North Shore Snow, Freezing Rain, Wind Increase Power Outage Risk

The North Shore could see snowfall accumulations of up to 7 inches as a winter storm heads through the area bringing freezing rain and heavy winds.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Monday until 4 p.m. Tuesday, warning of a heightened risk of power outages and a hazardous morning commute for motorists.

Nearly an inch of ice may accumulate on the roads as strong winds, but the NWS noted minor changes in expected surface temperatures could make the difference between significant levels of ice and hardly any.

A second wave of snow could bring an additional inch of snow from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning. The highest accumulations are anticipated near the Wisconsin border, according to the NWS.

A small craft advisory is in effect until 4 a.m. from Winthrop Harbor to Michigan City, with a gale watch expected to begin Tuesday evening and extend through Wednesday morning. Easterly winds of about 25 knots are anticipated to shift to westerly gale force winds of 35 knots. And in Lake County, a flood warning remains in effect until Wednesday for the Des Plaines River from the Wisconsin state line to Route 41 in Gurnee.

Another winter storm is forecast to arrive Thursday, bring showers mixed with snow through Friday night, according to the NWS.

Resources:

• Emergency Closing Center: Find out which, if any, school districts, local businesses, organizations or facilities with closures or adjusted hours.
• National Weather Service - Chicago Facebook page and website: For regular updates and more information on weather conditions and forecasts.
• ComEd website: Review an outage map for locations without power, how many people are affected and when power is expected to be restored. The website also provides helpful information on how to report an outage and updates/alerts when widespread outages are being reported.
• Illinois Division of Transportation website: The website includes information on current road conditions across the state and provides a winter road conditions map that shows which roads are snow- or ice-covered.
• Lake County PASSAGE: Provides real-time updates on crashes, roadways that are closed and more.