Lake effect snow warning for Cook, Lake, DuPage counties tonight
A lake effect snow warning for Cook, Lake and DuPage counties starts at 7 p.m. Monday. It is set to expire at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Some areas in the warning could see 5-9 inches of snow, and some bands of the storm could be capable of producing snow in excess of two inches per hour. As it is lake effect snow, the snowfall is expected to be worse closer to the lake.
Steady snowfall means drivers should take caution on roads, according to the weather service advisory.
The snow will add to what fell in the suburbs starting Sunday night.
Some areas got more snow than the others. Only 2.2 inches fell at O'Hare by 7 a.m. Monday, ABC 7 reported, but 6.1 inches was reported in Gurnee, where snow kept falling until 10 a.m. Lombard saw 2 inches of snow.
It had been 85 days since snow fell in the Chicago area, ABC 7 said.
Temperatures should remain in the low to high 30s over the next several days. It's making for a March that so far is colder than February. The average high temperature so far this month has been 45 degrees, according to the Weather Underground website. The average high was 48 degrees for February.
In the East
Sandwiched between days that felt like spring last week and the official start of spring next week, a "life-threatening" nor'easter is poised to bring a reminder that winter isn't over yet, with blizzard conditions and a blanket of heavy snow expected in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, The Associated Press reported.
Meteorologists were calling for snowfall totals as high as 20 inches in New York City from the storm's start late Monday through Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the city and parts of neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut, with wind gusts up to 55 mph and low visibility predicted.
The weather service's office near Philadelphia called the storm "life-threatening" and warned people to "shelter in place."
Travel was sure to be dismal: About 4,000 Tuesday flights were canceled as of Monday afternoon, Amtrak canceled and modified service up and down the Northeast Corridor and motorists were urged to stay off the roads.
The forecast prompted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to make an unusually early decision to close the city's schools on Tuesday, giving the order late Monday morning.
He urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and help keep the roads clear. "We're preparing for a significant storm on Tuesday, and New Yorkers should also prepare for snow and dangerous road conditions," de Blasio said.
The weather about-face comes a week after the region saw temperatures climb into the 60s. Spring officially starts on March 20.
What's February, what's March?
48: Average high in February
45: Average high in March so far
70: Highest temp reached in February
65: Highest reached in March so far
Snowfall inch counts
<b>Through Monday morning:</b>Waukegan: 5.5 inches
Gurnee: 4.5 inches
Barrington: 2.8 inches
Schaumburg: 2.4 inches
Elmhurst: 2.3 inches
Naperville: 1 inch
<b>Forecast through Tuesday:</b>Forecasts vary, but more snow is expected near Lake Michigan.
East Lake, Cook, DuPage: 6-8 inches
West Lake, Cook, DuPage: 2-6 inches
Kane, McHenry: 3 inches or less
Sources: Weather Underground, National Weather Service