall expected on I-88 and north. Areas in the city can see about two inches of snow.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Boone, North Cook, De Kalb, Lake, Lee, Kane, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago counties in Illinois and Walworth County in Wisconsin.
A Winter weather advice is in effect until Wednesday at 9 a.m. for Central Cook; DuPage; Kendall; La Salle; Northern Will and Southern Cook counties.
A Winter weather advice is in effect until Wednesday at 6 a.m. in Eastern Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Livingston, Southern Will, Illinois, and Lake and Porter, Indiana counties.
WATCH: snow plows fall on roads because conditions deteriorate rapidly
The first significant snowfall in the winter left a trail of crumpled metal, while turnouts and accidents were littered in suburban roads. The snow came before the evening storm, with the northern and northwestern suburbs in the bullseye.
“I’ve seen four or five, Eric, like people hitting the barrier and everything,” said manager Marc Groen. A couple messed up cars. ‘
In Lake and McHenry counties, strong winds have almost disappeared in white. At one point, traffic near Gurnee came to a halt.
In the 5300 block of South Hyde Park Boulevard on the South Side of Chicago, a CTA bus slipped into a parked car, officials said.
At Hinsdale Oasis along Interstate 294, heavy snow prompted many truck drivers to pull off the storm.
“I’m going to sit tight for the night. I’m parking for the night,” said truck driver Bruce Brooks. “I’m going to let them do what they have to do tonight. Salt the roads, plow and do everything they have to do, and I’ll try again in the morning.”
The Illinois Tollway has its full fleet of nearly 200 snow plows to keep up with, but it’s a difficult task. Drivers are reminded to take it slow and, if possible, stay off the road during storms.
Illinois police were reportedly overwhelmed with so many calls that they were asking drivers involved in an accident without injuries to exchange information with the other driver and later file a report.
The roads and sidewalks remained slippery on Wednesday morning as ice rain still covered the ground.
A snow plow crashed into a Midway airport wall at about 3:20 p.m. The driver was taken to Holy Cross Hospital with minor injuries, Chicago police said.
Drivers need to plan extra time during their morning trips.
Wednesday morning’s rain is not expected to melt all the snow, but it should help the roads, Chicago Meteorologist Greg Dutra said.
LOOK: Barrington puts plows in as northwestern suburbs for heavy snow
Road staff in Barrington have already been deployed to salt and clean the streets, with an emphasis on the town’s chiefs. Barrington has about 12 trucks in its fleet.
The director of public works, Jeremie Lukowicz, said their crew was ready for this months ago.
“Before winter even begins – in October, November – we start checking all our machines and making sure everything is ready for use,” Lukowicz said. “If we let it happen overnight, we can hopefully clean everything up before they have to leave the next morning.”
Given the fact that we are in a pandemic, Lukowicz said they require every crew member to disinfect their area before and after boarding their truck. In addition, the trucks are also cleaned between shifts.
WATCH: Chicago sees the first significant snowfall of the season
Chicago’s department of streets and sanitation deployed 287 snow vehicles to respond to snow Tuesday night and into the morning. Salt spreaders will focus on keeping the city’s arterial trails and Lake Shore Drive passable until the snow stops.
Some power outages are possible due to the combined effects of wet snow accumulation, some icing and gusts up to 30 km / h.
WATCH: Icy conditions take cyclists down Chicago’s highway
O’Hare and Midway airports experienced only minor delays due to the storm.
Another winter storm is expected Thursday and Friday, Dutra said. It will probably arrive after midnight Friday, with a wintry mix turning into rain.
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