Chicago Weather: Snowstorm Brings Whiteout Conditions Right Amid Evening Rush; Numerous Crashes Reported
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A snowstorm Tuesday evening caused whiteout conditions on many Chicago area roads right in time for the evening rush.
The Will County community of Manhattan, Illinois, which saw 2.3 inches of snow fall in less than an hour in the late afternoon, saw blinding snow as of around 6 p.m.
In the Loop and all around the Chicago area, heavy snow was also blowing around early Tuesday evening.
As CBS 2's Chris Tye reported, the snow was perfect for packing if one were inclined to brave the elements for snowman-building or snowball fights. But it is also the kind of snow that seeps right through a pair of jeans or a poor pair of shoes.
Ahead of the snowfall, Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) deployed 287 snow vehicles. Salt spreaders will also be working on city streets, with a focus on keeping Chicago's arterial routes and Lake Shore Drive passable for motorists and buses until the snow stops.
The icy roadways also prevented semi-trailer trucks from making their trips along Interstate 80 south of Chicago Tuesday evening. Illinois State Police were called to I-80 westbound near Route 394 for icy roadways trapping the trucks.
State police were able to clear the area, but all lanes of the I-80 westbound ramp to Route 394 southbound were closed Tuesday evening.
Illinois State Police said between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., crashes were reported:
• On I-57 southbound south of 127th Street;
• On I-80 westbound near Torrence Avenue;
• On the inbound Kennedy Expressway at Austin Avenue;
• On the westbound Eisenhower Expressway ramp to the southbound Dan Ryan Expressway
• On the southbound Edens Expressway north of Dempster Street;
• On the eastbound Eisenhower Expressway at Lombard Avenue;
• On the northbound Bishop Ford Freeway at 159th Street;
• On the inbound Kennedy Expressway at North Avenue.
A car also slammed into a guard rail along Joliet Road in Romeoville, and several vehicles slid into ditches along the Stevenson Expressway.
While plows tried to keep up, Hammond, Indiana also saw several crashes.
The Chicago area was hit with a fast-moving snowstorm Tuesday evening. A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect for the city with up to 6 inches expected, while a Winter Storm Warning was issued to the north and northwest with 6 to 10 inches expected.
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