Dangerously cold temperatures still expected for Will County

Roads throughout Will County were blanketed by moderate snowfall on Thursday, but meteorologists warn of dangerously cold wind chills that can cause frostbite, powerful wind gusts and potential whiteout conditions for the rest of this week.

Road crews took their plows to the streets early Thursday bracing for what could come as temperatures drop and wind speeds rise overnight. The forecast is for wind gusts as high as 50 mph.

Those winds also could lead to plows returning to remove the same snow that had been plowed off the streets previously, especially in roads bordered by open fields.

The combination posed the threat of slippery streets, snowdrift-ridden roads and downed power lines.

“If the wind rises like they’re calling for, our biggest issue will be snow blowing back onto the roads,” Will County Director of Transportation Jeff Ronaldson said as the winter storm was just getting going on Thursday afternoon.

Will County’s 35 plow trucks already had been out since morning treating the 253 centerline miles of road, much of it rural, managed by the county.

At close to 4 p.m. on Thursday, the National Weather Service reported about two inches of snow that accumulated at its Romeoville office.

The snow is expected to end Thursday evening but National Weather Service is anticipating increasing wind gusts that will lead to blowing snow and low visibility overnight and Friday.

They also expected dangerously cold wind chills as low as minus 25 to 35 degrees over the same time period that can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 20 minutes.

“The extreme cold is what we’re worried about, for stranded motorists and anyone else outside,” said Allison Anderson, Will County Emergency Management Agency director.

Plainfield Public Works Director Scott Threewitt said blowing snow could have the biggest impact on roads in the western part of town.

“Once we see the winds and sustained gusts, we’re worried about drifting,” Threewitt said.

Joliet Public Works Director Greg Ruddy said the city has the same concern about roads on the city’s far West Side and in the southeastern area.

Joliet has 600 centerline miles of streets to plow.

The city’s 41 plow trucks were put into action on Thursday salting streets as the snow arrived.

But not too much salt, Ruddy said, so as to avoid creating icy streets as temperatures plummet.

“We’re concerned about freeze-back,” he said. “The concern is that the salt is down and the snow melts. And then the temperature drops, and it freezes into ice. So we’re being judicious on the amount of salt we use.”

Joliet fire battalion chiefs Vic Stachelski and Paul Yanak reported no weather-related incidents in the city following the snowfall on Thursday afternoon.

“The city’s been quiet, relatively speaking,” Yanak said.

Stachelski said the fire department has “added extra manpower for anything weather-related.”

At least two crashes occurred in Plainfield because of the snowy conditions, according to Plainfield police Cmdr. Anthony Novak.

Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman said the city’s plan was to have streets plowed by early Friday morning when snowfall was expected to lessen but winds were expected to increase.

“I think the biggest problem is going to be the blowing snow and the arctic cold,” Soliman said.

Soliman was especially worried about power outages that could leave people without heat while forecasts called for temperatures falling below zero.

As of 4:20 p.m. Thursday, the ComEd website listed only 12 outages affecting 259 customers. But the utility was preparing for trouble.

“We’re not really seeing that much impact from the weather yet,” ComEd spokesman John Schoen said. “It’s tomorrow when we see the wind pick up that we may see some impact on the (electrical) grid.”

Schoen asked customers who do lose power to report outages to 800-334-7661, and if they see downed lines to stay away from them until crews arrive.

Also, if residents experiencing an outage text the word OUT to 26633, the company can text back with the expected time for restoration and a text when power is restored.