Heavy, windblown snow fell across the Chicago area Friday morning as northern and western suburbs took on the brunt of the storm, while the city saw relatively limited snowfall.

The Chicago area can expect another 2 to 4 inches of snow from the storm, the National Weather Service said in a Winter Storm Warning issued at 2:16 p.m. Friday. Northern and central Cook County remains under a warning until noon Saturday.

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Forecasters say snow and blowing snow will spread across the region overnight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., along with 40-50 mph wind gusts creating near-blizzard conditions. Local power outages and dangerous driving conditions are expected.

NWS snowfall reports from the first band of snow range from over 6 inches in the western and northern suburbs to just a couple of inches closer to the lakefront. About 3.4 inches fell at O’Hare International Airport, while less than 2 inches fell in the South Loop.

Some suburbs including Elgin, DeKalb and Aurora saw around 6 inches. The highest report came from west of Hoffman Estates, where 8.5 inches were recorded.

Southern suburbs including LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Southern Cook counties were downgraded from a winter storm warning to a winter weather advisory on Friday as expected snowfall totals decreased. The NWS expects those areas to see up to 1 to 2 more inches of snow, with the worst conditions along and north of I-80.

Read more coverage of Friday’s storm below.

Man dies of cold exposure in Schiller Park

A man died of cold exposure Thursday in northwest suburban Schiller Park, the year’s first cold-related death as the area endures a winter storm ahead of colder temperatures next week.

The 60-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, died about 1 p.m. in the 4600 block of Wesley Terrace, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Schiller Park police and fire officials couldn’t be reached immediately.

Autopsy results released Friday said he died of environmental cold exposure, and his death was ruled an accident, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Potential bomb cyclone to hit area Friday night

Some outlets have referred to the incoming storm as a bomb cyclone, a storm where the pressure drops and the storm intensifies very rapidly, but meteorologists say it is too early to say for certain.

To classify the storm as a bomb cyclone, Jake Petr, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, said, the barometric pressure has to drop by 1 millibar per hour for at least 24 hours. These storms tend to occur a couple of times a year in the United States, Kines said.

Kines said Friday’s weather “certainly could” intensify into a bomb cyclone, as the conditions are there. Due to the criteria required to classify it as such, though, it’s not possible to know for sure until Saturday.

Chicago and Cook County warming centers

As snow and cold descend on the Chicago area, the city and Cook County will open warming centers.

The city’s warming shelters, which are usually available on weekdays, will be open through the weekend, and anyone in need of overnight shelter can speak with staff at the public shelters or call 311, officials said Friday during a news conference at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

The Garfield Community Service Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave., is open around the clock to help families and residents find emergency shelter. The Department of Family and Support Services said the Garfield center will be open all weekend, and drop-in centers will have expanded hours.

The city’s other warming centers:

• Englewood Community Service Center (1140 W. 79th St), 312-747-0200
• Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center (4314 S. Cottage Grove), 312-747-2300
• North Area Community Service Center (845 W. Wilson Ave.), 312-744-2580
• South Chicago Community Service Center (8650 S. Commercial Ave.), 312-747-0500
• Trina Davila Community Service Center (4312 W. North Ave.), 312-744-2014

Cook County will open 24-hour warming centers from 3 p.m. Saturday to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Office of the Cook County Board president.

The 24-hour warming centers are at the following locations:

• Skokie Courthouse (5600 Old Orchard Road)
• Maywood Courthouse (1500 Maybrook Drive)
• Markham Courthouse (16501 S. Kedzie Ave.)

Water, snacks and restrooms will be available at the warming centers. Pets are also welcome in cages or carriers, and the county will provide a limited number of crates at each courthouse, according to the release.

Other Cook County warming centers, and their hours, can be found on the county’s website.

Migrants at ‘landing zone’ stuck on buses as snowstorm hits Chicago

As a powerful snowstorm and below-freezing temps bear down on Chicago, migrants facing eviction from shelters next week won’t get booted — though those at the city’s designated “landing zone” for new arrivals remain confined to buses.

The city had planned to evict dozens of migrants who had reached the 60-day limit starting Tuesday, but, citing the extreme cold, officials set back the exit date a week at a news conference Friday.

There are no permanent structures at the “landing zone” at 800 S. Desplaines St., where the city says more than 140 new arrivals are sleeping on CTA buses waiting for placement in city shelters, including 22 minors. Almost all were sheltering inside the buses on Friday, where many have said conditions are crowded and uncomfortable.

“There’s about 60 people on there,” said one migrant from Venezuela Friday, “sleeping on the seats, underneath, everywhere.”

On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker sent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a sweeping letter about the ongoing migrant crisis, urging him to stop drop-offs during a dangerous winter storm.

“While action is pending at the federal level, I plead with you for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves,” Pritzker said in the letter. “Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable people’s lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state.”

Snow shoveling begins ahead of storm’s second wave

The din of snowblowers and shovels scraping pavement filled the air Friday as people tackled several inches of snow before the second wave of the winter storm sweeps across the Chicago area.

The heavy, wet snow began falling overnight and piled up throughout the morning. Then the snow gave way to sleet.

“This is heart attack snow,” said Ken Fronczak, 65, who was shoveling at a building he owns at 29th and Throop streets in Bridgeport.

Other residents dismissed the gloomy forecast and first wave of snowfall Friday morning, pointing to past storms that dropped much more.

“This ain’t no snow,” said Roger Sansone, 64, walking his dog on Emerald Avenue in Bridgeport.

Winter storm cancels CPS after-school activities, knocks out power at 30 schools

Chicago’s public schools saw varying attendance and some power outages as they remained open through Friday’s winter storm, but officials canceled after-school activities and vowed to prepare for next week’s frigid temperatures.

About 30 schools lost electricity Friday morning and were getting repairs by the afternoon, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said at a news conference with Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city officials discussing the city’s response to the storm.

Lozano Elementary in Noble Square sent its students and staff home, Martinez said. Teachers at some other West Side schools reported power, heating and water problems.

“Whenever we have a school that has a power shutdown, we always have an alternative school for children to go to as well as staff,” Martinez told reporters at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications’ Near West Side headquarters. “In the extreme situation that the alternative school also is having power issues, that’s when we make that decision” to send kids home.

Transit and highways

The CTA temporarily shut down the Yellow Line on Friday morning due to trees that fell on the tracks, although service has resumed. The agency also routed buses away from DuSable Lake Shore Drive due to poor road conditions.

Several Union Pacific Northwest trains either could not run or were delayed Friday because of downed power lines. As of 3 p.m., Metra said trains had been cleared through the area around Barrington, but some trains still are on a modified schedule.

Union Pacific West trains were stopped for more than an hour near Wheaton because of a car stuck in the snow on the tracks near Wheaton. Trains were on the move again by 9 a.m.

The Illinois Tollway said they would deploy all of its 196 snowplows to clear roads across 12 northern Illinois counties throughout Friday, and the Illinois Department of Transportation will have more than 1,800 trucks across the state plowing snow and salting roads.

The transportation department warned drivers of slippery roads and reduced visibility while advising people to plan for extra travel time.

Power outages and flight cancellations

ComEd reported that around 6,100 customers were without power as of 8:37 p.m., down from about 20,000 midday Friday.

A ground stop ordered at O’Hare International Airport at 5:35 a.m. because of ice and snow was lifted at 8 a.m., but a ground delay in effect until 8 p.m. will restrict arrivals and departures, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

As of 9 p.m., more than 800 flights had been cancelled at O’Hare and more than 275 at Midway Airport.

Contributing: David Struett, Kade Heather, Katie Anthony, Mary Norkol, Satchel Price, Michael Loria, Ellery Jones