So another first for Easton....a blizzard. As I'm writing this we are on fay 2 of the blizzard. It started yesterday( Feb 1, 2011) around Noon. Here is a list of the days' activity:
7:50 a.m. Skilling says up to 23 inches
If you got up this morning hoping the forecast had gotten any better, you're out of luck.
A blizzard warning remains in effect from 3 p.m. this afternooon to 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service says 10 to 18 inches of snow is expected around Rockford and 12 to 20 inches in Chicago and northwest Indiana -- whipped by winds up to 40 mph.
WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling says this morning that up to 23 inches could fall. "Nobody is fear-mongering here," he said on WGN 720. " We’re trying to tell you what’s happening."
8:07 a.m. More than 600 flights canceled
Airlines at O’Hare International Airport have preemptively canceled more than 600 flights because of the approaching winter storm, though no delays are being reported at this time.
At Midway Airport, airlines have preemptively canceled more than 50 flights so far but also are not reporting delays at this time.
Airlines at both O’Hare and Midway say they anticipate canceling additional flights throughout the day.
Travelers are advised to check their airlines’ Web sites for flight status before going to the airports. Passengers with flights scheduled to depart today are encouraged to arrive at the airports at least two hours before flight time.
The Chicago Aviation Department says its next update will be at 10:30 a.m.
9:32 a.m. South Shore adding cars
The South Shore is adding cars to its midday trains leaving Chicago today to accommodate passengers leaving work early in advance of the storm. Affected trains include eastbound Train 9 departing Chicago at 12:38 p.m., Train 109 departing at 2:35 p.m. and Train 209 departing at 3:15 p.m.
10:53 a.m. Groundhog Day events called off
Two Groundhog Day events have been cancelled after officials had second thoughts about blizzard conditions expected Wednesday morning.
Brookfield Zoo will be closed Wednesday due to the weather, and so the groundhog Tumbleweed will make an early prediction this afternoon, spokeswoman Sondra Katzen said. The zoo has closed only once before in its history, because of severe flooding in 2008, she said.
Also, in northwest suburban Woodstock, officials cancelled tomorrow’s event, fearing for the safety of guests who usually commemorate the 1992 filming of the movie "Groundhog Day" with a visit from groundhog Woodstock Willie.
A breakfast has been rescheduled for 7:30 a.m. Saturday for ticketholders, said Pam Moorhouse, co-chair of the Woodstock Groundhog Days Committee. She has a few extra tickets, but the event is largely filled, she said.
“Woodstock Willie is not going to appear,” Moorhouse said. “Everything is closing right and left here. It’s not fair to ask anybody to try to come out for something like this.”
She noted that, in the movie, Bill Murray’s weatherman character was stuck in Punxsutawney because of a winter storm.
12:30 p.m. 'Crazy' scene at downtown groceries
Managers at downtown grocery stores described business as “crazy,” as a steady stream of shoppers filed in Monday and this morning in a final effort to stock up.
People curled and configured their baskets around curves as they squeezed into check-out lines at a Dominick’s and a Whole Foods Market.
“People are buying, well, everything. Just everything,” said a Dominick’s manager at the 255 E. Grand Ave., standing next to a shopping cart holding huge sacks of salt.
Mike Farmer was helping to bag groceries at the Whole Foods Market at 30 West Huron and said he’s seen a lot of people purchasing staples such as milk and bread. That store is planning to close two hours early and open late Wednesday to “keep our team members safe.”
Molly L., 28, had some extra time before work and stopped at Dominick’s for a few pre-blizzard items.
“I just got some basics: eggs, bread, some bananas, that kind of stuff,” said the Pilsen resident, who declined to give her last name. “Whatever I can get, whatever I can carry.”
1:21 p.m. Stevenson lane closed as precaution
The far left lane of the inbound Stevenson Expressway near Martin Luther King Drive has been closed in case the storm forces the closure of Lake Shore Drive, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"If Lake Shore Drive is closed, traffic will be routed to the outbound Stevenson Expressway via the Martin Luther King Drive exit," IDOT said. "The inbound Stevenson Expressway lane will remain closed until conditions improve."
3:03 p.m. State workers sent home early
Workers in several state offices have been sent home early due to the weather, including those who work for Treasurer Dan Rutherford and Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka in their Springfield and Chicago offices. Workers for Attorney General Lisa Madigan were also let off early in her Chicago, Springfield, Carbondale, Quincy, Champaign and Metro East offices.
As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, Gov. Pat Quinn had not yet decided whether to shut his office earlier than normal, but is "continuing to asses the situation," said spokeswoman Brie Callahan.
Several state employees will continue to staff critical offices and services overnight, but it's yet unknown if state offices will be open on Wednesday.
But yet KinderCare employees had to stay until the last child was picked up...which was normal time(6 PM). I think that's funny.....the top people of the city are telling thier employees be safe, go home. And KinderCare is telling us to stay at work. Ha.
3:25 p.m. Fire departments employ snowmobiles
With a possible record snowfall fast approaching, the City of Chicago has obtained 50 snowmobiles to try to ensure that firefighters can reach residents on snow-clogged side streets who might need their help tonight or tomorrow.
Extra firefighters will also be dispatched to fire scenes to deal with any weather-related problems – from clearing piles of snow out of the way to opening frozen hydrants, officials said.
It is believed to be the first time the city has used snowmobiles to help out during a massive snowfall. The vehicles will be sent to half of the Chicago Fire Department’s 100 firehouses around the city.
Some suburban fire departments will also be using snowmobiles to respond to emergency medical needs in hard-to-reach spots.
"We have a six-wheel ATV sitting here," said Barrington Fire Chief Jim Arie, also chief of the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District that has fire stations in rural Barrington Hills and Lake Barrington. "We'd use that if our engines or ambulances were not able to get to an emergency or to a patient.”
Beginning this afternoon, Arie said, firefighter staffing levels will increase "to handle the volume of calls.”
"My greatest hope is that people stay home."
4:56 p.m. CPS, City Colleges cancel classes
Classes at CPS schools and Chicago City Colleges have been canceled for Wednesday because of the winter storm, Mayor Richard Daley.
For CPS, it's the first time classes have been canceled due to weather since the huge snowstorm of January 1999.
7:12 p.m. Daley warns of 'historic' blizzard
Mayor Richard Daley reiterated the concerns of the other public officials as the storm began Tuesday, stressing that the blizzard could be “a storm of historic magnitude.”
“This could be one of the largest storms we’ve seen in the last 30 to 40 years or more,” Daley said at a media conference, urging residents to use “ common sense” over the next 24 hours.
7:36 p.m. Lake Shore Drive closed
The city closed all of Lake Shore Drive, soon after a CTA bus appeared to have spun out on an icy Lake Shore Drive, blocking northbound traffic near the Belmont Avenue exit.
The bus blocked three lanes of traffic, and motorists squeezed by in a fourth lane.
Chicago police confirmed that all northbound traffic had been closed as of about 7 p.m., so that emergency crews could handle the incident.
8:06 p.m. Wind blows panel off Wrigley Field
UPDATE: Chicago Buildings Commissioner Richard Minocchio described the damage to Wrigley Field as "minor." He said six other buildings were damaged in the city, but "none pose a serious health hazard."
Due to the high winds, a portion of the roof above the press box at Wrigley Field "broke away" tonight, scattering debris outside the ball park, officials said.
Chicago police cordoned off streets and sidewalks around the park, while Cubs officials worked with the city to monitor the situation and ensure there weren't any public safety issues, Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.
As a Sox fan, HAHA!!
9:54 p.m. Power problems hit Cook County Jail
The Cook County Jail Tuesday night has experienced varying issues with power due to an apparent weather-related problem affecting the neighborhood near the jail, said spokesman Steve Patterson.
Just about all 11 buildings at the 96-acre complex have been experiencing flickering lights and similar issues over the past hour, Patterson said about 9:30 p.m.
Division 9, a roughly 1,000-inmate maximum security division located near 31st Street and Sacramento Boulevard, and the boot camp, located near 28th and Rockwell Streets, were without power. Until power is restored, Division 9 is operating on a back-up generator, providing low power and lighting. The boot camp's roughly 200 inmates will be transported to an empty minimum security building on the jail campus for the night, he said.
There is no impact on operations, as the back-up power sources provide enough electricity to allow functions at near-normal levels, and due to a lockdown instituted earlier, security is not compromised, Patterson said.
10:58 p.m. 60 miles of I-80 closed
Illinois State Police late Tuesday shut down I-80 from Morris west to Princeton, Ill.
“The roads are impassible due to the snowdrifts,” a state trooper said.
She said some vehicles are stranded on the road, and it was not known when the approximately 60 miles of highway would reopen.
11:46 p.m. Quinn: Non-essential state workers stay home
Gov. Pat Quinn has ordered all non-essential state employees to stay home Wednesday due to hazardous weather conditions.
Agencies and offices critical to public health safety will remain open, including veteran's homes, state centers for the disabled, state police, corrections facilities, juvenile justice centers, emergency management offices. Of course, the Illinois Department of Transportation will be out in full force plowing and salting roads.
“We have been monitoring weather conditions, and working with a number of agencies statewide to coordinate preparations for the effects of this storm. Across Illinois, essential services will continue without interruption,” Quinn said in a release.
Once again, not KinderCare or Wal-Mart. They are open
Wednesday Feb 2, 2011
5:22 a.m. Some Metra lines to run on Sunday schedule, others shut down
Metra is shutting down service on five lines in its system and is running Sunday service on eight others,
according to the agency's service alerts Web site.
The shut-down lines are:
Heritage Corridor
North Central Service
Metra Electric Blue Island Branch
SouthWest Service
The lines running Sunday service are:Union Pacific North Line
Union Pacific West Line
Union Pacific Northwest Line
BNSF Railway
Milwaukee District West Line
Milwaukee District North Line
Rock Island District
Metra Electric District - University Park and South Chicago Only
5:31 a.m. Power restored to 94,500; 76,000 still in dark
As of about 5 a.m., ComEd reported that power had been restored to 94,500 customers since the beginning of the storm, but about 76,000 customers in the Chicago area remained without power.
There were still 50,000 outages in the Chicago area, said ComEd spokeswoman Alicia Zatkowski. There were 11,000 outages in the northern suburbs, 12,800 in the south suburbs and about 2,000 in the western suburbs.ComEd had 100 crews working overnight, with 200 more crews scheduled to start work at 7 a.m., Zatkowski said.
That was just an outline of what has happend. Now, I know that all of that is for Chicago and we are in the suburbs but it still about the same.
When we woke up in the morning we all knew that this was a stay at home day...no matter if we had to go to work or not. Below are some pictures that I took in front of our building.
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| Looking out our front entry |
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| Snow up to the door |
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| Garages |
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| Even the streets are not plowed |
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| Looking into our entry way |
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View from our patio. Yes, those plants are real(just kidding)
Those plants have been threw
all the seasons and look awesome! |
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| The snow keeps piling up |
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| Patio |
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| Other side of the patio |
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| Easton sleeping through the blizzard :) |
Oh FYI, KinderCare called around30am to tell us that the building was closed due to no power.
