Chicago was hit with its first major winter storm Tuesday evening, and the National Weather Service was warning of near-zero visibility with several inches of snow forecast across the Chicago area.
“One thing we’re trying to stress is that the snow will fall heavily at onset. So basically it’ll go from no snow to potentially brief near-zero visibility,” said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Because of that, we’re expecting conditions to get bad very, very quick. Accumulations will occur very quickly, and surfaces will be covered quickly.”
Most of northern Illinois is expected to get at least an inch of snow from the storm, though areas to the north and west of Chicago could see as much as 7 inches from the season’s first major snowfall. Elgin and portions of Lake County could see the greatest amount of snowfall, Kluber added.
More than 3 inches had fallen in Chicago as of 6 p.m., the weather service said.
Kluber said meteorologists tracking the storm across Iowa said the rate of snowfall has been so heavy — dropping as much as 2 inches each hour — visibility has been practically zero within 15 minutes of the first snowflakes falling.
Travelers should be aware that conditions will rapidly diminish; it will be both difficult to see and the roads will fast be blanketed in snow. Kluber said there could be an added danger on the roads since for most drivers, this will be the first time they’re driving in snow this season.
“Some suburbs have had snow, but this is really the first more significant winter event for most of the metro area. And it’s going to be kind of a big first hit,” he said.
A winter storm warning is in effect for the far north suburbs until noon Wednesday, according to the weather service. A winter weather advisory was issued for areas closer to Chicago until 9 a.m. Wednesday, including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle and Will counties.
“This initial wave that comes in will last for two to three hours, and the rate of snowfall will be 1 to briefly 2 inches per hour,” Kluber said. “So as far as snow totals go, we’re looking at the potential in the far northwest suburbs of 3 to 5 inches by mid-evening. At O’Hare we’re looking at 2 to 4 inches by the same time, and for the city as a whole, anywhere from 1 to 4 inches with the highest totals on the Northwest Side.”
As the storm moves through, the Chicago area could be pelted with everything from snow, sleet, rain, ice and a wintry mix.
“The common theme that will occur is precipitation starting off as snow, then changing over to sleet and freezing rain overnight Tuesday before changing over to rain Wednesday morning and potentially changing over to light snow on Wednesday afternoon before ending,” the weather service said.
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Forecasters expect the snow to give way to freezing rain for much of the area, including Chicago, about midnight with most of the heavy snowfall wrapping up about 7 p.m. Temperatures will remain below freezing overnight but will begin to warm slightly around daybreak, when precipitation likely will turn to rain. Kluber said it may still be raining during the Wednesday morning commute.
Local and state transportation departments had been preparing for slippery road conditions and warning about the dangerous periods of sharply reduced visibility early to mid-evening.
Not only will the snowfall be “heavy” and “wet,” but because it also likely will be coated with ice, forecasters are warning the accumulation will be particularly difficult to shovel.
One-tenth to two-tenths of an inch of ice could form, Kluber said, which means it will approach a level that begins to cause tree limbs to break under the additional weight. That’s a recipe for power outages because, along with the danger from wind gusts as strong as 30 mph, broken branches can land on power lines, he said.
“We’re not expecting quite enough ice to cause a lot of widespread problems, but adding it on top of the snow we’re going to get, it’ll make for a pretty sloppy night,” he said.
Warmer air will move through Wednesday, with a daytime high of about 40 expected. The rain and warmer temperatures should be enough to melt some of the snow, but by about 1 p.m. the temperature should drop precipitously.
“The cold air starts to filter back in, and then whatever’s not melted will start to refreeze again,” he said. The temperature should drop to the low teens Wednesday overnight into Thursday.
Then, forecasters said a second system could hit the area later Thursday night, New Year’s Eve.
“It looks like we’ll get another notable system in here, so sort of back to back,” Kluber said.
It was too soon to say how much additional snowfall may fall in that storm, but Kluber said it will again begin as snow and soon switch over to sleet and freezing rain.
The snow should actually begin to fall right around the time Chicagoans are singing “Auld Lang Syne” or sharing a holiday kiss. Kluber said the snow will be short-lived, however.
“For that event as a whole, the freezing rain component is going to be the main story,” he said.
Check back for updates and visit the Tribune’s weather page for more information.
The Tribune’s Jessica Villagomez contributed.
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