Snow Makes Commute Treacherous For Some

Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 6 p.m. Friday

The worst of the storm is over, but there was plenty of weather to battle on the roads this morning.

Overnight snow tapered off before dawn and was replaced with light precipitation that turned to freezing drizzle in some areas, causing several accidents and significant delays for the early morning commute.

An articulated CTA bus jackknifed at 46th Street and Lake Park Avenue in Hyde Park early Friday, police said. Passengers were transferred as police and snow plow drivers worked to get the bus unstuck. State Police said a car lost control on the Damen westbound entrance on I-290 and crashed, and a woman was injured when her car went into a wall at I-290 westbound at Halsted.

In total the Chicago area saw between two and four inches of snow overnight, with most snow falling in the north suburbs.

The snow mixed with sleet in the far south suburbs and northwest Indiana before transforming completely to snow late Thursday night. The steady snow began in Chicago around 11:30 p.m. and lasted past 3 a.m. before winding down, leaving behind several inches and gusty winds that caused some blowing and drifting.

Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed its full fleet of 284 plows onto the city's main routes and Lake Shore Drive. 

Similarly, Illinois Tollway officials used its full fleet of 182 snowplows after the snow started falling.

Illinois Department of Transportation officials recommended commuters avoid the roads altogether and use public transit when possible.

To make sure things were running smoothly, Metra crews were out Thursday afternoon and evening getting prepared by sending extra yard personnel and signal maintenance staff to sites and bringing others in early.

We Want Your Photos!

If you can safely snap a photo of the winter weather, we'd love to see it! Many of your photos will be used in an online gallery and some may make the NBC 5 NEWS.

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