A winter storm hit the Chicago area Friday evening, blanketing several communities, creating hazardous conditions on the roads and causing major problems at the city's airports.
A winter weather advisory was issued for several Chicago-area counties in anticipation of the powerful burst of snow that dumped several inches in some communities.
Advisories were issued for McHenry, DeKalb, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties in Illinois and Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana.
In McHenry, DeKalb, LaSalle, Kendall and Grundy counties, the advisory began at 2 p.m. Friday and continues through 6 a.m. Saturday. The advisory for the remaining counties started at 4 p.m. Friday and continues through 6 a.m. Saturday.
Photos: Snow Hits Chicago Area Friday Evening
The snow will likely transition to freezing rain and sleet during the overnight hours before becoming all rain by dawn Saturday.
Weather
Areas south of Chicago are likely to see snow transitioning to freezing rain and sleet earlier, which will limit totals for those locations.
As much as 4.7 inches of snow were reported in Bull Valley in north suburban McHenry County while other areas south of the city saw less snow. As of 9 p.m., 2.2 inches of snow had fallen in south suburban Joliet, according to the National Weather Service.
The wet weather could switch back to snow before the system ends Saturday afternoon and evening, but little to no additional accumulation is expected.
According to the advisory, a lull in precipitation is expected Saturday morning before a strong cold front brings "rapidly falling temperatures, scattered snow showers or squalls and strong westerly wind gusts of up to 45 mph Saturday afternoon."
Temperature highs on Saturday could reach near 40 degrees, but that won't last long as highs plunge to near 15 degrees by Sunday, with wind chill readings well below zero.
The frigid temperatures are expected to stick around through the start of the work week, giving Chicago its first prolonged taste of chilly weather in quite some time.
Storm Team 5 will continue to monitor developments in the days ahead. Check the developing forecast here.
