Happy New Year: 2022 kicks off with snowstorm across northern Illinois; Chicago airport flights scrubbed

Northern Illinois residents kicked off 2022 on Saturday with a New Year’s Day snowstorm that weather forecasters said could blanket the region with 8 inches or more of snow, along with frigid temperatures.

Heavy snowfall was expected to make driving dangerous, and the potential for blowing snow Saturday evening could “significantly reduce visibility,” the weather service said.

Most projections show the snow falling until 8 p.m, although parts of DuPage and Cook counties, along with Northwest Indiana could see even more snow over night, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm warning was in effect throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service, for the counties of Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, Kane, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy and parts of Will.

The winter storm warning applied to the cities of Rockford, Belvidere, Crystal Lake, Algonquin, McHenry, Woodstock, Rochelle, Oregon, Byron, Dixon, DeKalb, Sycamore, Aurora, Elgin, Ottawa, Streator, LaSalle, Mendota, Marseilles, Oswego, Yorkville, Plano, Morris, Coal City, Minooka, Joliet, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Mokena, Channahon, Manhattan, Wilmington, Crete, Peotone and Beecher, the weather service said.

A winter storm warning for parts of DuPage and Cook counties, and Northwest Indiana was in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said.

The Quad Cities weather station said there was a break in the storm Saturday night, but that another one or two inches of light snow would fall overnight in the northwest section of Illinois.

Joliet

The Joliet area was spared the brunt of Saturday’s snowstorm, with only about an inch and a half having fallen by 6 p.m., said meteorologist Brian Leatherwood of the National Weather Service in Romeoville.

Still, falling snow, fog and freezing fog reduced visibility to less than a mile, Leatherwood said, and there were “really, really cold temperatures coming in behind this system.”

Leatherwood expected temperatures to fall into the teens Sunday and remain that way for some time.

“It’s going to be more of what we’re used to,” he said.

Trooper Elizabeth Clausing of the Illinois State Police said there was one crash on Interstate 55 and two on Interstate 80 in Will County on Saturday. No one was injured in any of the three accidents, Clausing said.

— Joe Hosey

Snowfall update

The National Weather Service updated winter storm snowfall totals at 7:33 p.m.

Road conditions

By nightfall, nearly all main highways in northern Illinois were either partially or completely snow covered, the winter road conditions map from the National Weather Service showed. The light, fluffy snow was subject to 35 mph wind gusts, reducing visibility — especially on east-west roads.

Earlier, the Illinois Department of Transportation readied its fleet of 1,800 snow plows and other equipment to treat roads in advance of a New Year Day snowstorm.

“IDOT crews will be out on the roads, but conditions could still be extremely hazardous, so we encourage motorists to ask themselves if they really need to make the trip,” said Transportation Secretary Omer Osman.

Kendall County

As a heavy snow starts to blanket Kendall County and much of northern Illinois Saturday afternoon, county municipalities are urging their residents not to park their vehicles on the street to allow snow plows to clear the snow.

The cities of Yorkville and Plano and the villages of Oswego and Montgomery all have ordinances on the books that prohibit the parking of motor vehicles on local streets during and immediately after snowfalls of two inches or more.

On-street parking is also prohibited in unincorporated Oswego Township, including the Boulder Hill subdivision, after snows of two inches or more, according to information posted on the township road district’s website.

Kane County

Yes, roads and driveways had to be cleared. That comes with any winter storm.

But it’s also New Year’s Day. School is not in session. Perfect opportunity for some enterprising young people to grab their sleds and race down the windmill hill at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva.

Air travel woes

According to The Associated Press, the winter storm made Chicago the worst place in the country for air travelers. Some 800 flights were scrubbed at O’Hare Airport and more than 250 at Midway Airport. Denver, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, were hit with at least 100 cancellations each.

Southwest Airlines suspended operations at both Midway and O’Hare airports because of the grim forecast, according to an airline spokeswoman. Years of operating at Midway have demonstrated to Southwest that high winds and blowing snow make it hard to get planes back in the air quickly.

Heavy snow advisory

Analysis of regional radar and precipitation trends prompted the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, to issue a heavy snow advisory for all of southeastern Iowa and northern Illinois.

Atmospheric conditions will continue to promote the development of snow bands with rates approaching an inch per hour into the early evening hours, the advisory at 2:28 p.m. said.

Sauk Valley

It appears winter snow supplies won’t be much of an issue at this point.

Although Tractor Supply in Dixon has been a little low on shovels this season, it is well-stocked with winter gear, like hats, mittens and overalls, and also has a hefty supply of sidewalk and driveway salt, including the kind that’s safe for pets, said Macy Mershon, the store’s team lead.

As of about 1 p.m. Saturday, with about an inch or so of blowing snowfall, New Year’s business still was brisk, she said. The store was closing early (6 p.m.).

At Menards in Sterling, Mitch Robison, first assistant general manager, also said its stock of winter supplies was good.

“Probably the only thing we’re going to run out of is sand in the tubes,” Robison said, adding that there still are plenty of sandbags, salt and shovels.

Shopping was steady, but so far no big run on any storm-related supplies, he said. Menards was open its regular hours, closing at 9 p.m.

— Kathleen Schultz

Earlier conditions

As dawn broke on Saturday, the first snow and sleet had begun to fall in Davenport, Iowa, and Sheffield, according to weather watchers on Facebook.

Parts of northwestern Illinois had been subject to freezing drizzle on Friday night.