Hazardous road conditions as some Chicago suburbs see heavy snow

CHICAGO - Snow is accumulating across the Chicago area, with portions of the west and northwest suburbs under a Winter Storm Warning until 4 a.m. Wednesday.

By 8 p.m. Tuesday, parts of Kane County had already received more than six inches of snow, and additional accumulation was expected throughout the night.

"It’s definitely the type of snow that’s a lot more difficult to shovel than usual," said Matt Bravo, who lives in Aurora.

The first big snowfall of the season forced the dust from snowblowers, brushes, and boards on Tuesday.

"It’s wet, it’s dense, it’s heavy," said Gillian Kinney, who lives in Oakbrook Terrace.

With another winter wallop possible later in the week, Kinney said she is taking the weather one day at a time.

"That’s going to be a Friday problem, we’re just going to do a Tuesday problem and wait to see what Friday brings," said Kinney.

Next door, the Rashid family was tackling cleanup efforts after a lengthy commute home.

"It’s been pretty hectic, driving back and forth from school and the train station, took me about 35-40 minutes, where I would normally be there in 10 minutes," said Samad Rashid.

While some may dread the wet and slushy elements, 10-year-old Salah Rashid is thinking of its endless possibilities.

"I really like winter, with all the snow you can make tons of stuff, snow angels, snowmen," said Salah Rashid.

Snow also stacked up in Aurora throughout the afternoon and evening Tuesday. From downtown streets and sidewalks to neighborhood driveways, everyone was chipping in.

"We actually had the neighbor kids come out and help," said Bravo.

With his driveway finished, Bravo was just getting warmed up for a snowy week ahead.

"Oh yeah, it’s gonna be rough, but par for the course, it is January here in Chicago," said Bravo.

Officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation are urging drivers to exercise caution and anticipate slippery conditions.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Tollway has deployed its fleet of 196 snowplows to address the accumulating snow. Officials say that they will continue to assess roadways into the evening and overnight.

"We’re really just going to be gearing up in preparation for the evening commute; we’re expecting to have some more snowfall. We will be out patrolling throughout the evening commute as well, going into the overnight hours," said Joe Dragovich, of the Illinois Tollway.

The storm resulted in numerous flight cancelations at O’Hare and Midway on Tuesday.

Snow also closed several schools and caused other districts to transition to E-learning.

Wet and heavy snow could put extra weight on tree limbs and power lines, and as a result, outages are possible.

Another weather event is expected on Friday into Saturday, where higher snow totals could be coming. Strong winds along with drier snow could lead to a greater concern for drifting snow.  

Cold weather will follow with highs on Sunday and Monday potentially staying in the single digits.