Winter weather advisory: More than a foot of snow now expected in some suburbs

A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Chicago area through noon Saturday with some parts of the suburbs now expected to get more than a foot of snow, according to updated forecasts from the National Weather Service.

New forecasts suggest most of McHenry County and the western portion of Lake County could receive at least 12 inches from the winter storm that began early Friday, but possibly more.

Meanwhile, Northwest Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County Lake County and Northern Will County are expected to receive between 8 inches and 12 inches of snow before the storm subsides Saturday morning.

The first round of snowfall early Friday morning garnered reports of 4.1 inches in Hoffman Estates, 8 inches in Elburn, 6.4 inches in Hampshire, 5.5 inches in Batavia, 6.5 inches in Naperville, 4 inches in Mundelein and 6 inches in Lake Villa.

When snow subsided, rain moved into the area, but more snow was expected Friday night.

Bitterly cold winds with gusts of up to 45 mph were expected through Saturday. The winds bring a cold snap to the area that will keep temperatures in the single digits Sunday through Tuesday, meteorologists suggest.

Power outages

Winds and the heavy snow caused problems for thousands of ComEd customers who are reported outages Friday. At its peak, nearly 80,000 customers were without power. ComEd was reporting nearly 22,000 customers without power throughout the region by Friday afternoon.

Multiple reports of downed power lines throughout the suburbs wreaked havoc on the roads as well causing prolonged road closures in Buffalo Grove, Mundelein and Wheaton at various times Friday.

If power remains out, most counties have a number of warming centers open. In suburban Cook County, many township offices serve as warming centers. A full list is available at cookcountyil.gov.

Warming centers in DuPage County can be found at 211dupage.com.

Kane County’s health department also maintains a list of warming centers at its website kanehealth.com.

A map of available warming centers in Lake County is available by searching the county’s website, lakecountyil.gov.

Road conditions throughout the area were expected to be poor as snow accumulates and the winds blow the precipitation onto interstates and local roads. Officials urge caution if traveling.

Flight woes

The Chicago Department of Aviation reported more than 800 flights were canceled Friday. At its worst, flights were delayed an average of 40 minutes. That figure had dropped to a 15-minute delay on average by late afternoon.

At Midway International Airport, the average delay was reported at less than 15 minutes, but more than 275 flights were canceled there as well.

Closings and cancellations

The storm also affected various events and activities throughout the suburbs.

Power outages in Bridgeview canceled proceedings at the Cook County courthouse there, the chief judge’s office said. Most cases will get new dates.

The DuPage County courthouse closed early, according to the chief judge’s office.

Garbage pickup was canceled in Geneva due to the snow. No rescheduling has been announced yet.

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre canceled Friday’s performance of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” while the Gavin DeGraw concert at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan was also postponed, according to emails from theater operators.

Performances at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and Des Plaines Theatre tonight have also been postponed, organizers said.

Many Friday evening events organized by schools, park districts and libraries were also postponed or canceled. More Saturday events also faced cancellation. Officials suggested calling ahead or checking event websites for weather-related updates.