Up to 4 inches of snow pelts northern Illinois, with more expected this weekend: NWS

Snow blanketed parts of northern Illinois with up to four inches Wednesday, causing slick roads and snarling traffic for many motorists’ morning commutes, but more accumulation is expected later in the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Most of the snow expected for Wednesday’s round of snow already had fallen by noon, National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack said. But additional snow showers were expected to continue Thursday night into Friday, Yack said.

“Most of the heavier amounts kind of happened already this morning,” Yack said. “We’ve seen some reports of around two to four inches in spots especially Ogle and Lee counties, some spots have closer to four inches.”

Wednesday’s winter weather advisory – which was set to end at 3 p.m. – included Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Lake, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Kankakee, Livingston, Iroquois and Ford counties as well as parts of Cook and Will counties into northwest Indiana.

Though most of the main roads across the region have been treated throughout the day, Yack said he still recommends commuters use caution while driving in winter weather.

“Based on a lot of the webcams, the roads actually look like in pretty decent shape,” Yack said Wednesday around 10:20 a.m. “They’re a little wet out there, but most of them are not snow covered. Plows have made several passes.”

Thoroughfares should be in decent shape by Thursday morning’s commute, Yack said, though drivers are still urged to use caution, especially on overpasses. Thursday morning could get slippery in spots, especially on back or secondary roads, he said.

And, snow isn’t through with northern Illinois yet this week, Yack said.

Yack said extra snow accumulation heading into Thursday morning was not likely, given that temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 20s and low 30s. In line with continued flurries and scattered snow showers, roads will be wet but likely not cold enough to freeze, he said. Motorists still should use caution, however. Another round of snow on Thursday was expected to bring less than another inch.

“Plan for some slow travel times, and snow showers could reduce visibility,” Yack said pointing toward Thursday morning. “Plan for extra space between you and the car in front of you.”

Light snow showers will continue throughout the day and turn into flurries which will linger into the night, Yack said. More snow showers could develop mid- to late-Thursday morning and lull into Friday night.

It’s too early to tell which areas in northern Illinois might get hit hardest this weekend, Yack said, though snow is predicted to accumulate Saturday into Sunday for most of northern Illinois.

“It’s a ways out but it looks like we’re going to be in pretty decent condition to get accumulated snow again,” Yack said. “Still don’t know exactly how much. But Saturday into Sunday could even have some travel disruptions.”

As January nears a close, Yack urged northern Illinois residents not to think winter has let go yet, mild as it may seem to some. The National Weather Service’s winter outlook put out in October predicted current trends: Moderate weeks with rain followed by periods of severe cold, such as around Christmas, or bouts of snowfall.

“It’s trending kind of the way we’ve expected it to,” Yack said. “Winter goes through the middle of March, and the meteorological one goes through the end of February. So we still have about another month to go. The pattern is starting to look like more of an active pattern, so definitely don’t let your guard down, and keep an eye on the forecast.”