The winter storm warning for the Chicago region continues until noon today. The National Weather Service expects the snow to last through most of the rush hour. Meteorologist Tim Seeley says the major storm system has moved east of Chicago. It’s the lake effect snow that we’re seeing now. He says downtown Chicago is getting the worst of it.
SEELEY: So if you’re heading into the city, you may start out with no snow, but as you get closer to downtown, you’ll start running into the lake effect snows.
Seeley says wind gusts have gotten up to 30 miles per hour, causing some snow to drift. He says there’s a chance of light snow later tonight, but he expects little accumulation.
As the snow tapers off around the area, Chicago’s full snow fleet remains on the roads. Matt Smith is a spokesman for the city’s Streets and Sanitation department.
SMITH: For the most part on Friday morning’s commute, they’re seeing the snow, they’re seeing the winds. And the fact is it’s worse conditions today. So I think people need to be cautious and allow extra time.
Smith says snow plows have focused mostly on the main streets over the past couple of days. He says with the the storm system moving out of the area, trucks will get to work on side roads.
Meantime, things are a little better this morning at Chicago’s airports than they were yesterday. At O’Hare, more than 50 flights have been cancelled with some minor delays. On the South Side at Midway, no delays but a few cancellations.