Even as the area digs out from the heavy snow that fell on Wednesday, some locations will once again have to deal with a wintry mess on Thursday, as warnings and advisories remain in effect for numerous communities.
A winter storm warning that began Tuesday in Kankakee County in Illinois, along with Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana, will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
According to the alert, light snow will once again resume on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, and although only light accumulations are expected, windy conditions will cause significant challenges with blowing and drifting snow, especially on rural roadways.
An additional 1-to-4 inches of snow are possible, with areas south of U.S. 24 being hardest-hit, according to forecasters.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
That is in addition to the snow that fell on Wednesday, with many communities seeing 10 or more inches of snow in the impacted area.
Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana, which were originally under the same warning as the other communities, will now see their warning expire at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Light lake-effect snow showers could potentially hit the areas, but the main threats will come with blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas.
Local
The Thursday morning commute could be impacted by the windy conditions, officials said, and workers will continue to try to clear roadways impacted by the snow.
Speaking of lake-effect snow showers, a winter weather advisory is now in effect for all of Cook County, and will remain so until Thursday evening.
Forecasters say that lake-effect snow is expected to develop overnight, with many locations seeing 1-to-4 inches of additional snow after Wednesday’s accumulations.
Depending on how strong the lake-effect plume is, even higher accumulations could be seen in select locations, according to forecast models, and experts are urging residents to remain cautious as they travel on Thursday.
Wednesday’s snowfall snarled traffic on expressways, caused more than 800 flights to be canceled at Chicago’s airports, and led to schools switching to remote learning in many instances as travel became extremely difficult.
Many areas of Kankakee and Will counties saw in excess of 10 inches of snow, while areas closer to Chicago were also hard-hit by the weather.
Snow is expected to taper off by Thursday evening, with below-average temperatures likely sticking around in the wake of the winter storms.
