April 16, 2024
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This snow was easy, but how about the weekend?

Colder temperatures coming with expected snow accumulation on Saturday night

By Bob Okon
Snow falls as traffic moves along the I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge in Joliet on Wednesday January 25th, 2023.

Snow falls as traffic moves along the I-80 Des Plaines River bridge in Joliet on Wednesday. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

The three inches or so of snow that fell Wednesday created few problems thanks to temperatures in the mid-30s.

The first inch of snowfall melted away on its own when it hit city streets, said Joe Nordham, deputy director of operations for the Joliet Public Works Department.

The city snowplows made quick work of the rest of it.

“We’re pretty much done already,” Nordham said shortly before noon.

A salt truck works the side streets in Joliet on Wednesday January 25th, 2023.

A salt truck works the side streets in Joliet on Wednesday January 25th, 2023. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

Even with inches of snowfall, many homeowners who left their sidewalks and driveways un shoveled in the morning found them mostly if not entirely clear by late afternoon thanks to temperatures above the freezing mark.

The National Weather Service station in Romeoville reported 3.3 inches of snow at noon. Snowfall continued in the afternoon but in amounts so trace that when the next measurement was taken at 4:30 p.m., there wasn’t enough snowfall to change the total.

More flurries and snowfall are expected on Thursday but not enough to pile up.

A turn toward colder weather could create more problems when the next snowfall is expected Saturday night.

“It’s going to be colder and more challenging, but not too bad,” Nordham said.

That could depend on how much snow actually falls from Saturday night and early Sunday. Most of Sunday is expected to be snow-free.

A mail carrier returns to their truck along Wheeler Avenue in Joliet on Wednesday January 25th, 2023.

A mail carrier returns to his truck along Wheeler Avenue in Joliet on Wednesday January 25th, 2023. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

“We’re probably looking at a definite shot of snowfall accumulation during that period,” said Zachary Yack, meteorologist at the National Weather Service station in Romeoville.

Yack said Wednesday that it was too early to forecast how much snow may fall, but an arctic front was expected to bring lower temperatures by late in the day on Friday.

Still, temperatures are expected to be in the 20s during the day while dropping into the teens at night. It is expected to get colder on Monday with a high now forecast at 19 degrees and a nighttime low of 6 degrees.

No snow is in the forecast through Wednesday.