Snow from a winter weather system in the southern part of the U.S. moved into the Chicago area early Friday morning, with some parts expected to see a slippery rush hour commute, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
As of 5:15 a.m. Friday, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman reported flakes falling to the south and southeast, with light to moderate snow coming down in LaSalle, Ottawa and Kendall Counties, moving into Kankakee and parts of Southern Cook Counties.
Snow was expected to continue falling in the south and southeast through mid-morning and into late afternoon, Roman said. Slick roads and reduced visibility was possible, Roman said.
"A light snow but bad timing for the morning commute," NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin said of the Illinois road conditions early Friday, with crashes, spin-outs and heavy delays already reported.
Just before 8 a.m., a ground stop was issued at Chicago's O'Hare Airport due to snow and ice, an FAA advisory said. It was expected to last until 9:15 a.m.
In Northern LaPorte County, Indiana, a winter weather advisory was set to go into effect at 10 a.m. Friday., with snow expected to impact the evening commute.
Local
"Plan on slippery road conditions," the National Weather Service said, with forecasters predicting up to four inches of snow possible.
In Dubois County in Indiana, a winter storm warning remained in effect through Saturday morning, with officials warning of heavy snow and ice in parts of south central Indiana and Kentucky.
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According to the NWS, between three and six inches were possible in those parts.
How much snow will we get?
According to Roman, as much as one to three inches of snow could fall Friday. Totals were expected to be higher to the south and southeast, with accumulations of less than an inch in counties to the north.
Heads up! It’ll snow today especially along and east of a line from Mendota to Evanston, IL. While we won’t pick up much (1 to locally 3 inches), below-freezing temperatures will cause untreated roads and sidewalks to become slick. Take it slow on ice and snow! #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/KF8sujQf82
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 10, 2025
Counties to the north could also see freezing drizzle, Roman said, with slick and icy spots on untreated roads.
"While we won’t pick up much (1 to locally 3 inches), below-freezing temperatures will cause untreated roads and sidewalks to become slick. Take it slow on ice and snow," the NWS warned.
In the early evening hours, the snow was expected to move into Northwest Indiana, Roman said, with a dry day expected Saturday.
2nd round of snow Sunday
Sunday, a second round of snow was expected to move in, Roman said, mostly impacting counties to the north and west. That round was expected to begin early Sunday morning, quickly passing into Northwest Indiana by by afternoon, Roman added.
According to Roman, Sunday's snow won't bring much in terms of accumulation, with one to two inches possible for counties to the north and west. Still, the winter weather could still create hazardous travel conditions, Roman warned.
"A little bit of snow always does a lot," Roman said.
Temperatures Friday would be slightly milder, with highs in the low 30s. Highs in the upper 20s and low 30s were expected over the weekend, with temperatures dropping into the teens early next week.
