Snow Moves In And Out Fast, But Leaves Roads Treacherous
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (CBS) -- The snow had made its way out of the Chicago area as night fell on Sunday, leaving behind rain as temperatures warmed.
But in the midday hours, the snowy weather had drivers slowing down and trying to avoid slick spots.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Tim McGill reported the snow totaled 2 inches in Lindenhurst and McHenry, 1.8 inches in Rockford, 1.3 inches in Valparaiso, 1 inch at O'Hare International Airport, 0.9 inch in Aurora, 0.4 inch at Midway International Airport and at Romeoville.
As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, some of the heaviest snow was seen in Buffalo Grove. It only ended up amounting to an inch or two on sidewalks and the roads were mostly just wet – but on the expressways, the visibility and wind made conditions treacherous.
Around 12:15 p.m., snow started falling on the Dan Ryan Expressway near Pilsen. Snow plow drivers were monitoring the roads ahead of time.
"It's just really bad out there – very slick roads," said truck driver Pauletta Wood.
We caught up with Wood near O'Hare. She took a much-needed break on her route from out northwest in Rockford to Chicago.
"I saw a car flipped over under an overpass. The fire trucks were there. The police were there. And another car spun off and into the side of the road a well," she said.
The snow and wind impacted travel in the sky too. Our cameras caught delays amid the Winter Weather Advisory at O'Hare.
As of just before 4 p.m., 430 flights had been canceled at O'Hare. At Midway, 81 flights were canceled. There were also major delays.
Simon Thomas stuck to the roads, which from his vantage point were pretty clear.
"The left turns, they didn't clean. Only the straight roads are clean," Thomas said. "But it's not bad."
But around 2 p.m., as CBS 2's Graves and his crew headed up north to Buffalo Grove, there was some reduced visibility.
We found John Costello sitting and waiting for the worst of it.
"I just checked my radar before you walked up," he said.
The plow driver said he had less work than expected on Sunday, but the job did not end with the snow moving out.
"Now it's a question of whether it turns to rain, or if it melts quick enough before we get into freezing temperatures," Costello said.
Salt was put down well before the snow started. But drivers are still advised to watch out for black ice.