Schools to close, travel could be hazardous as heaviest snow storm of the season arrives

Dozens of schools will close or switch to online learning Wednesday as the most significant snowfall of the season moves into the Chicago area.

Though only a light dusting of snow was expected Wednesday morning, snowfall is expected to intensify into the afternoon, bringing 3 to 6 inches to the metro area, with snowfall rates of up to an inch per hour possible, the National Weather Service said.

Suburban school districts announced Tuesday afternoon that they would close, have early dismissal or switch to online learning ahead of the snowstorm, according to the Emergency Closing Center. Chicago Public Schools have not announced any closures.

The weather service upgraded its alert from a winter storm watch to a winter weather advisory for some areas of Illinois and northwest Indiana beginning 9 a.m. Wednesday and lasting through 3 a.m. Thursday.

“The brunt of the snow is going to hit between noon and 7 p.m. Wednesday,” said Kevin Doom, a weather service meteorologist. “It looks like this will be Chicago’s most significant snowfall of the season.”

Snow could start as early as 10 a.m., with light flurries, before transitioning to moderate to heavy snow in the afternoon. The storm is expected to create hazardous travel conditions.

“It looks like the heaviest snow is on track to hit right during the p.m. rush hour,” Doom said. “We advise people to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.”

Temperatures will remain in the upper 20s during the snowfall, then drop sharply to near zero Thursday night.

Bundle up! Between 2 and 6 inches of snow could fall Wednesday, with the biggest snow hitting during the evening commute, bringing hazardous travel conditions. Temperatures will plummet close to zero on Thursday night. And more snow is expected Friday evening. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Another system is expected to arrive late Valentine's Day afternoon into the evening in far northern areas, potentially bringing several more inches of snow, according to the weather service. Some areas could see a mix of rain and snow on Saturday.

“That could change because the storm is still forming, but there’s potential for several inches of snow with this second system,” Doom said.

After the weekend, colder air will settle in, with temperatures potentially dropping below zero Sunday morning and strong winds making it feel even colder.

Though the storm is expected to be Chicago’s largest snowfall this season, it’s not unusual for the city to see a storm of this size at least once a year, Doom said.

“This is pretty common. It’s nothing really out of the ordinary for Chicago,” he said. “January and February are typically when we see the most snowfall, so this is right in line with when we usually get bigger storms.”

A sign in the Loop on Tuesday warns of falling ice. A snow storm Wednesday into Thursday could bring the biggest snowfall yet this season, the National Weather Service said. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

So far this winter, Chicago has recorded 10 inches of snow, well below the average of 24.7 inches for this time of year, the weather service said.

Last winter, Chicago had one of its warmest winters on record, and snowfall totaled 22.2 inches, well below the seasonal average of 38.4 inches. One of the season’s largest storms didn’t hit until late March, bringing 9 inches of snow near the Illinois-Wisconsin border, but less in the city.

“This time last year, we hadn’t seen anything quite of this magnitude,” Doom said.

Beyond this week, another system could develop next Tuesday, but no major storms are on the radar for the latter part of February.

“There’s a pretty decent signal for a potential system on Tuesday, but nothing else is really on the scope for the latter part of the month,” Doom said. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be any, though. We still have a couple of months where we could potentially see another big snowstorm or two.”

Chicago warming centers

The city will open warming centers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other facilities, such as libraries, also serve as warming centers and sometimes have different or longer hours. The following centers will be open beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday:

• Garfield Community Service Center
  10 S. Kedzie Ave.
  (312) 746-5400
• Englewood Community Service Center
  1140 W. 79th St
  (312) 747-0200
• 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