Nearly 2 inches of snow falls on Chicago

Snow on the road

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Hundreds of salt spreaders hit Chicago streets Monday afternoon as nearly 2 inches of snow fell across northern Illinois.

As of 6 p.m., 1.8 inches were reported at O’Hare Airport and 1.6 inches were reported at Midway Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures weren’t expected to pass 35 degrees.

West and northwest suburban areas saw similar amounts, according to the weather service. Bartlett and St. Charles each saw 1.5 inches, while Schaumburg reported 1.4 inches.

The snow mixed in with rain as the evening turned to night, and was expected to peter out early Tuesday morning, the weather service said. The temperature only fell a couple degrees Monday night.

The slushy weather follows days of strong winds in the area, which knocked out power to over 12,000 homes and toppled multiple trees last week.

Monday wasn’t expected to be quite so gusty, but winds at times still reached speeds of up to 35 mph, the weather service said.

The Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed 211 salt spreaders, agency spokeswoman Cristina Villarreal said in a statement.

Salt spreaders plowed arterial routes and Lake Shore Drive, and then moved to residential streets when the snow stopped falling, she said.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2021. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)