Watching a Chicago Blizzard

Alright, as I have mentioned to a couple of you, the Chicago area (including us) is forecasted to get a foot and a half of snow dumped on us within a few hours on Tuesday into Wednesday. We already have a weather advisory out that says don't go out anywhere after it starts cause travel is gonna be impossible. Since we're gonna be stuck here, and depending, more or less bored, I figured why not let you guys know what's going on up here. And for Shaun I'll even film it so you can see what that much snow looks like.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Chicago, IL
3:54 am CST, Mon., Jan. 31, 2011

... BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...

A BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

* TIMING... SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 TUESDAY AFTERNOON... GRADUALLY SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY TUESDAY EVENING. SNOW... HEAVY AT TIMES... WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN IN NORTHEAST LLINOIS WEDNESDAY MORNING... SHIFTING INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA DURING THE AFTERNOON. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS WILL RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING TUESDAY EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF A FOOT ARE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE WATCH AREA FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. LOCALIZED TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 18 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKE.

* HAZARDS... WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT AS VERY HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. SNOWFALL RATES OF AT LEAST 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCUR.

* IMPACTS... CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WITH TRAVEL LIKELY BECOMING VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL SO HEAVILY AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT THAT PLOWS WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE SNOW... WITH MANY SIDE STREETS AND UNTREATED ROADS BECOMING IMPASSABLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES. THIS CAN LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING.

More Information

... DANGEROUS MULTIFACETED AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING WINTER STORM TAKING AIM ON REGION...

No Additional Weather Alerts for Naperville, IL

Went down to the store to stock up for tomorrow, and there were signs reminding people of the blizzard. Some made sense, basic foodstuff as there will be no running out to get those tomorrow night.





Wouldn't want to run out of cake either I guess....


And for comparison here is a before pic outside of our window.

Pockets wrote:
And for comparison here is a before pic outside of our window.

lol..... that's the BEFORE shot....

Ah grocery stores, gotta love them.
"Theres a blizzard coming. Are you ready? BUY CAKE BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NEVER GET ANOTHER PIECE AGAIN AFTER THIS BLIZZARD!"

Issued by The National Weather Service
Chicago, IL
3:20 pm CST, Mon., Jan. 31, 2011

... BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/ TUESDAY TO 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/ WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/ TUESDAY TO 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/ WEDNESDAY. THE BLIZZARD WARNING REPLACES THE BLIZZARD WATCH.

* TIMING... SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 TUESDAY AFTERNOON... GRADUALLY SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY TUESDAY EVENING. SNOW... WHICH WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES... WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. LAKE ENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY MORNING... SHIFTING INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA DURING THE AFTERNOON. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS WILL RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF A FOOT ARE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE AREA FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. LOCALIZED TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 18 INCHES REMAIN POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKE.

* HAZARDS... WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT AS VERY HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. SNOWFALL RATES OF AT LEAST 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY WHERE THUNDER SNOW MAY BE PRESENT.

* IMPACTS... CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WITH TRAVEL LIKELY BECOMING VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT AND INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL SO HEAVILY AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT THAT PLOWS MAY BE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE SNOW... WITH MANY SIDE STREETS AND UNTREATED ROADS BECOMING IMPASSABLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

&&

More Information

... DANGEROUS MULTIFACETED AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING WINTER STORM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...

Issued by The National Weather Service
Chicago, IL
3:18 am CST, Tue., Feb. 1, 2011

... BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 PM CST WEDNESDAY...

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 PM CST WEDNESDAY.

* TIMING... ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL DEVELOP AROUND THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR DURING THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON... SPREADING NORTH TO THE WISCONSIN STATE LINE BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOW MAY COME IN A COUPLE OF WAVES... WITH THE FIRST WAVE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING... FOLLOWED BY A SECOND WAVE OF INTENSE SNOW LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT. ACCUMULATING LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTHEAST ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY MORNING... SPREADING INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES WITH ACCUMULATION RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR LIKELY. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 10 TO 18 INCHES IS LIKELY TOWARD ROCKFORD AND DIXON. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE LIKELY DOWNWIND OF LAKE MICHIGAN IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA WHERE 12 TO 20 INCHES OF SNOW IS LIKELY... WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF AROUND 2 FEET POSSIBLE.

* WINDS... NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 35 MPH BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE BY EVENING WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH LIKELY TONIGHT. EVEN STRONGER WINDS ARE LIKELY NEAR THE IMMEDIATE LAKESHORE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH.

* BLIZZARD CONDITIONS... THE STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH BLOWING AND OCCASIONALLY HEAVY FALLING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES... PARTICULARLY TONIGHT.

* THUNDERSTORMS... ISOLATED SNOW PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TONIGHT... RESULTING IN LOCALLY VERY INTENSE SNOWFALL RATES. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE SNOWFALL RATES IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES PER HOUR IN THUNDERSNOW MAKING TRAVEL NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.

* TRAVEL... ROAD CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON AS SNOW DEVELOPS FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ACROSS THE AREA. TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO BECOME TREACHEROUS BY LATE AFTERNOON... AND DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS BY EARLY EVENING AS WINDS INCREASE RESULTING IN WHITE OUT CONDITIONS. SNOWFALL RATES WILL BE SO INTENSE AT TIMES THAT ROAD CREWS WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP EVEN PRIMARY ROADS AND HIGHWAYS CLEARED. UNNECESSARY TRAVEL SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS MORE THAN HALF OF THE FATALITIES IN PREVIOUS ILLINOIS BLIZZARDS HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. BEFORE MAKING THE DECISION TO TRAVEL... CONSIDER IF GETTING TO YOUR DESTINATION IS WORTH PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK.

* POWER OUTAGES... THE COMBINATION OF STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH POSSIBLY HEAVY WET SNOW STICKING TO POWERLINES COULD RESULT IN POWER OUTAGES. DUE TO THE PROLONGED NATURE OF VERY ADVERSE CONDITIONS... PLAN ACCORDINGLY FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A PROLONGED DISRUPTION IN COMMERCIAL POWER.

* OTHER IMPACTS... THE HEAVY NATURE OF THE SNOW WILL MAKE SHOVELING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT... AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY. DURING AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE BLIZZARD OF 1999 OVER 40 PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO AREA ALONE LOST THEIR LIVES TO HEART ATTACKS WHILE SHOVELING THE HEAVY SNOWFALL. IF YOU MUST SHOVEL THE SNOW... TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS INDOORS AND DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE TASK AT HAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL! IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST TRAVEL... HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

&&

More Information

... DANGEROUS MULTIFACETED AND LIFE THREATENING WINTER STORM TO BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON... ... FINAL PREPARATIONS PRIOR TO THE STORM SHOULD BE COMPLETED THIS MORNING...

Issued by The Weather Channel

3:58 pm CST, Tue., Feb. 1, 2011

The latest snowfall reports from The National Weather Service in Chicago/Romeoville, IL: 5 miles west of Watseka, 4.5"... 5 miles northwest of Marseilles, 3.0"... 4 miles northeast of Poplar Grove, 2.0"... 4 miles south of Aurora, 1.5"... Bourbonnais, 0.3".

Aurora is the one closest to us.

The view from the front door of our apartment building. The mostly covered dark lump you see (the center one of the three cars in front) is Chris' car.

Here it is, loads of snow.