Schools, agencies watching the skies and waiting for snow

As the Chicago area prepared for the first significant snowstorm of 2024, officials with school districts and other agencies said they were waiting until Tuesday morning to decide whether to shift to remote classes or cancel programs.

Snow, possibly mixed with rain, was expected to continue falling Tuesday morning at O’Hare International Airport, the National Weather Service reported. After 3 p.m., only snow should be falling at the airport.

New snow accumulation could be 2 inches to 4 inches during the day Tuesday at O’Hare and in DuPage County, with more accumulation forecast in Lake, Kane and McHenry counties, the service reported.

Snow will continue Tuesday night, with less than 1 inch of accumulation predicted for the airport. Blustery winds are expected after midnight.

Wednesday could be cloudy and breezy, especially in the afternoon, meteorologists predicted. Snow could return Wednesday night or early Thursday.

Because of the weather forecast, planned temporary closures of lanes and shoulders on the Illinois Tollway system have been canceled, the agency announced. They could resume around noon Wednesday.

People planning to drive on the state’s tollroads can get real-time information on pavement conditions, collisions and other situations by following the following accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter: @94_294_Tollway, @I_90_Tollway, @I_88_Tollway, @I_355_Tollway and @IL_390_Tollway. More information is available at illinoistollway.com.

People who need to drive in Lake County this week should visit lakecountypassage.com or download the Lake County Passage app for live traffic conditions, authorities there said.

The Cook County chief judge's office is monitoring the forecast, too, to see if courthouse closures are needed.

· Daily Herald Staff Writers Mick Zawislak and Barbara Vitello contributed to this report.