Winter's First Blizzard Brings 3 Inches Of Snow To Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — The first blizzard of winter has coated Chicago area roadways with several inches of snow Monday, cut off power to thousands of homes and closed dozens of suburban schools. But unlike many other districts, public schools in Evanston remained open.

The far north and northwest suburbs appeared to be the hardest hit with close to a foot of snow, as a winter storm warning was lifted on Cook, DuPage, Grundy and Will counties at 9 a.m. A lakeshore flood warning in Evanston expired at noon. Evanston public works crews dealt with some downed trees caused by strong winds and heavy snow, according to Edgar Cano, a manager in the department.

The highest levels of snowfall reported by the National Weather Service were in Woodstock, with 11.5 inches, Marengo, with 10.9 inches, and Harvard, with 9 inches. In Lindenhurst, 9 inches was reported and 8.3 inches snow fell in Mount Prospect. Hawthorn Woods got 7.8 inches of snow. Evanston recorded just 3 inches of snow.

O'Hare International Airport, where more than 400 flights were canceled, recorded 7.4 inches of snow, with the majority falling after midnight. Midway International Airport had about 5 inches as of 9 a.m., according to NWS snowfall reports.

Evanston's snow shoveling program looks to connect people who are willing to help shovel the sidewalks and driveways for seniors and the disabled in Evanston. Find more information online or call 311 for assistance.

As of 11:30 a.m., there about 300 customers without power in Evanston, down from more than 1,000 earlier in the morning, according to ComEd's outage map. (Residents can report an outage by calling the utility at 800-334-7661 or by texting "OUT" to 26633.)

There have also been major delays on Metra's Union Pacific-North line resulting from a downed tree and power line in Lake Forest, according to alerts from the railroad.

Groot and Lakeshore Recycling have suspended all waste pickup operations, and their collections in Evanston will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week. Evanston is collecting recycling Monday, but city officials warned it will take longer than normal and any missed pickups will be made on Tuesday.

Evanston cancelled all Monday street cleaning. It is expected to resume tomorrow on its regular Tuesday schedule, according to the city.

There were no snow parking restrictions in place, and city officials did not expect them to be put in place, according to a release. For more information about city operations following the storm or to report a downed tree, call or text 847-448-4311 or call 311 from within Evanston.

Many suburban schools also announced closures Monday, but not Evanston/Skokie District 65.

Here's the list of closed schools in Evanston:

• Chiaravalle Montessori School: Closed
• Roycemore School: Closed
• St. Joan of Arc School: Closed