Illinois and Indiana residents who are planning on traveling Friday are being asked to reconsider, with heavy snow and gusty winds making travel “very difficult to impossible” across the Chicago area.
According to winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service, some parts of the area could see eight or more inches of snow Friday and into Saturday, with wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour possible in some locations.
Combining heavy snowfall rates and gusty winds could mean blowing snow that will dramatically reduce visibility, and the cold temperatures could cause icy conditions on roadways, leading to extremely difficult travel conditions.
“Before heading out during any severe weather event, always ask yourself: Is this trip necessary, or can it be postponed?,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a statement.
A winter storm warning will be in effect in McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy and Will counties beginning at 3 a.m. Friday and lasting until noon Saturday.
Kankakee County in Illinois, along with Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, will be under a winter weather advisory during that time frame.
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It is expected that snow will begin in areas to the west and north of Chicago on Friday morning, but precipitation will likely be mixed before transitioning to all rain in some areas south of the city, according to forecast models.
By Friday afternoon, that rain will transition to snow, and wind gusts will begin to pick up, leading to life-threatening travel conditions on area roadways due to blowing snow and rapid accumulations.
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The Illinois Department of Transportation will deploy more than 1,800 trucks to treat roads and to respond to weather emergencies during the storm, and the city of Chicago will deploy more than 200 trucks to clear arterial roadways as the storm progresses.
Area transit systems will also make preparations. Metra will reduce top speeds in the event of gusty winds, with trains on the UP-North line halting completely if wind gusts exceed 59 miles per hour, according to the agency.
On the CTA, trains will be equipped with “sleet scrapers” to de-ice third rails, and snow plows will be implemented on all trains to clear regular rails for travel.
Crews will use sand and salt to clear ice from platforms, and diesel-powered trains will be available to assist with any stranded trains in the system.
After the snow clears out Saturday, temperatures are expected to drop dramatically, with readings in the single digits and wind chills plunging well below zero.
In those situations, any leftover moisture could immediately freeze, with salt losing its efficacy as temperatures plunge. As a result, officials are warning residents to use extra caution while driving over the weekend, as slick spots could develop quickly and be hard to eliminate, resulting in bad travel conditions even after the snow stops.
The cold weather is expected to last well into next week, with highs in the single-digits for several days.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest forecasts and weather information.
