As a monster storm began to bear down on the middle of the nation Tuesday, those in its frigid and dangerous path could only hope it wouldn’t live up to the hype.
Blizzard Blog …
10:10 — Lake Shore Drive closed down.
10:05 –Plow stuck in Lake Zurich — had to get tow truck.
9:05 p.m. — Wheeling Fire Department reporting a FedEx truck stuck with several cars in the middle of the intersection of Wolf Rd and Palatine Rd — vehicles blocking Wolf Road near Chicago Executive Airport with white out conditions and 3-foot drifts.
9:00 p.m. — Several transformer blowing in Mount Prospect, Elk Grove, Buffalo Grove.
8:54 p.m. Lake Cook Rd and Arlington Heights Rd looking worse (See for yourself).
8:54 p.m. Buffalo Grove Fire Department has a rescue-ambulance stuck in the snow.
8:52 p.m.– Winds steady at 28.8 mph … there was a gust to 46.0 mph at 6:52 p.m.
8:30 p.m. — Drift — two feet deep with storm before point halfway through Chicagoland. The snow is falling heavy … it is not that shovel-heavy wet.
A drift photographed in the protection of the garage.
7:06 p.m. — Not many cars on the road — even arterials roadways are snow covered. Arlington Heights snowfall since 8:45 p.m. Tuesday night is about 3.75 inches — difficult to determine because of blowing and drifting.
A look south at the intersection of Lake Cook Road and Arlington Heights Road at 7:06 p.m. Tuesday.
2:55 PM Arlington Heights police sergeant calls for the Accident Plan — ‘streets are deteriorating quickly’
2:30 PM Snow is coming down heavy.
2:24 PM ‘The Blizzard has started!” (sms text message from Arlingtoncardinal.com associate) and multiple calls
2:21 PM Light snow continuing since last night. NWS Winter Briefing page shows Arlington Heights in line for 19 inches according to EXPERIMENTAL TOTAL SNOW AMOUNT FORECAST
2:20 PM Significant radar precipitation is just starting to cover Arlington Heights.
2:18 PM Entire western Illinois snow or ice covered, far west suburbs snow or ice covered. 80% of entire northern state of Illinois is either entirely ice and snow-covered or with patches of ice and snow.
2:00 PM Arlington Heights closings — See emergencyclosingcenter.com for complete list.
A MOTHER’S TOUCH CREATIVE LEARNING CENTER closed Wednesday.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS MEMORIAL closing Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. and will be closed Wednesday.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SENIOR CTR closed Tuesday
CHRISTIAN LIBERTY ACADEMY CANCELLED; NO AFTERCARE; STUDENT PICK UP MUST BE BY 4PM … closed Wednesday
COOPERATIVE COMPUTER SERVICES closed Tuesday at 3 PM, closed Wednesday.
DIST #214 (ALL BUILDINGS) no evening classes or meeting, closed Wednesday.
DISTRICT #25 closed Wednesday.
DIST #59 (ELK GROVE TWP SCHOOLS) closed Wednesday.
EDGAR ALLAN POE SCHOOL no evening classes or meeting, closed Wednesday.
EMPIRE BEAUTY SCHOOL closed Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
FOREST VIEW ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL no evening classes or meeting, closed Wednesday.
GILLET CENTER closed Wednesday
IVY HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL closed Wednesday.
JAMES W. RILEY SCHOOL no evening classes or meetings, closed Wednesday.
JULIETTE LOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL closed Wednesday.
KIDDY LEARNING STATION closing at 5:00 , closed Wednesday.
MINER SCHOOL/LD CENTER closed Wednesday.
ST. EDNA CATHOLIC CHURCH no evening classes or meetings, school closing at 5 PM, no religious classes.
ST. JAMES SCHOOL closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCH (TODAY) EARLY CLOSING- FD PRES 11:15/KIND 11 & 11:20/GR 1-8 11:30/ NO PM PRES (TOMORROW) CLOSED
ST. VIATOR HIGH SCHOOL all after school activities and events cancelled.
1:40 p.m. O’Hare International Airport still operating, but limited. Airlines operating at O’Hare International Airport have preemptively canceled more than 1,100 flights.
11:00 a.m. Two Chicago area Groundhog Day events cancelled.
Brookfield Zoo closed Wednesday due to the weather. Tumbleweed, the groundhog, will make an early prediction this afternoon. The zoo has closed only once before in its history, because of severe flooding in 2008.
Woodstock Willie is also getting the day. Woodstock cancelled Wednesday’s event out of concern for safety of guests who usually commemorate the 1992 filming of the movie “Groundhog Day” with a visit from groundhog Woodstock Willie.
10:30 PM Winds NE 20 MPH, with Gusts to 33 MPH.
10:45 a.m. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn activated more than 500 Illinois National Guard troops to assist stranded motorists on interstate highways. The National Guard will be stationed at rest areas along interstate highways.
• The 2/106th Cavalry Squadron based in Kewanee, with subordinate units from Galva, Dixon and Pontiac, deployed northern Illinois.
• The 766th Engineer Company based in Decatur, the 1844th Transportation Company based in Quincy and the 3637th Maintenance Company based in Springfield, deployed central Illinois.
• The 634th Brigade Support Battalion based in Sullivan and the 233rd Military Police Company based in Springfield deployed southern Illinois.
10:00 a.m. Alert siren is monthly test for first Tuesday of the month — not for the Blizzard Warning.
10:00 a.m. — City of Chicago officials estimate it has more than 400 trucks with plows on the streets removing snow. Mayor Richard Daley said the city was prepared to handle the blizzard.
9:12 AM — FLIGHTAWARE … Airlines cancel more than 4,500 flights on Tuesday because of the big winter storm moving through the middle of the U.S. … See more …. FLIGHTAWARE.COM Ice and snow force 4,536 cancelations
Flight-tracking service FlightAware.com says the total for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is already more than 7,700.
8:00 a.m. Arlington Heights officials announce the Public Works Department’s snow plan will field all available equipment and all available personnel on an around-the-clock basis. Crews will be split into two (2) 12-hour shifts that will work 24-hours per day beginning on Tuesday and continuing until all the snow is cleared. Do not follow snow plows as they are subject to sudden stops and turns.
8:00 a.m. Landfills closed Refuse collection for residents of the Village of Arlington Heights will be delayed one day due to landfills being closed during the storm. In Arlington Heights, residents living north of Oakton will have their recycling and refuse collected on Friday, February 4 and residents living south of Oakton will have their recycling and refuse collected on Saturday, February 5.
Tough to drive in this blizzard…all you see is snow blowing in different directions. Also very slippery on the roads.