Residents in western Chicago suburbs brave snowy, wet conditions
AURORA, Ill. (CBS) – This week brought the first significant winter storm of the season.
Snow fell steadily in the western suburbs and wouldn't let up for hours. CBS 2's Sara Machi went to Aurora to see how folks there were handling the weather.
All day, the precipitation has wavered back and forth from snow to rain and back again.
Around mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the city saw big, fluffy snow falling onto mostly quiet streets. Not a lot of people were out on this workday.
Still, there were some people who traveled to work, and for some folks, that job put them in the elements.
CBS 2 spotted Corina Fowler Tuesday morning when she was the only person out on a stretch of Lake Street. She said she's done her job for decades, and she's got a routine: shoveling a path for herself and layering up under a Statue of Liberty outfit.
"I put an extra pair of gloves on because my hands were cold a little bit," Fowler said. "Because you get damp. When it's wet out here. Your body gets kind of colder quick because your hands are wet or your clothes are wet, but as long as you wear layers, you're all good."
Aurora street crews were out all day, keeping the roads and sidewalks clear. The changing precipitation can be a challenge for the crews trying to scrape and sweep the roads clear.
One team in downtown Aurora told CBS 2 they started working at 1:30 a.m., about six hours earlier than usual. The shift ended at 3 p.m.
"We knew ahead of time to get ready and be prepared, you know?" said Randy Bustamante, an Aurora city maintenance worker. "We're feeling good, yeah. Once you get going and you are out there working, then we just gotta keep up."
The crews said they pre-treated the roads and that was certainly paying off in the early hours of the snowfall. While it seemed like a lot of people were trying to avoid the commute, CBS 2 found one woman who had signed up for her first-ever Uber Eats shift, knowing there was a lot of money to be made.
"I've been to Naperville, Aurora, Montgomery, Crest Hill. I've been everywhere," said Sanaa Stokes. "It's been a lot of cars, more than I thought there would be, but it's not bad. They're really cautious. A lot of snow everywhere. It was light earlier, but then it started to pick up like now. It was not like this a few hours ago."
Stokes added she was going to take a break in the afternoon and potentially go back out. She was watching the road conditions like many other drivers.
