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Chicago-area roads were expected to get slick and slippery and travel impacts were likely for the Thursday morning commute as a winter weather advisory with bursts of “wind-whipped” snow moved into the region.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, all of Northeastern Illinois is expected to see waves of snow showers Thursday morning, beginning around 7 a.m., with two to four inches of accumulation possible. Slushy snow totals were expected to partially melt as temperatures rise above freezing, the NBC 5 Strom Team said.
Chicago weather radar: Track heavy ‘bursts’ of snow ahead of morning commute
Accompanying the snow will be wind chills in the teens and 20s, with gusts as high as 40 or 50 miles-per-hour at times. According to the National Weather Service, a wind advisory will go into effect at 10 a.m. for the entire area.
According to the NWS, sharply reduced visibility was expected for the morning commute, with accumulating snowfall “likely” to impact travel. Highest snowfall rates were expected to start around 8 a.m., the NWS said, lasting through Tuesday afternoon.
The heaviest snow was expected to fall first close to the Illinois-Wisconsin border as a band of heavy snow started to creep down from Green Bay.
A burst of accumulating snowfall is expected this morning into early afternoon, which will likely impact travel (including a portion of the morning commute) in some areas with wet, slushy accumulations. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/DlFcuvHZFV
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) November 21, 2024
As of 6 a.m., crashes and slide-offs were already reported in some parts. In Crown Point Indiana, two separate semi rollovers were reported on I-65, Sgt. Glen Fifield said. One of the crashes involved two semis and two cars, Fifield said, with some southbound lanes blocked.
In the northbound lanes, left lanes were blocked for a fuel tank spill after a trailer with 30,000 pounds of paper rolls overturned.
“This is going to be an extensive cleanup,” Fifield said.
Track Illinois winter road conditions
As of 6:30 a.m., Illinois Department of Transportation’s Illinois winter road conditions map showed areas of blowing snow or ice in counties to the west.
As the morning goes on, travel was expected to become more hazardous, with a winter weather advisory set to go into effect at 7 a.m.