Chicago Weather Forecast: Ice Storm Approaches Chicago Area
CHICAGO (CBS)-- An ice storm is expected to move through the Chicago area Tuesday evening, with about a quarter inch to four-tenths of an inch of ice possible.
An ice storm warning applies to Cook County and surrounding Illinois counties from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. It is the first ice storm warning issued for Chicago since 2009. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Kankakee County and Northwest Indiana.
The ice will begin to accumulate in DeKalb County around 4 or 5 p.m. and reach the city of Chicago around 7 p.m. Northwest Indiana could see icy conditions around 8 p.m.
CBS 2's Mary Kay Kleist says the worst of the freezing rain will fall before midnight and is likely to switch to all rain after that.
Ice accumulations could total about .25 inches by Wednesday, making travel hazardous. Areas north of Interstate 55 are expected to see the highest ice totals. There may be higher accumulations in spots.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Glaros says the key concerns are: Ice on roads and sidewalks, and iced over cars, bridges and overpasses. Cars could be iced shut and ice could also accumulate on power lines, making power outages possible.
A 10 to 16 mph wind could cause power lines and tree limbs to break once they are covered in ice.
The Weather Service discourages travel during the ice storms. The ice could cause tree branches and power lines to snap.
Some Chicago area hotels are offering discounts for overnight stays.
ComEd said in a statement released Tuesday that it was opening its emergency operations center, adding staff and preparing equipment to respond to power outages.
"ComEd has developed a plan and is prepared to have the necessary resources available to respond in the event that there are weather-related issues," said Terence R. Donnelly, president and chief operating officer of ComEd, in a statement. "Should there be any impact to our system, our employees will work around the clock to get customers restored quickly and safely."
The City Of Chicago will have 300 trucks on the streets spreading salt. To report wires down or a tree emergency, call 3-1-1. Residents can also use the CHI 311 mobile app or file a report online at www.311.chicago.gov.
Crews are salting el platforms and bus shelters.
The CTA is prepared to use its sleet scrapers and snow plow blades to remove ice from el tracks and for de-icing rails.
Metra is planning to salt, use switch heaters and run trains overnight to keep the ice from building up on the overhead wires on the electric line.
The Illinois Tollway will have nearly 196 trucks deployed to spread salt on the area tollways. Officials in Northwest Indiana say the state's plows will be out to treat roads.
Aurora crews were already out salting the roads in the afternoon, preparing for the storm as it heads east.
"We actually have the entire crew out now salting the entire city. A city this size – about 1200 lane miles – it takes us about three hours to salt the city so we don't want to be caught off guard," said Aurora Public Works Director Ken Schroth.
