It's not over yet: Snow expected to end in the morning

Officials from the Illinois Department of Transportation said they are staying on top of the powder - at least for now.

IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said the 360 snow plows out through the night were able to keep the expressways mostly clear for the Tuesday morning commute.

But, she added, heavy snow fall tonight could prove to be the real challenge.

"It's actually going pretty well right now and the morning rush hour was, for the most part, as we expected it would be," she said. "We were able to salt the interstates overnight, so things are good. But, tonight is going to be the real challenge."

The winter storm warning continues in effect through early Wednesday as a storm could drop up to 12 inches of snow across the area.

The National Weather Service expects travel to be slow and hazardous today as bands of heavy snow are expected to pass through the region during peak drive times.

Illinois State Police officials have enacted their emergency relief plan, where motorists involved in minor crashes that do not involve injuries or a tow should exchange information, then report the accident at a later date.

Over 600 flights have already been canceled at O'Hare airport for Tuesday and delays are averaging about 30 minutes as of 8:30 p.m., officials said.

Southwest Airlines canceled all flights from 10 a.m. Tuesday though 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. Southwest expected to resume its full schedule as planned at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday but warned there may still be cancellations for flights to the East Coast, officials said. The majority of flights at Midway were canceled Tuesday..

)There is already a large amount of spinouts and other problems this morning. Weather-related accidents were reported in Grayslake, Lake Villa, Buffalo Grove and Round Lake. Forecasters say the storm, which may last through early Wednesday, could deliver between 6 inches to 12 inches of snow in under 24 hours. That storm will be accompanied by wind gusts up to 30 mph Wednesday morning, creating white out and blizzard conditions. The high Tuesday will be around 28 with the lows around 20.The storm is only expected to bring about 1 to 3 inches this morning. Then, following a small break, the flakes will start to fall heavier and the wind will kick up Tuesday afternoon and evening, depositing another 4 inches to 9 inches across the area before the storm moves through Wednesday. The warning covers all of the areas in the north central part of the state, including Chicago, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will counties. A second winter storm may follow starting Sunday, Feb. 14, which could bring three straight days of precipitation.All Elgin Area School District U-46 school activities have been cancelled Tuesday evening, due to the snowstorm. This includes all sports and club activities, along with Citizens Advisory Council meetings and the Budget Reduction Forum scheduled for 6 p.m. at Streamwood High School. District officials said Tuesday afternoon that a message is being sent out to all parents via U-46's reverse calling systems.The girls basketball games between Waubonsie Valley and St. Charles East high schools scheduled for today have been cancelled. They are rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the same times and locations. Freshman A and B, sophomore and varsity games all are affected.The village of Lake Zurich has cancelled the regular meeting of the park and recreation advisory board that had been scheduled tonight. The village of Hainesville announced it has cancelled tonight's finance meeting, set for 6 p.m., and the village board meeting, set for 7 p.m. Both meetings have been rescheduled to Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 6 and 7 p.m. respectively. Warren Township High School District 121 officials announced they have cancelled the school board meeting scheduled for today. The meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10. Lisle High School's Interstate Eight Conference boys basketball game, scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff tonight at Plano High School, has been postponed until Wednesday, same place and time. Tonight's Mount Prospect committee of the whole meeting has been canceled. The "Coffee with the Council" will still take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday.Mount Prospect seems to be among the first to cancel any board meetings tonight. The village said, due to the weather, the committee of the whole meeting scheduled this evening has been shut down. The McHenry Community High School District 156 board has cancelled the personnel committee meeting scheduled for today at 6 p.m. The meeting was to be held at the Robert O. Swartzloff Center for Educational Services, the Board of Education Office, 4716 W. Crystal Lake Road, McHenry. The meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. The agenda includes: bid specifications for district facility operations contract; interview process for assistant superintendent for financial services; table topics. Tonight's 7 p.m. scheduled women's basketball contest between Benedictine and MSOE Milwaukee School of Engineering has been postponed. The contest will be made up on Monday, February 15, at 7:00 p.m.Mundelein High School District 120 officials announced the school board meeting scheduled for tonight has been cancelled because of the weather. Several Naperville events scheduled for this evening have been canceled due to the inclement weather. The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours Showcase has been called off. The next one will be held May 11 at Hotel Arista.Naperville's Technology Open House has been canceled for tonight and rescheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. March 9 at the municipal center, 400 S. Eagle St. The city's technology survey is available at www.naperville.il.us/strategictechplan.aspx.In addition, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 has canceled all after-school activities at the elementary and middle school levels as well as at Metea Valley High School. Neuqua Valley High School has canceled some and modified others. Waubonsie Valley has canceled activities that were scheduled for 7 p.m. or later. For a full list visit ipsd.org.In neighboring Naperville Unit District 203, a presentation on alcohol and drugs at Naperville Central High School has been called off and will be rescheduled. Most other activities in the district will still take place as scheduled.Barrington High School and Barrington Unit District 220 middle schools will dismiss at 2 p.m. today to accommodate bus schedules during the snowstorm. Elementary school students will be dismissed at the usual time. Parents were notifed by phone via instant alert messages.Parents and students are asked to call the activity hotline at (847) 842-3292 for the status of middle and high school extracurricular events. Normal dismissal is 2:40 p.m. for Barrington High School, 2:50 p.m. for middle schools and 3:40 p.m. for elementary schools. Gavin Elementary District 37 announced it has cancelled a special school board meeting scheduled for tonight because of the weather. The meeting has been rescheduled for Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Gavin South School library, 25775 W. Route 134, Ingleside. The agenda includes updates on Calm Classroom, Building PBIS and Teacher Mentoring programs and a closed session discussion on administrative salaries and a staffing plan and cost reductions for 2010-11. Tonight's girls varsity basketball game between St. Francis High School and Woodstock Marian Central Catholic at St. Francis in Wheaton has been cancelled due to weather.Makeup game has been scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.Lake County Board members, on the other hand, didn't let the snow get in the way of their monthly meeting this morning in Waukegan. It went on as scheduled. Morning commute reportsNorthwest suburbsDriving on Arlington Heights Road during the morning rush hour was a challenge. Lanes on the much-traveled road seemed unplowed in the Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove areas; the intersection of Arlington Heights and Hintz road was particularly slippery.When it's snowing, motorists need to turn on their headlights. Most of the vehicles encountered this morning did have their lights on. Some didn't -- including a Mundelein police car headed south on Route 45.The intersection of Route 45 and Peterson Road was, as usual, a snowy mess this morning. Motorists needed to take extra care when turning at the busy crossing.Russell Lissau Streets were understandably slippery covering the same ground at 5 a.m. Arlington Heights Road, from Lake-Cook Road to Algonquin Road, was relatively clear and snow plows were working. Vehicles reduced their speed. It was difficult to see the traffic lane markers and drivers were following the tracks of vehicles that preceded them. Slower speeds extended the commute time by no more than 10 minutes.Richard Battin Oak Park to Arlington HeightsThe commute from Oak Park to Arlington Heights was a little slow, but not bad -- about 10 minutes longer than normal. A minor accident was delaying inbound traffic on the Northwest Tollway at Higgins Road as of 8:15 a.m.James Kane West bound on I90Commute on I-90 westbound from the city to Arlington Heights not too much longer than normal. A minor accident around Elmhurst Road where a small car ended up facing the wrong direction on the shoulder slowed things down a bit, but for the most part drivers seemed to be taking extra care this morning.Tim Broderick West of Geneva to Arlington Heights2 hours and 45 minutes from Randall Road to I-90 to Arlington Heights. That's was my commute time a few weeks ago when it snowed during the morning rush. This morning I had a plan. The alarm went off at 5 a.m. The drive was shoveled, the coffee mug filled and the car was moving by 6 a.m. I was ready for the long commute and I was going to be on time for an 8:30 a.m. meeting. Well, I was early, an hour and a half early. My 35 mile commute took only 59 minutes. Jeff Knox 490310Anna Carlson, 8, leads the way followed by friend Lizzie Laudont, 9, and Isaac the dog while skating on Tuesday in Elburn.Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer 512349IDOT trucks are loaded with salt at the St. Charles Illinois Department of Transportation facility in preparation for Monday night's projected snow storm. IDOT will have 19 trucks on state roads throughout Kane County.Rick West | Staff Photographer 512337Mark A. Manlick with M&M Enterprizes clears the walkway Tuesday in downtown Grayslake.Gilbert R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer 490300 Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer 512352Drivers have no trouble on Arlington Heights Road at Sigwalt Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. in Arlington Heights. Plows kept the roadways clear with only about 2 inches of snow overnight.Bill Zars | Staff Photographer 512331Sammy Ortegon of IDOT fills up his front-end loader with salt at the St. Charles Illinois Department of Transportation facility in preparation for Monday night's projected snow storm. Forecasts call for 6-12 inches of snow in the next day and a half.Rick West | Staff Photographer 332512Stelios Lekkas, 16, and friend Tyler Sills, 15, play a game of pic-up hockey on a retention pond on Tuesdayin Elburn. The boys and friends cleared off a spot on the ice and played for well over an hour.Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer 480245A towing crew attempts to pull a tanker truck from the ditch on the westbound lanes of the Jane Addams Tollway Tuesday morning.Christopher Hankins | Staff Photographer 512319Snowfall begins to increase as drivers make their way down Northwest Highway Tuesday morning at 8:15 a.m. in Arlington Heights.Bill Zars | Staff Photographer 480301As proof that not everyone minds the snow, Spud, a white shepherd and samoyed mix enjoys a roll in the snow Tuesday morning at his home along Hilltop Lane in Sleepy Hollow.Christopher Hankins | Staff Photographer 512310A snow plow clears the road along Route 176 in Libertyville Tuesday.Gilbert R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer 377512Stefanos Lekkas, 14, of Elburn celebrates a puck in the net during a game of hockey on a frozen retention pond on Tuesday, in Elburn.Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer 512331Plows clear snow along Dean Street in St. Charles Tuesday morning.Brian Hill | Staff Photographer 408512Anna Carlson, 8, foreground, and friend Bethany Duffey, 8, revel in the fresh snow while ice skating on Tuesday in Elburn.Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer 320512Nicklas Stefanik, 4, hitches a ride home via sled and mom, Catherine, walk home his sister, Megan, 6 from school on Tuesday,in Elburn.Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer 512326A Countryside firefighter looks into a car that flipped along Huntington Drive in Mundelein after skidding to make a stop this morning.Gilbert R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer 512341Good samaritan Ted Bonifas has been clearing his neighbors drives for more than the 10 years he has been living in Lake Charlotte in unincorporated St. Charles.Brian Hill | Staff Photographer <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Snow day!</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=357871">Show us your snowman! </a></li> </ul> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=357876">Tueday's snowfall </a></li> </ul> <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://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=ILZ014" 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" class="mediaItem">O'Hare flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.flychicago.com/fidsmidway" class="mediaItem">Midway flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home/service_updates/service_updates_alerts.html" 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>