Winter Storm Closes Schools, Downs Power Lines In Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST-LAKE BLUFF, 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 schools.

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.

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.

As of 11:30 a.m., there were more than 1,100 customers without power in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff, 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.)

Power outages at some court facilities led to the closure of the 9th Judicial Circuit in Lake County. County government offices remain open.

Waukegan and Deerpath roads were closed in all directions early Monday, according to Lake Forest police. Deerpath Road under Route 41 remained closed around 10 a.m. due to flooding.

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.

Lake Forest Public Works officials said Monday refuse and recycling pickup will go ahead as normal, although conditions are slowing crews down.

Many suburban schools also announced closures Monday. Here's the list of closed facilities in Lake Forest:

• Connection's Academy East: Closed
• District 72 - Rondout School: Closed
• East Lake Academy: Closed
• Lake Forest Academy: Closed
• Lake Forest Elementary School: Closed
• Lake Forest High School: Closed
• Lake Forest Country Day School: Closed
• Woodlands Academy: Closed