Editor's Note: We're tracking the winter storm all day. You can find the latest weather updates in our winter storm live blog here.
A powerful winter storm Friday morning dumped multiple inches of heavy, wet snow across Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana, with even more snow and strong winds expected expected to last throughout the day and into Saturday.
By 4:30 a.m. snow had already begun to fall at a fast clip, with significant snowfall beginning to pile up to the west, in DuPage, Kendall, Grundy and LaSalle counties.
By 6 a.m., the storm track had moved east, with heavy snow blowing and accumulating snow across Will, Cook, McHenry and Lake Counties.
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By 8 a.m., most areas had already reported between four and six inches of snow. In McHenry, Trout Valley reported 7 inches.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, totals were expected to go even higher Friday evening and overnight, with as much as a foot of snow predicted for counties in the winter storm watch.
Closer to the lake however, those totals are expected to be slightly lower, in the 6-10 inch range, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
"A foot of snow will be possible in some parts," Jeanes said.
To the southwest, 6-10 inches of snow could fall, with between 4 and 6 inches possible in Kankakee and Northwest Indiana.
By Saturday evening, the snow is expected to taper.
Below is a look at much snow had fallen across the Chicago area by 8 a.m., with many of the totals having fallen by 12 p.m. due to the snow turning to rain for much of the area in the late morning:
Cook County:
Hoffman Estates – 4.1 inches
DeKalb County:
Genoa – 4.6 inches
Winfield – 4.5 inches
Woodridge – 4.5 inches
DuPage County:
Aurora – 5 inches
Grundy County:
Boulder Hill – 5 inches
Carbon Hill – 5.1 inches
Kane County:
Aurora – 6 inches
Batavia – 5.5 inches
Campton Hills – 6.4 inches
Elgin – 6.3 inches
Hampshire – 5.6 inches
North Elgin – 5 inches
Lake County:
Mundelein – 4 inches
McHenry County:
Marengo – 5.1 inches
Trout Valley – 7 inches
Will County:
Peotone – 4.4 inches
These totals will be updated following further expected snow accumulations on Friday evening.
Winter Storm Warnings
Winter storm warnings went into effect at 3 a.m. Friday for Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Central Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, and Northern Will Counties in Illinois, as well as Northern LaPorte County in Indiana, and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
That warning is expected to continue through 12 p.m. Saturday.
"Heavy snow, strong winds and dangerous conditions expected," the National Weather Service warned. "Total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches and wind gusts up to 45 mph expected."
"Travel could be very difficult to impossible, especially away from Lake Michigan," the NWS said, adding that the hazardous conditions were expected to impact both the morning and evening commutes."
In Lake, Porter, and Newton Counties in Indiana, and Kankakee County in Illinois, a winter weather advisory was in effect until 12 p.m. Saturday.
In those parts, snow total accumulations were expected to be between 3-6 inches, as snow was expected to mix with rain at times. However, strong wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour were expected in those parts as well, the NWS said.
'Treacherous commute this morning'
One of the largest threats the storm brings will be for travelers and commuters.
"Strongly consider postponing travel," a tweet from the NWS said early Friday. The tweet specifically pointed to areas across the Chicago area, away from Lake Michigan and west of I-90/94.
Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour were expected to fall through 10 a.m., the NBC 5 Storm Team said, with winds gusting between 40 and 50 miles through the morning.
As the day goes on, the NWS warned travelers to expect "downright dangerous travel conditions" across much of the area, especially in Northern Illinois during the morning and evening commutes as the snow continues to ramp up.
Some small crashes were reported Friday morning across area road ways, with air travel also beginning to snarl.
As of 5:30 a.m., O'Hare issued a ground stop, with more than 700 flights canceled across O'Hare and Midway airports. By 8 a.m., nearly 1,000 flights had been canceled across Chicago airports.
Storm Timing
"Bursts" of heavy snow to the west began occurring overnight and into Friday morning, especially in counties to the west. That was expected to continue through the morning commute, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
Later Friday morning, locations south of Interstate I-80 and potentially near Lake Michigan are expected to see snow transition to rain, with precipitation across the area getting lighter before conditions worsen later in the day.
The precipitation is expected to pick back up around or after 2 p.m. as wind gusts of 30 mph, possibly even higher, kick in.
Heavy snow areawide is likely for the evening commute, though lower snowfall totals are likely along the Lakefront. The largest snowfall totals are expected to fall after 5 p.m. and into the overnight hours as temperatures continue to drop.
According to the NWS, near-zero visibility, snow covered roads and dangerous travel can be expected Friday night and overnight with winds expected to gust as high as 45 miles per hour.
-30 wind chills to follow
Wind chills will drop to -20 and -30 degrees Sunday through Wednesday, with 20-30 mph wind gusts expected. These temperatures will mark the coldest days seen in the city since the end of January 2019.
The NBC 5 Storm Team is tracking this forecast as it develops. Stay tuned for updates as each system approaches.
Latest information on the Chicago snowstorm
You can find our latest stories on the Chicago snowstorm below:
- Live snow radar map: Track weather near you as storm snarls Chicago area
- Illinois winter road conditions: Buses rerouted, crashes reported and more
- Power outages: Tens of thousands of ComEd customers without power amid winter storm
- Flights canceled: Ground delay at O'Hare, thousands of flights canceled across Chicago airports
- School closures: More than 100 schools closed across Illinois
