Heavy snow and frigid temperatures are expected in the Chicago area through at least Tuesday morning, with several Chicago-area counties under a winter storm warning.
Some locations could see a foot of snow or more, but models vary widely because of the impact of lake-enhancement of the snow storm. If the snow is heavily influenced by the lake, then models, such as the HHR model showing up to 16 inches of snow in parts of Chicago, could come into play.
Even if the lake doesn’t fuel huge additional snowfall totals, 4-to-8 inches of snow could fall by Tuesday morning, and when coupled with frigid conditions could make for a travel nightmare on Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
Here are the latest weather headlines from across the Chicago area:
Chicago Deploys 200-Plus Plows as Snow Begins
Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation has deployed more than 200 snow plows and salt spreaders Friday night as snowfall begins to blanket the city.
According to DSS, a total of 211 vehicles will respond to a series of light snow showers that could drop somewhere between 1-4 inches of snow on the region.
Local
Salt spreaders will focus on addressing snow along Chicago’s arterial routes and Lake Shore Drive before transitioning to other roadways in the city, according to a news release.
Sunday Sets Record for Coldest Valentine's Day Ever in Chicago
As if the past several days of brutal cold and extreme temperatures weren't enough, Sunday marked the coldest Valentine's Day ever, according to NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists.
The high temperature was just 4 degrees, breaking the previous record of 8 degrees, which was set in 1943. A cold Valentine's Day in Chicago isn't that rare, though: Temperatures dropped to -2 degrees last year.
Read the full story here.
Winter Storm Warning Issued for Parts of NE Illinois, NW Indiana
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for portions of Illinois and Indiana as heavy snow and frigid wind chills are expected through Tuesday morning.
The warning went into effect at 6 p.m. Sunday in Kankakee and eastern Will Counties in Illinois, along with Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties in northwest Indiana. The warning will remain in effect through 9 a.m. Tuesday.
All of Cook County will also be under a winter storm warning beginning at 3 a.m. Monday and running through noon on Tuesday.
Lake-effect snow is expected in Cook County in Illinois, along with Lake County in northwest Indiana. Some locations near the lake could see a foot of snow or more, while other locations in the impacted counties could see up to eight inches of snow.
Track the Storm With Our Interactive Radar
If you want to track the weather as it moves into the region, you can always keep up with the latest details on our interactive radar.
Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Parts of Northern Illinois
A winter weather advisory has been issued for Lake County in Illinois, along with Kane, DuPage, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy and northern and southern Will counties. The advisory will go into effect at noon Monday and run through 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Bursts of snowfall are expected in the impacted areas, with frigid wind chills also posing a threat in those communities.
Snowfall Totals From Around the Area So Far This Weekend
The Chicago area is expecting to see more snow beginning Sunday night and into the start of the work week, but plenty of locations have already seen a good amount of snow since Friday afternoon.
According to the National Weather Service, some parts of northwest Indiana saw more than five inches of snow, especially in Porter County, where the town of Porter has seen 7.3 inches of snow since Friday. In Ogden Dunes, 5.3 inches of snow were reported.
Other areas saw at least a few inches of snow during multiple snowfalls, including 3.4 inches in suburban Burbank, 3.5 inches in Carbon Hill, and 4.1 inches in LaSalle.
Here are other snowfall totals around the region.
