Weather: Winter storm watch in effect tonight

A few parts of the Chicago area already had more than 6 inches of snow on the ground by 10 p.m. Friday.

Any preconceived notions of easing into the snow season should be thrown out with this winter storm.

At 9 p.m., the city deployed 70 trucks to address snow accumulations, but an additional 190 plows were released at 10 p.m., the city. The snow should begin in Madison after dark and move east into Milwaukee. NBC 5’s Natalie Martinez reports. The snow should be out of the Omaha area by 3 a.m. Saturday at the latest.

Blue Jackets are at home tonight, the Buckeyes are at home Saturday, and Sunday the Crew plays in the evening. Lesser accumulations of 2 to 5 inches are expected north of Dane County, with amounts diminishing rapidly north of Wisconsin Dells. They believe that traveling may become treacherous at times, not only because of visibilities being low, but also due to slushy conditions and snow drifts on roads. Courtney’s forecast said 4-6 inches possible north of the state line.

Here are six things to keep in mind about this first major Midwest winter storm of the season. The affected counties include Cook, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Lake, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb and Kane.

Winter storm watches are in effect from northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota, though much of Iowa and into northern IL and southern Wisconsin.

At 3 p.m., National Weather Service radar showed no precipitation in Ohio.

Before the snow starts, expect gusty winds and cooler temperatures across the area on Thursday, with highs ranging from the upper 30s to low 40s.

That winter ended with 59.1 inches of snow.

Saturday – Rain and snow in the morning.