Chicago Weather Alert: Harwood Heights Socked With More Than 7 Inches Of Snow, Residents Left To Clean Up
HARWOOD HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- More than 7 inches of snow fell in northwest suburban Harwood Heights Friday as a lake-effect snowstorm clobbered the Chicago area.
Chicago Weather Alert: Snow Totals From Lake Effect Snowstorm
As CBS 2's Asal Rezaei reported, streets in Harwood Heights were pretty clear early Friday evening. But there were a lot of big snow mounds piled up – in a sign that plows had come through and the snow had been moved out of the way – at least for the time being.
Mario Diaz was one of many Harwood Heights residents who had to shovel his driveway in the aftermath of the snowstorm.
"It's too late for all this snowfall," Diaz said.
Diaz said he had about two hours of work cut out with him when he talked with Rezaei.
Sometimes, he gets a helping hand from neighbors who will run their snowblowers down the entire block's sidewalk.
Diaz did say the snow Thursday has been a lot easier to clear compared with what we got at the end of 2021.
"Less resistance," he said. "Last year, I broke a shovel because there was so much ice."
He says as long as it is not frozen, he is not complaining.
"Oh, so much better," Diaz said. "It's loose snow - way easier. It's just a pain."
We ran into snow removal crews that still have a long day ahead.
"We do about 18 hours a day - maybe a little more depending on where we're at," said Yvette Grevison of Y & A Landscaping and Snow Removal.
Crews said the driveways in the suburbs are what are really time-consuming. But for them, this amount of snow is something they cherish.
"It's white gold to me," Grevison said.
Some Harwood Heights residents said they hoped this would be the first and last big snow of the season. But we have the entire month of February and beyond ahead – and we're expecting more snow in the forecast next week.