WGN-TV's Tom Skilling updates his forecast on today's snowstorm.
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled in Chicago as a fierce winter storm threatens to dump as much as 10 inches of wind-whipped snow in time for the evening commute.
Airlines at O'Hare International Airport have canceled more than 850 flights because of the storm but are so far not reporting significant delays, according to the Aviation Department. More than 230 flights have been canceled at Midway Airport, and Southwest Airlines has cancelled all of its flights there between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Metra has canceled one afternoon train on its Metra Electric District Line -- Train No. 737 scheduled to leave Chicago at 5:20 p.m. and arrive in Flossmoor at 6:01 p.m. Passengers can take the 5:23 p.m. train No. 757, which will make extra stops between Hazel Crest and Flossmoor.
Dozens of schools are also closed today or are planning to close early. Check here for list.
Forecasters are predicting 4 to 8 inches will fall on the Chicago area by tonight, with 10 inches possible in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. An inch or more per hour is expected at the height of the storm this afternoon and evening. Already, between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., 1½ inches of snow fell in DeKalb, with an inch falling in Elburn in the 90 minutes before 7:42 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Krein said the city is expected to receive 6 to 8 inches from today's storm. Heavier pockets of snowfall — around 10 inches — could hit parts of the suburbs, he said.
Krein said O'Hare International Airport only received trace snowfall — or less than one-tenth of an inch — from midnight to 6 a.m. The National Weather service will take the next snowfall measurement at noon, he said.
"The whole area's going to be hit pretty hard," predicted Richard Castro, a meteorologist with the weather service in Romeoville.
Light snow started to fall in the area shortly before daybreak but state police said roads were generally clear. Snow is expected to begin accumulating at the tail end of the morning rush hour, said Ben Deubelbeiss, another meteorologist in Romeoville. "It'll probably start to get bad around 10," he said.
The weather service has issued a winter storm warning for the region from 9 p.m. through midnight. Originally, the warning was to go into effect at 3 a.m., but its approach has been slower than expected.
By the afternoon, the storm will get intense with high winds and snow falling at an inch and a half per hour at times, making it difficult for snowplows to keep up.
The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation dispatched its fleet of more than 280 trucks early this morning to begin salting and clearing the city's main streets.
Crews have removed median barriers on Lake Shore Drive, just north of Oak Street, according to Peter Scales, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation. "When a storm of this magnitude is approaching, it is now standard protocol to remove the barriers before the storm hits, to make certain the access points are available before the snow starts to fall," Scales wrote in an email.
The Illinois Tollway has activated its fleet of 182 snowplows.
Tuesday's snow totals could be just enough to turn around an otherwise dry winter.
Amy Seeley, another weather service meteorologist, said it's unlikely the maximum amount would fall at O'Hare International Airport, where the weather service takes official measurements. But if it did, the 10 inches would bump this winter's snowfall a tenth of an inch above the season-to-date average. "It would put us right there," Seeley said, noting she's still expecting closer to 7 or 8 inches at O'Hare.
Though the city has seen its share of snow in 2013, it's still behind yearly averages for this time of year, Krein said. At the end-of-day Monday, O'Hare had measured 19.8 inches of snowfall for the 2012-2013 snow season, he said. The average for this time of year is 30.5 inches.
The largest snowfall measured this season at O'Hare was 4.8 inches on Feb. 26, Krein said.
We may be behind in snowfall, but precipitation levels are high, Krein said. Since Jan. 1, O'Hare has measured 6.61 inches of precipitation, almost doubling the average of 3.83 inches for this time of year.
"Our precipitation levels are above normal because of heavier rains that came in large chunks over a few days," Krein said. "We're definitely well below average snowfall but our actual precipitation levels are 2.78 inches above normal."
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