Snow slows commuters to a crawl, more on the way tonight

At least it's Friday.

Morning motorists are forced to sit in extra-long delays this morning due to a heavy snowfall blanketing the the suburbs.

Meteorologists predicted the snowfall will reach between 3 inches and 6 inches of snow in the southern suburbs and up to 9 inches in the northern suburbs before it ends early Saturday morning.

The roadways are bad, officials said, with spinouts and minor fender benders taking place throughout the Chicago area.

Northern Lake County seems to be the hardest hit at this point, as accidents were declared at Route 120 and Route 12 in Volo, Rollins and Wilson roads in Ingleside, and at Route 83 and Monaville Road in Round Lake Beach. However, the fender benders aren't exclusive to the northern suburbs as accidents have also been reported in Hanover Park, Winfield, Oak Forest, and Bartlett early this morning.

Its slow going on all expressways as people battle the elements to get anywhere. Delays are averaging about an hour on all tollways, and spinouts are everywhere.

It was a slow, sloppy slog to work today for commuters journeying through northern Kane County. Northbound Route 31 and eastbound Route 72 turned into virtual parking lots as vehicles inched along. It only worsened for motorists finally making their way to the eastbound Jane Addams Memorial Tollway which was at a virtual standstill for the bulk of the morning commute.

Road conditions were to blame for the standstill in their town, said West Dundee police, noting there were no crashes or incidents, simply snow slowing the way.

Randall Road was no better for both north- and southbound travelers who needed an extra dose of patience for a tedious trek to work. The backed-up eastbound ramp to enter the tollway was, unfortunately, only a sign of more waiting to come,

The Illinois Department of Transportation has its full fleet of 365 trucks out plowing roadways, officials said. Those plows will remains in service as long as needed.

Metra Trains has not reported any significant delays at this point, though that could change later today. O'Hare officials said flight delays are averaging about 30 minutes and that about 150 flights have been canceled Friday. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration will update the media at 10:30 regarding delays and cancelations.

The National Weather Service in Chicago issued the winter weather advisory for the entire suburban area. The advisory is in effect from 3 a.m. this morning until 6 a.m. Saturday.

Significant snowfall will be moving into north central Illinois overnight tonight and persist through Friday. Periods of heavier snowfall are expected to occur this morning and again this afternoon through this evening.

Staff writer Amy Mack contributed to this report.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.emergencyclosingcenter.com/ecc/home.jsp" class="mediaItem">Full list of school closings</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/forecast-details.asp?partner=9612&traveler=0&zipcode=60666&metric=0&fday=1" class="mediaItem">Latest Forecast</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/" class="mediaItem">National Weather Service outlook</a></li> <li><a href="http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=lot&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no" class="mediaItem">National Weather Service radar</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.flychicago.com/fidsohare/default.asp" class="mediaItem">O'Hare flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.flychicago.com/fidsmidway/default.asp" class="mediaItem">Midway flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.metrarail.com/Service_Updates/" class="mediaItem">Metra service advisories</a></li> <li><a href="http://wrc.gettingaroundillinois.com/winterroadconditions" class="mediaItem">Road conditions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.gcmtravel.com/gcm/maps_chicago.jsp" class="mediaItem">Traffic conditions</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>