Snow starts to build in suburbs as afternoon rush approaches

As predicted, snow came down at different strengths in different suburban areas on Friday.

Fluffy flakes fell lightly for a few hours in Lake County, but then around 1 p.m. the wind picked up and created near-whiteout conditions. The snow started accumulating, too, prompting motorists to drive slower on local roads.

The weather intensified shortly afterward in Northwest suburban Cook County, motorists there said.

No flight cancellations were reported at O'Hare International Airport. Operations were running normally, a representative of the Chicago Aviation Department said.

No flight cancellations were announced for this evening, either.

Snow accumulation was expected to be up to 2 inches in Kane and McHenry counties and up to 3 inches in Lake and DuPage counties, according to the National Weather Service. Up to 3 inches of snow were expected in Northwest suburban Cook County, with more snow in the southeastern part of the county.

The snow should be out of this area by 9 p.m.

Saturday, it will be sunny, windy and cold, the weather service said. Temperatures are expected to reach 20 degrees for a high and will drop to 11 at night, with wind chills as low as 6 degrees below zero.