School closures announced in Morris, Coal City, Minooka: January 12, 2024

Minooka Community High School, Morris Community High School and Morris Elementary will be having an e-learning days Friday while Saratoga School north of Morris and Coal City Unit 1 are having a traditional snow day with no e-learning due to the incoming snow storm.

The entirety of Northern Illinois north of U.S. Route 24, which runs through Gridley and El Paso, has been placed under a winter storm warning by the National Weather Service.

The NWS issued its most updated forecast at 4 p.m. Thursday, calling for hazardous traveling conditions Friday morning with snow falling at rates of 1 and 2 inches per hour. A second round of snow will follow Friday afternoon, with areas south of I-80 receiving rain instead of snow. That rain will eventually turn back into snow later in the day.

Morris is at a high risk of receiving more than six inches of snow, according to the NWS report.

The Morris Herald-News will be keeping readers updated on closures throughout the day on Friday.