UPDATED: With Snow Storm Headed for Chicagoland, Winnetka Gears Up

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory warning for the Chicagoland area. At least four inches of snowfall are expected, but many news outlets are predicting seven or more inches by night's end. Much of the accumulation is expected to occur north of I-80.

According to Weather.com, the storm is making its way from California, and any shifts in that storm "could have major implications on the potential snowfall amounts."

Temperatures are expected to have a high of 22 and a low of 14 degrees.

Local updates:

Updated 4 p.m.

Winnetka Public Works Assistant Director Steve Auth said all roads are open. "We've got about 3 inches of snow down on pavement," he said. "We have a shift change at 11 p.m. and anticipate at that time general clean-up will begin." Auth said that all roads have all been at least plowed once thus far, and will continue to be cleaned throughout the night.

The Glencoe Public Safety Department said all roads remain open in Glencoe, and plowing crews plan to work 12-hour shifts through the night.

Northfield Public Works Director Mike Nystrand also said the roads are functional in Northfield, though cautioned that traffic is slow-moving.

Updated 3:24 p.m.

Winnetka Public Schools District 36 cancelled all after-school programs for Friday. Crow Care will close shop at 6:15 p.m.

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The Union Pacific/North Life (UP-N) Metra trains are running between 50-120 minutes behind schedule, as of Friday morning.

Steve Saunders, public works director in Winnetka, said his team began preparing for Friday's storm on Thursday and confirmed that all necessary equipment is ready to spring into action when the storm hits. The team has five snow routes with more than 15 people working at any given time.

"With detailed forecast information, we planned out the timing of when we call people in and how," said Saunders. "We put together a detailed plan so all of our crews know what is expected and their time schedule for the next 48 hours."

Saunders said the projected warm-up on Sunday and Monday will soften the ice pack, though he noted that the below-freezing pavement temperatures makes it harder for the salt to do its magic.

"This is just another good winter storm," he said.

Word on the street is that is hopping as people rush to stock up on necessary goods. The store will be open for regular hours. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

Helpful reminders:

• Be sure to check your tailpipes and remove any clogged snow.
• If you use a plug-in electric heater at home, be sure not to connect it using an extension cord.
• Be sure to check on elderly neighbors and relatives. A phone call can go a long way.
• Check out the flashback WGN-TV footage of the 1979 blizzard, which entailed nearly 19 inches of snow in two days.

Do you have awesome winter photos?

Send any snow related pictures to carrie.porter@patch.com and see them featured on the site!

Finally

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