Friday's delivery of the paper could be delayed. Here's what weather is coming.
Thursday night's snowstorm and the overnight windy, hazardous driving conditions could result in sporadic delays in getting your print edition of the Daily Herald delivered on time Friday morning.
Rest assured, subscribers can always get access to the paper's e-edition as well as fresh news at dailyherald.com.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory lasting until noon Friday.
A deep freeze is now moving into the Chicago area after another round of snowfall that slickened streets and made for treacherous travel, especially in more rural areas such as in west Kane County where snow was blowing onto the roads.
Hard and fast snow started falling around 1 p.m. Thursday, and lasted until about 7 p.m., ABC 7 reported. The heaviest snowfall is over, though flurries are expected to continue later into the night. Those flurries shouldn't add much accumulation, but there is still a lot of snow left over from last week.
Bitter cold air had already arrived by 7 p.m. With winds up to 45 mph, blowing snow and frigid wind chills will be a problem. ABC 7 reported vehicles sliding off the road, and one vehicle sliding into an IDOT vehicle in Arlington Heights.
Lows below 0 are forecast, with wind chills making it feel colder than it has in two years, since the last polar vortex, ABC 7 said.
ABC 7 meteorologist Larry Mowry said starting Friday, temperatures won't climb above freezing for at least 10 days, and possibly even the next two weeks.
Despite the fleets of snow plows and salt trucks, transportation officials across the Chicago area are asking drivers to be sure they plan for extra time, leave plenty of distance between vehicles, and take precautions as roads become slick.
Waukegan deployed its fleet of nearly 40 trucks affectionately known as "The Snow Fighters," who plan to be out for about 10-12 hours clearing snow, because once the arctic temperatures arrive, everything's going to freeze to the pavement, officials told ABC 7.
"The temperature dropping quickly and not being able to get as much off as we need to on the pavement," said Mike Hewitt, Waukegan Public Works Director, "that's kind of a nightmare, because it does get cold, and it gets slick, and then people slide and hit things."
"We truly need everyone to adhere to those snow routes. Move those cars, so we can clean these streets as quickly as possible," said Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham.
Officials warned of the possible dangers of misusing space heaters as some struggle to stay warm during this cold snap.
"People have a tendency to pile stuff around it, and those things burn," Mike Toika, Addison fire marshal, told ABC 7. "When you are running those things constantly, they can start things on fire. And we see a lot of that, especially during cold snaps."
[3:45 PM 2/4/2021] A true taste of winter sweeps into the region into next week with persistent sub-zero wind chills and several chances for accumulating snow.
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago)
> blast of Arctic air is forecast to hit the area Saturday and Sunday.
Wind chills of -20 to -30 are possible, the weather service says.
Highs on Friday and Saturday will be in the teens, and in single digits on Sunday. More snow is possible Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.
Then the highs aren't expected to break 20 degrees until Saturday, Feb. 13.
Stay safe!