Winter weather advisory in place for much of northern Illinois, up to 3 inches of snow expected

Snow started falling Tuesday morning, as much of northern Illinois was under a winter weather advisory for most of the day with up to three inches of snow possible.

The National Weather Service warned motorists that slippery travel conditions were in store, with as much as an inch of snowfall per hour expected between noon and 3 p.m. The advisory was in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Northern Illinois broke a record this month by not having seen any snowfall this late in the season. It was first time in 10 years that the area went without a first snow this late in the year, and broke a record held since 2012, the weather service said last week.

Tuesday’s winter weather advisory was in effect for parts of Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Lake, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage and northern and central Cook counties, the weather service said.

The advisory included the cities of Rockford, Belvidere, Crystal Lake, Algonquin, McHenry, Woodstock, Waukegan, Buffalo Grove, Mundelein, Gurnee, Rochelle, Oregon, Byron, Dixon, DeKalb, Sycamore, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville, Wheaton, Downers Grove, Lombard, Carol Stream, Evanston, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Palatine, Northbrook, Chicago, Cicero, Oak Lawn, Oak Park and LaGrange, the weather service said.

In addition to Tuesday, snow also was in the forecast for Wednesday.

Motorists were warned to slow down while driving.

The record for the latest first measured snowfall of the season was Dec. 20, 2012, according to the National Weather Service. This season also marks the latest measurable snowfall the area has seen since the National Weather Service began recording such events in 1909.

The average first snowfall of the season occurs Nov. 18, making the area more than a month overdue for measurable snow, according to the National Weather Service.