Snow to continue through Wednesday morning commute

A difficult Wednesday morning commute is possible as snow showers are expected to continue Wednesday morning the Chicago area, followed by a possible winter storm on Thursday.

A Hazardous Weather Outlook was issued by the National Weather Service at 3:32 a.m., warning of an elevated snow risk through the morning commute.

One to three inches of snow is expected to accumulate and could cause hazardous travel through the morning, said the weather service.

According to Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, 211 snow plows were deployed throughout Chicago Tuesday night, and salt spreaders were sent to the city’s arterial routes and Lake Shore Drive.

As of 8:50 a.m., 28 flights had been canceled at O’Hare International Airport and 46 had been canceled at Midway International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Average delays under 15 minutes were reported at both airports.

Some snow and excessive cold will continue throughout the day Wednesday, with a low of about 13 degrees and a high of about 20 degrees. Wind chill values will fall as low as 1 degree, with west and northwest winds reaching speeds of 15 mph.

Wednesday night, temperatures will drop to as low as 7, or minus 5 with wind chill.

Temperatures will warm up to a high of 23 degrees Thursday, when another storm could hit the Chicago area with heavy snow.

The weather service has issued a Winter Storm Watch, in effect from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon, for areas of northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois. There is a 90 percent chance of snow Thursday evening through Friday afternoon, with 5 to 9 inches expected to accumulate, according to the weather service.

The weather service is advising commuters to plan on difficult travel conditions Friday morning, with significant reductions in visibility possible.