Snow causes messy morning commute

A winter storm moved through the Chicago area overnight, dumping up to five inches of snow in some communities.

The storm buried the Plains states and other parts of the Mid West in more than a foot of snow but it lost some of its punch as it moved toward Chicago.

Snow plows hit the highways and streets after midnight, but early commuters were forced to take it slow, as the roads were covered with slow.

Overnight, the Illinois State Police described road conditions as “horrible” as dozens of drivers spun out or crashed on local highways.

The State Police instituted their “snow plan”, not responding to accidents without injuries and asking drivers to report those later.

The city of Chicago dispatched its entire fleet of 284 snow plows to clear the city’s main streets and Lake Shore Drive.

Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams asked drivers to take it slow and be patient, as plow drivers got to work. Williams said the plows would move to the side streets later in the morning once the main routes were cleared.

Dozens of schools closed for the day or had a delayed start due to the weather.

The snow also created some delays at O’Hare International Airport.   Delays of up to an hour and a half were report at 7am.

The snow is expected to taper off throughout the morning and turn to freezing drizzle, coating the area with ice.   Temperatures are expected to hit the mid-30s. The National Weather issued a winter weather advisory for the region until 6 p.m.

At 6 a.m., 2.7 inches had fallen at O’Hare International Airport, tying the highest total recorded there this winter, according to the National Weather Service. Accumulation ranged from 2 to 5 inches throughout the area, according to the Chicago Weather Center.