Piles of snow line sidewalks, yards and lots across North Shore communities, remnants of a snowfall that saw significant accumulation, school and other closures, and crews plowing around the clock to keep up.
With freezing temperatures and snow piling up, cities along the North Shore made preparations to keep their residents safe after snow fell the week of Feb. 1.
Overnight Feb. 1, the National Weather Service had issued a winter storm warning for Cook and other surrounding counties well into the evening Feb. 2. People were warned to “plan on slippery road conditions” and “keep an extra flashlight, food and water” in their vehicle if they must travel.
The snowstorm dumped about 4.5 inches in north suburbs, including Winnetka and Wilmette, by Wednesday afternoon and continued to accumulate, officials posted on the village of Winnetka website.
Evanston School District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202 closed school buildings for the day that Wednesday and classes were conducted online, as a result of the snowstorm. Winnetka, Glencoe and Wilmette districts also shifted to e-learning.
In addition to school building closures, city and village functions were affected by the snowstorm as well. Winnetka canceled all in-person activities, including the scheduled Planned Development Commission meeting – usually held on the first Wednesday of the month. In Evanston, the Citizen Police Review Commission met virtually instead of in person, as planned.
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Municipalities also issued warnings and listed resources for residents. Evanston Fire Department officials posted the department’s Twitter account information on how to stay safe both indoors and outdoors during the inclement weather and tips on avoiding black ice.
The department also tweeted a link to a list of warming centers, which included the Fleetwood Jourdain Community Center, Chandler-Newberger Center, Robert Crown Community Center, Levy Senior Center, Evanston Ecology Center, as well as the main public library and Robert Crown library branches.
Additionally, officials from Evanston, Wilmette, Glencoe and Winnetka issued snow removal reminders, advising respective residents that they may not park on public streets to allow for plowing. The parking ban is usually in effect until 24 hours after the snow stops to allow the plow crews to complete their work.
“Please be a good neighbor and shovel your sidewalks,” read a post published on the village of Wilmette’s website. “The village will plow all residential sidewalks after four inches of snow once all main and side streets are clear.”
Emily Little is a freelancer.