Shelter in place due to snowstorm – NBC Chicago

While northeastern Illinois was under a winter weather advisory with lake effect snow expected Monday, Washington County in northern Illinois was under an order lockdown after a major winter storm brought “life-threatening weather” with snow, ice and power outages. , and major impacts on travel, with spillovers and accidents.

According to the Washington County Management Agency in Illinois, a shelter-in-place order was issued shortly before 5 a.m. Monday. It was not immediately clear how long the order would be in effect.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office told NBC Chicago on Monday morning that driving and travel conditions due to the winter storm were dangerous, saying “the main roads are all terrible.”

“It’s been quite difficult,” the agency said on Facebook. “The first responders were running all night.”

Some power outages were also reported in the area, with Tri-County Electric Cooperative and Ameren reporting more than 20,000 customers without power, according to outage maps.

On Sunday, the Sixth Troop of the Illinois State Police announced that its snow emergency plan had been activated due to winter conditions. Multiple crashes and spins were reported Monday in Lincoln, with maps and cameras showing blowing snow and ice-covered roads.

In the Chicago area, O’Hare International Airport imposed a ground stop for departures due to winter conditions, with more than 100 flights canceled. Ground control was expected to continue until at least 9:30 a.m., according to the FAA.

Winter Road Conditions in the Midwest

The winter storm wasn’t just hitting Illinois.

Snow and ice covered major roads in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. Nearly 300,000 customers were without power early Monday in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri, according to the electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us.

In Kansas and Missouri, winter storm warnings were issued, with blizzard conditions bringing wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour. The warnings extended to New Jersey on Monday and into early Tuesday.

“For locations in this region receiving the highest snow totals, this could be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said.

Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said. Hundreds of car crashes were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car crashed. been hit.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who declared a state of emergency, said government buildings would be closed Monday.

“We see way too many wrecks for people who don’t need to be on the roads, so I want to ask: Stay indoors,” Beshear said.

In Indiana, snow completely covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to implore motorists to stay indoors. away from roads as snow plows worked to keep pace.

“It’s snowing so hard that the snowplows are coming by, and in less than half an hour the roads are completely covered again,” said Sgt. » said Todd Ringle.

Topeka, Kansas, reported 14.5 inches (36.8 centimeters) around 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the weather service.

Kansas City International Airport received a record snowfall of 11 inches (28 centimeters) on Sunday, breaking the previous record for the day of 10.1 inches (26 centimeters) set in 1962, according to the Kansas City Weather Service Bureau. Kansas City, Missouri. In Kentucky, Louisville recorded 7.7 inches (19.5 centimeters) of snow on Sunday, a new record for the date that shattered the previous mark of 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) set in 1910.

School closures

Although the Chicago area experienced lake effect snow and a winter weather advisory was issued, schools in northeastern Illinois remained open during the weather, according to the Ontario Closure Center emergency.

Elsewhere, however, they are expected to be widespread.

Districts in Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas began announcing cancellations and delays Sunday afternoon. Public schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky, have canceled classes, extracurricular activities and sports for their nearly 100,000 students.

Classes were also canceled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced the state government would be shut down Monday.

How much snow in Chicago?

While some areas were experiencing patchy freezing drizzle Monday morning, others were receiving lake-effect snow, with more expected to fall in Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

According to Roman, the plume could intensify at times Monday morning.

“During lake effect, weather can vary from bands of locally heavy snow to dry weather just a few miles away,” the NWS warned. “Visibilities can also vary significantly. Be prepared for rapid changes in weather, visibility and road conditions.”

By Monday afternoon, snow was expected to mainly affect central and southern Cook County, NBC 5 meteorologist Alicia Roman said, before moving into northwest Indiana in the evening.

By Monday evening, snow is expected to reach Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, Roman said.

Snow could reach up to four inches in some areas, Roman said.

“We’ve already had a few inches of snow in Lake County,” Roman said, noting that between two and three inches of additional snow could fall.

Most other areas will see between two and four inches, Roman said.

Conditions Tuesday are expected to be mostly dry, Roman said, with the next best chance of snow Friday.

Cold temperatures are expected to persist, Roman added, with highs in the 20s on Monday and throughout the week.