In Case You're Interested...

... Yes. I'm actually going HOME tonight.

I'm just hoping all the sidewalks are shoveled between the train station and my house!

Traffic Alert

If you're anywhere in the Midwest and don't have to drive today, STAY HOME.

Wicked blizzard winds continue to take their toll this morning, with hundreds of cars still stranded, many major roads closed and Metra shutting down five lines and running Sunday schedules on the rest.

As the National Weather Service put it: "Crippling and potentially killer blizzard to continue to this morning."

Seriously, I can hardly make out the building across the street, and it's a high-rise.

Not that bad, you say?

The forecast calls for 2 to 5 inches more this morning, with high winds continuing into the afternoon, at times gusting to 40 mph. Total accumulations will be in the 12- to 18-inch range over north central Illinois and the 15- to 24-inch range in the Chicago area, the weather service said.

I'm not kidding about not driving.

On Lake Shore Drive, firefighters checked dozens of vehicles, shining flashlights inside to check on any motorists. As of 6:30 a.m., fire officials said anyone who wanted to be rescued from their cars had been. Both directions of the Drive remained closed as cars were towed away.

In Kane County, snowmobiles were used to reach people stranded along a stretch of road near Hampshire. Will County officials said they were having problems reaching stuck motorists.

Most of those people who are stuck have been there since about 6:00 p.m. yesterday.

Don't be a moron and wait for the City, Town or County to close roads. We've had more than our fair share of warnings about how bad this would be. Metra has shut down some lines and moved to a Sunday schedule on others. CTA buses are running, but you're going to wait a long time for one, and it'll take you a long time to get to your destination. Seriously -- stay home.

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Update: If you were one of those folks rescued off of Lake Shore Drive last night, call "311" and they'll tell you where your car was towed to. Also, let them know if you ran out of gas and the city will send a truck to help you.

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Ooooo! They're now predicting up to 25 inches of snow here in the city!

Traffic Alert

Well, we were warned:

The blizzard warning for Tuesday and Wednesday forecasts up to 20 inches of snow. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph will create whiteout conditions, making travel nearly impossible, possibly flooding stretches of the lakefront and knocking down power lines.

The snow is expected to hit between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. today, falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour. The worst is expected to come between 9 p.m. today and 5 a.m. Wednesday with a snowfall rate of 3 to 4 inches per hour, Santiago said. Lake effect snow could add an additional 6 inches.

Winds are expected to reach 50 mph inland and 60 mph near the lake, where authorities have issued a lake shore flood watch from noon today until Wednesday afternoon.

Waves at the shoreline are expected to reach up to 25 feet, Santiago said.

The Chicago OEMC was to open its emergency control center at noon. The multi-agency center will be located on the third floor of OEMC's office building on Madison. From there, authorities will monitor conditions around the city through street cameras, Santiago said.

Santiago reminded drivers they must yield to emergency vehicles and should not drive unless absolutely necessary.

I'm certain that every moron who never drives in good weather has his keys clutched in his fist and intends to head out the door at 9:00 p.m. on the dot, as a result. *Sigh*

Stay in and stay safe, will ya? (And if you're stuck here in Chicago from out of town, you might be able to use this bit of good news right about now.)
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Update:

Zorn posted this table of Chicago's ten biggest snow storms of all time:

1. 23.0 inches Jan 26-27, 1967
2. 21.6 inches Jan 1-3, 1999 (I spent this one camped out at a friend's house because I couldn't get home)
3. 19.2 inches Mar 25-26, 1930
4. 18.8 inches Jan 13-14, 1979 (I was the last car through as roads were closed all the down to Macomb, IL, on my way back to school after Christmas break)
5. 16.2 inches Mar 7-8, 1931
6. 15.0 inches Dec 17-20, 1929
7. 14.9 inches Jan 30, 1939
8. 14.9 inches Jan 6-7, 1918
9. 14.3 inches Mar 25-26, 1970 (Snow days in junior high!)
10. 14.0 inches Jan 18-20, 1886

I'm camping out again tonight, rather than go out in all that mess. It's another adventure for the books...
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What?

Somebody's got to have a sense of humor about this...
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Update: Thunder snow!
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Update 2: Lightning, too!

Quick Stops

Spit-Take Alert:

I wish someone had warned me first about this.
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On the other hand, I'm glad I've had plenty of warning about this:

The National Weather Service has issued an unusually dire blizzard watch, calling a storm expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon over much of northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana "dangerous, multifaceted and potentially life-threatening."

All told, forecasters expect at least a foot of snow over much of the watch area. White-out conditions are expected at times Tuesday night, with snowfall rates of at least 2 to 3 inches per hour possible with northeast winds of 25 to 40 mph and even stronger gusts.

Localized totals in excess of 18 inches are possible, especially near the lake.

Conditions are expected to deteriorate from north to south across the region Tuesday afternoon with travel becoming "virtually impossible" at times Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, according to the weather service. Plows will be unable to keep up with the downfall.

(And, yes -- I changed that appointment.)
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Ear Worm of the Day:


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One More Thing:
Paraguay! That's a first!

The Road Ahead

Glah! The National Weather Service says:

COMBINED SNOW TOTALS FROM THE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MAY EXCEED A FOOT AND A HALF ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA. SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE PROBABLE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM TUESDAY NIGHT.

THE STORM SYSTEM WILL BE AFFECTING A LARGE PORTION OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES...MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY REGIONS. ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...INCLUDING THOSE TRAVELING THROUGH CHICAGO OHARE AND MIDWAY AIRPORTS...SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS WINTER STORM.

Batten down the hatches, kids! (As for me, I'm headed to the oral surgeon on Tuesday afternoon. Say a little prayer for me, will you?)