Motorists and pedestrians around the Chicago area should be extra careful driving and walking starting Wednesday afternoon when meteorologists expect snow, sleet and later freezing rain to coat streets, sidewalks and front steps with ice.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the entire Chicago region, effective Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning. The advisory covers cities as far west as Rockford and as far south as Kankakee and Pontiac.
Meteorologist Mark Ratzer with the National Weather Service’s Chicago office warned that areas south of the city would likely see more intense snow and later freezing rain, which would move north over Wednesday afternoon. The peak icing period will likely range between 6 p.m. and midnight Wednesday, forecasters warned.
Commuters should leave extra space between cars Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, Ratzer said, adding that pedestrians should also watch their step.
“Just stepping outside your front door to grab the mail or take the dog out, something like that, driveways and sidewalks are going to be icy and that’s a slip and fall hazard,” he said.
Although freezing drizzle is also possible into the early hours of Thursday, Ratzer said, that precipitation promised to be lighter and temperatures are forecast to climb past freezing over the day.
The icy weather is part of a weather pattern expected to dump a combination of snow and ice on the Midwest before moving toward the Northeast.
Wednesday morning, weather officials said freezing rain and drizzle was expected after sunset and ice accumulations of a glaze of up one tenth of an inch.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications issued an advisory warning that the peak icing period was expected to be between 6 p.m. Wednesday into midnight, according to an OEMC release. The office also cautioned motorists to plan for slippery road conditions, especially on bridges and overpasses.
Current weather conditions at O’Hare International Airport are overcast at 30 degrees. Farther south at Midway Airport, conditions are the same at 31 degrees. Temperatures in the low 30s were expected Wednesday, officials said.
