Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren across the Chicago area will stay home from school Monday after Sunday's snowstorm dropped more than a foot of snow.
Chicago Public Schools on Sunday evening announced its third weather-related closing this year.
The district with nearly 400,000 students also closed two days last month due to cold weather. Also closing Monday are several suburban school districts, including School District U-46 in the northwest suburbs and Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202.
The year's first major winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds. Numerous area attractions are closed, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled at Chicago's airports and snow-covered roads are making travel treacherous.
A blizzard warning went into effect Sunday morning, about three hours earlier than initially forecast, the National Weather Service said. The storm is dumping about an inch of snow per hour across the area, which may see 10 to 16 inches of snow or more before the storm is over.
The area could experience more than 12 straight hours of blizzard conditions - strong winds, heavy snow, low visibility and very difficult, possibly dangerous travel, the agency said.
"It's still intensifying and it's going to be snowing for several hours," National Weather Service meteorologist Ricky Castro said about 3 p.m. Sunday. "There could be lake effect (snow) lingering, but it could keep the snow going even into the early morning hours, maybe the beginning of the morning commute will have snow falling downtown."
"Ground zero is going to be in the heart of Chicago based on current estimations," said weather service meteorologist Gino Izzi. "The roads are already atrocious, and conditions will not improve later Sunday."
Snow is piling up across northern Illinois, with most areas receiving at least 7 or 8 inches by mid-afternoon. Some notable snow amounts from National Weather Service spotters as of about 3 p.m.: 14 inches in Plano; 12.5 inches in Somonauk; 12.3 inches in Roselle; 12 inches in Harvard; 11.5 inches in Downers Grove; 11 inches in Lombard and Sugar Grove; and 10 inches or more in Batavia, DeKalb, Joliet, New Lenox, Peotone, Plainfield, St. Charles, Schaumburg, Woodridge and Yorkville.
As of 5:55 p.m., a trained spotter for the National Weather Service reported 16.1 inches of snow in Harwood Heights. Fourteen inches fell in Elk Grove Village, and more than 13 inches fell in Joliet, according to the National Weather Service. At O'Hare International Airport, 14.2 inches of snow fell as of 5:55 p.m. The airport saw 5.7 inches of snow over a six-hour period. Romeoville saw more than a foot of snow since the beginning of the storm.
Juan Rivera, 58, who has lived in the Logan Square neighborhood for more than 30 years, spent time Sunday blowing snow off the sidewalks and alley near his home in the 3200 block of West Wrightwood Avenue. He also spent a little extra time clearing off the sidewalks of his neighbors.
"We've had quite a few good years," he said, "so we're due for some heavy snow."
A few blocks away, another Northwest Sider, Mark Raulston, 46, was in a helping mood too. After hearing the "telltale sounds of wheels spinning," Raulston moved swiftly behind a car trying to exit a parking spot surrounded by a mound of snow. He gave a few pushes and the vehicle was free.
"He was not making any progress," Raulston said. "I've been there."
And the snow is still coming down, a fact that Elgin city manager Sean Stegall acknowledged in a statement on the community's Facebook page, perhaps with tongue in cheek: "In spite of how it may appear this Sunday morning, your street has been plowed but the snow keeps falling."
About 50,000 ComEd customers lost power during the storm, but crews restored power to all but about 10,800 of them, according to a utility spokeswoman. The majority of the problems throughout the day were in the southern part of the utility's service region. ComEd crews and outside contractors are working to get power restored.
ComEd warned that the outages could climb as weather worsens.
As of noon, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said about 7,500 customers in Northern Indiana were without power because of the storm.
Joe Trost, a spokesman for Comcast, said that the possibility of high winds combined with cable lines carrying heavy loads of snow could result in those lines coming down. He warned the public not to attempt to move those lines because of the possibility of electric shock; if there is a downed cable line, he asked people to call Comcast at 866-594-1234.
About 1,300 flights have been canceled at Chicago-area airports. As of 10:30 a.m. Sunday, about 1,100 flights have been canceled at O'Hare International Airport and about 200 flights were canceled at Midway International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Amtrak said Sunday that it has canceled two Monday morning trains between Chicago and Quincy -- Train 381 the Carl Sandburg and Train 380 the Illinois Zephyr -- because a portion of the route for these trains has been closed by bad weather conditions that include heavy blowing and drifting snow. The evening trains between Quincy and Chicago are still scheduled to operate, but Amtrak encourages passengers to check during the day Monday to make certain.
The Disney on Ice presentation of "Frozen" at the United Center at 7 p.m. Sunday was canceled, but the two earlier shows, at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., were scheduled to go on as planned, according to the show's promoters. Adler Planetarium announced it will be closing early at 1 p.m. Sunday, and so did the Shedd Aquarium. Brookfield Zoo closed for the day, only the fifth time in the zoo's history.
The Goodman Theatre said it has also canceled all of its shows Sunday.
The Chicago Park District also said on its Facebook page that the Chicago lakefront trail has been closed from North Avenue to Ohio Street because of the weather, one of multiple closings of park district facilities announced on the page.
The Super Bowl is still on -- but that's in Glendale, Ariz. Super Bowl parties in the Chicago area, however, are up in the air. Pat Norton, of Tinley Park, is expecting 22 people for a Super Bowl party Sunday night.
"Some are coming from as far away as Mount Greenwood," said North's brother-in-law Larry Trotter, who was shoveling snow in Norton's Frankfort driveway Sunday morning. "Pat bought enough food for 30 people from Rubino's. We're not sure if anyone will be able to make it."
Trotter said he had a difficult time getting to Norton's house. "Doesn't look like any plows have been out yet," he said. "I even saw a cop spin out at 183rd and 80th Avenue."
Several Chicago bars hosting parties for the game said the weather was not going to put a damper on their football festivities.
"Everything's a go," said Stephen Hill, the owner of Brendan's Pub at 3169 N. Broadway, a New England Patriots bar where a team flag flies out front. "After we win the game, we're going to have a Champagne toast. And we're offering complimentary wings and popcorn at halftime."
Hill, who is from Boston, said he expects a big turnout of fans clad in Patriots jerseys and caps, no matter the weather.
"They'll be here, for sure," Hill said. "Especially in Chicago. If it were the suburbs, maybe it would be less. But people will take buses and trains to get here."
Registration and game-day inquiries for the watch party at the Division Ale House, 1942 W. Division St., are down this year, but the party will go on as scheduled, said assistant manager Sandon Tegmeyer. For $35, fans get four drinks and food.
"I'm not sure what the turnout will be because of the storm," Tegmeyer said. "But we're still having the party and we're still open for the day."
But anyone who decides to stay home and order out from Lou Malnati's Pizza had better get that order in early. The pizzeria said that because of the storm, it is closing all local locations at 7 p.m.
If you have restaurant reservations for Sunday evening, better call ahead before venturing out. A number of Chicago restaurants have already closed for the day, citing the blizzard, and many more plan to close early.
All eastbound lanes of Interstate Highway 80 near Interstate Highway 355 in the southwest suburbs were closed late Sunday morning because of a traffic crash between a semi tractor-trailer and an SUV, according to Illinois State Police. Two people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said, and all lanes were re-opened by about 12:45 p.m.
Later Sunday, about 4 p.m., all eastbound lanes of I-80 were closed between Morris and Marseilles because of a jackknifed semi tractor-trailer.
State police are asking motorists to refrain from travel, if possible.
About two miles of Interstate 57 near Champaign were shut down after a tanker truck carrying a chemical used in making shampoo crashed onto its side, Illinois State Police Trooper Tracy Lillard said. The highway is closed in both directions between Interstates 74 and 72. Traffic is being rerouted around the crash.
No one was injured in the 7 a.m. crash, which happened in the northbound lanes just north of the I-57 interchange with I-72, Lillard said. No other vehicles were involved. Lillard said the highway likely will be closed for several hours.
A snow emergency has been issued in Evanston, where the snow route parking ban also is in effect. Evanston has opened three downtown parking garages, the 1800 Maple Self Park, the Church Street Self Park and the Sherman Plaza Self Park, for residents to use for free. Emergency sirens will sound at 8:15 p.m. Sunday and Monday evenings to remind community members to move their cars according to street regulations.
In addition to the snow, winds of up to 45 mph near Lake Michigan and 35 to 40 mph away from the lake will help create whiteout conditions that will be especially bad Sunday evening, Izzi said.
The blizzard warning will be in effect for Cook, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, DeKalb, Kendall, Will and Lake counties as well as Lake County, Indiana, and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said in a news release Sunday afternoon that the state has activated the State Incident Response Center, which pulls together representatives from multiple state agencies to help make certain the state can react quickly to any emergency situations caused by the blizzard, which is affecting the whole northern half of the state. Among the agencies involved are the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Commerce Commission.
At a midday news conference at the Chicago office of Emergency Management and Communications, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city's resources were being deployed Sunday to ensure everyone can get to work Monday.
"We're ready for the job," he said.
He asked residents to check on their elderly or disabled neighbors.
Streets and Sanitation Department Commissioner Charles Williams said more than 350 pieces of equipment were out fighting the falling snow on main routes and Lake Shore Drive.
Once main routes are clear and the snow has stopped, plows will begin clearing side streets, likely late Sunday or early Monday, depending on conditions, Williams said.
"As soon as (the snowfall) stops, we will go into side streets," Williams said.
Officials did not anticipate having to shut down Lake Shore Drive due to the weather, despite flood advisories in effect. Additional plows were being allotted there for the blowing and drifting snow, Williams said.
He also urged those on the road to drive according to conditions and for people to clear their sidewalks.
Ralph McKinney, chief transit safety officer for CTA, said trains and buses would continue regular service Sunday and Monday and that train plows and switch heaters will help ensure regular train service.
A flood advisory for Lake Shore Drive also will be in effect Sunday as gusty winds will create 15- to 16-foot waves along the shore.
Authorities encourage residents to stay indoors and travel only in case of emergencies.
Kalyn Belsha, Peter Nickeas, Donna Vickroy, Phil Vettel, Janelle Walker and Geoff Ziezulewicz contributed.