Snow, rain, sleet hit Chicago New Year’s Day

Chicago rang in the new year with rain, snow and sleet.

A winter weather advisory which began at 9 a.m. Friday in northern Illinois expired at midnight, the National Weather Service said.

Cook County saw about a half inch of snow and sleet, the weather service said, while DuPage and McHenry counties reported the highest totals in the area with about 3 inches of accumulation each.

More than 200 vehicles were deployed in Chicago to clear residential streets of the wintry mix, the Department of Streets and Sanitation said in a statement. Motorists were advised to take precautions while on the roads.

The temperature Friday topped out at 35 degrees at O’Hare and Midway airports, the weather service said.

Near Year’s Day was also breezy, with winds reaching as high as 23 mph and gusts 31 mph, according to the weather service. The average wind speed was 11.8 mph.

Saturday’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high near 38 degrees.

Sunday will be nearly as warm with mostly sunny skies, the weather service said.