Chicago snow forecast: 2 waves of snow with more accumulation expected

As snow-covered roads were creating slick and slippery conditions for the Friday rush hour commute in the Chicago area, a ground stop was briefly issued at Chicago O'Hare International Airport due to snow and ice, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The stop was issued just after 6 a.m., with departures affected. By 7:40 a.m., the ground stop had ended but a ground delay was in effect.

The Friday morning snowfall comes after counties across the Chicago area Thursday night saw periods of snow and freezing drizzle overnight, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. By Friday morning, additional snow showers could bring up to one or two inches of new accumulation, the National Weather Service said.

"For the morning commute, watch for snow-covered roads, reduced visibility and slick roads," Roman said.

Around 6 a.m., NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin mentioned several crashes and spin-outs across Chicago and suburban roads and highways.

In Chicago, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications warned of black ice on streets.

Early Friday morning, some parts of Kane, Kendall and Cook Counties were seeing heavier snowfall, Roman said. In Will County, periods of freezing rain or drizzle was expected to pass through.

Just over the Wisconsin border, in Kenosha and Racine counties, a winter weather advisory was in effect, until 12 p.m. Friday, where one to two inches of snow could fall. In Western Michigan, some schools were closed due to weather, according to reports.

By 10 a.m. Friday, snow will move out of most areas, Roman said. But around 2 p.m., a plume of lake effect snow around will move across parts of Lake, Cook and Will counties before it moves off to the east, Roman said.

Later Friday night in Northwest Indiana, heavy snow was expected to continue falling, with an additional two inches possible in and around Valparaiso, the NWS said.

Winds will also pick up Friday, Roman said, with gusts as high as 35 miles per hour. Temperatures were expected to stay steady in the mid 30s, Roman said.

Saturday, colder air was on tap, with highs in the 20s. Sunday would be milder, with temperatures back in the 30s.

While a system Monday was expected to bring a rain-snow mix to the area, forecast models now show much of the area will be dry, Roman said.

The dry weather continues Tuesday, for Christmas Eve, Roman said. But the same can't be said for Christmas Day.

"Christmas morning, Christmas rain it looks like," Roman said, with rain expected through the afternoon.

High temperatures on Christmas were expected to hit 42 degrees, with temperatures near 50 by the end of Christmas week.

How much snow could we get?

Much of the Chicago area could an additional two inches of snow Friday, Roman said. In Northwest Indiana, higher accumulations could stack up thanks to lake effect snow.

In Will County, 1.7 inches of snow was record Friday morning, the NWS said, with 2.1 inches in Winnebago. At O'Hare International Airport in Cook County, two inches of snow was reported. In Lindenhurst, snow totals were already at four inches.