A blizzard warning has gone into effect as the leading edge of a massive snowstorm hit Chicago area this afternoon.
The warning began at 3 p.m. and is to remain in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday. It means falling and blowing snow with high winds very likely will lead to whiteout conditions.
Travel is considered “extremely dangerous,” according to the National Weather Service.
“Do not travel!” the weather service warned. “If you must travel … have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded … stay with your vehicle.”
Chicago emergency officials offered similarly blunt advice:
“Every Chicago resident should brace for a storm that will be remembered for a long time,” said Jose Santiago, head of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. “There is no reason to believe, at this point, that the storm will miss the city.”
The blizzard warning for Tuesday and Wednesday forecasts up to 20 inches of snow. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph will create whiteout conditions, making travel nearly impossible, possibly flooding stretches of the lakefront and knocking down power lines.
The snow started this afternoon, falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour. The worst is expected to come between 9 p.m. today and 5 a.m. Wednesday with a snowfall rate of 3 to 4 inches per hour, Santiago said. Lake effect snow could add an additional 6 inches.
Winds are expected to reach 50 mph inland and 60 mph near the lake, where authorities have issued a lake shore flood watch from noon today until Wednesday afternoon.
Waves at the shoreline are expected to reach up to 25 feet, Santiago said.
He reminded drivers they must yield to emergency vehicles and should not drive unless absolutely necessary.
Landlords must also remember that heat must be kept at 68 degrees during the day and 66 degrees at night, he said.
Residents in need of shelter can head to local warming shelters, libraries, and police and fire stations.
“This storm will task the city’s resources and test the patience of Chicago residents,” Santiago said.
Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation will utilize its full fleet of 274 trucks plus 120 garbage trucks with quick-hitch plows to clear main routes and Lake Shore Drive.
Department head Tom Byrne reminded residents that cars parked on streets with a 2-inch snow ban will be towed. “We will relocate cars if necessary,” Byrne said. “This is a matter of public safety.”
Byrne also said that snow cleared from cars should be put on parkways instead of the street.
Streets and San will be receiving assistance Wednesday morning from the Departments of Water and Transportation to help dig out critical areas around the city.
The CTA plans to run longer trains more often to keep tracks clear of snow and the third rail, which powers the trains, from icing over.
CTA head Rich Rodriguez said the agency also plans on deploying four diesel powered snow fighter locomotives with a snow blower on one end and a rotating broom on the other.
Rodriguez said that customers should anticipate crowded buses and trains and longer travel times.
“As long as I can keep the trains moving every 15 minutes, we should be able to keep up with the buildup,” Rodriguez said.
Authorities declined to speculate on whether public transportation would be shut down at any point or whether extreme weather along the lake would cause Lake Shore Drive to be closed off.
“When the storm starts it’s an hour-by-hour process,” Byrne said. “We’re prepared as best we can.”
Santiago said that officials have been planning for the storm for at least a week.
“We planned and prepared for this,” Santiago said. “The city is (as) well prepared as any major city can be. We just have to see what mother nature throws at us.”
(Follow the storm on the Chicago Weather Center and listen HERE to WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling discuss how bad the storm will be.)
The weather service continues to describe the storm as “potentially life-threatening” for those who might get caught outside and advised that final preparations for it should be completed this morning.