Thunderstorms For Some, Heavy Snow For Others
UPDATED 03/02/12 3:30 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago area experienced multiple seasons in one day Friday, with thunderstorms for some area residents, and, for others, snow.
Rain was falling across the Chicago area by midday. CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Glaros said the temperatures were fairly chilly at that time -- 40 degrees at O'Hare International Airport, and 38 at Midway.
By 3 p.m., a wintry mix of sleet, ice and rain was falling in the northern suburbs. Snow was falling in Crystal Lake. The forecast called for snow to fall at a rate of about an inch an hour in some spots this afternoon and evening.
Rain was falling in downtown Chicago. Heavier rain fell in the southern suburbs and Northwest Indiana.
Concerns are also mounting downstate. Multiple tornado warnings were issued in the midday hours Friday in south central and Southern Illinois, just 48 hours after a tornado left six people dead and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in Harrisburg. There were several tornadoes in far southern Indiana that caused significant damage.
As the rain turned to snow in Chicago, some areas – particularly to the north of the city – were covered by mid-evening.
Northern Cook County, including O'Hare International Airport, could see 3 to 5 inches of accumulation. But farther south by Midway International Airport, 1 to 2 inches or less might fall, Glaros said.
To the north, a winter storm warning from 3 p.m. to midnight has been expanded to include Lake and McHenry counties, and other far northern Illinois areas continuing west to Rockford. Accumulation could total 4 to 7 inches in those areas, according to the National Weather Service.
The warning previously had been limited to counties across the Wisconsin state line.
And just in time for the weekend, it's going to feel like winter again. After an overnight low of 32, high for Saturday is only 38 degrees, with an low Saturday night of 26.
