Northern Illinois braces for up to 12 inches of snow

CHICAGO (AP) - Winter storm warnings are in effect for the northern tier of Illinois where as much as a foot of snow was forecast.

The National Weather Service issued the warnings Saturday afternoon, including the Chicago area, Joliet, DeKalb, Rockford and Freeport. The warnings are in effect until midnight Sunday with snow expected to start Saturday afternoon and taper off late Sunday evening. High temperatures in the single digits were to follow next week.

The heaviest snow amounts of 7 to 12 inches were forecast north of Interstate 88. About 5 to 9 inches of snow are expected along Interstate 80 and 3 to 6 inches south of the highway.

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel assembled city department leaders for a Saturday afternoon news conference, saying the city was prepared and coordinated for the weather.