Snow blankets parts of Midwest

A strong early season winter storm will lay down a blanket of snow for parts of Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and northern IL by Saturday morning.

Saturday was off to rough start for travelers in IL, as more than 200 flights had been canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare airport as of 2 p.m. Central Time, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. The National Weather Service said the snow would continue in IL and in on Saturday, as well as move into MI before heading northeast into Canada late Saturday.

A deep freeze set in across the Midwest on Sunday with low temperatures forecast in the single digits and a few below zero, turning the season’s first major snow into ice that made some roads treacherous to travel. Meanwhile, the heaviest snowfall rates are expected late Saturday afternoon through the evening, which could lead to around 5 inches of snow accumulation.

National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley says Boone and McHenry counties and adjacent areas of Wisconsin had the highest storm totals as of 8 a.m. Saturday, with 14.6 inches reported in Capron, which is about 60 miles northwest of Chicago.

It’s not common for the Chicago area’s first snowfall of the season to dump more than six inches, Seeley said.

Parts of eastern Iowa and northern IL, including the cities Madison, Rockford, Milwaukee and Chicago, are under winter storm warnings. The farther north, the more likely it becomes that more snow will fall, Schultz said. “Most people aren’t even fazed by it”.

“It is going to be a very tough travel day”, said National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Terry.

The storm is expected to produce snow-covered road and reduced visibility. This, along with warmer ground temperatures, can keep the nights from getting too cold.

Partly sunny but cold weather was forecast to prevail today in the Toledo area, with temperatures expected to rise only to around the freezing mark after falling into the 20s overnight.