As Old Man Winter flexes his icy grip on the Chicago area, schools and agencies brace for impact. To keep everyone safe, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced possible closures, urging families to stay alert for updates. In a message sent on Monday, CPS laid out its cold-weather game plan, saying it "will communicate the news in multiple ways," including emails, texts, and robocalls, as reported by NBC Chicago.
With snow forecasted to keep falling until Tuesday, uncertainty shrouds tomorrow's potential snow day. As the National Weather Service eyes a deluge of 2 to 4 inches through Tuesday for O'Hare and DuPage County, Lake, Kane, and McHenry counties could get buried in even more powder, according to the Daily Herald. Schools, not wanting to make any rash decisions, are taking a wait-and-see approach, with officials holding off on shifting to remote learning or scrapping programs until the snow hits.
The Illinois Tollway system, taking no chances, has preemptively axed planned lane and shoulder closures. In a move to keep travelers in the loop, the agency canceled the closures, planning to reassess the situation around Wednesday noon, once the worst of the storm has passed. If you're brave or just plain necessary to hit the roads, the Illinois Tollway is keeping everyone posted on X, with handles like @94_294_Tollway and @I_88_Tollway, so you can get ahead of the snowplows—or at least avoid the worst of the traffic.
In Lake County, they're not just waiting for the storm to pass by. Officials are steering folks towards the Lake County Passage website and its corresponding app, promising real-time traffic conditions for those navigating the wintry roads. Meanwhile, according to the Daily Herald, the Cook County chief judge's office also has its eye on the skies, ready to close courthouses if the weather warrants it. In these snowy times, the message is clear: Stay informed, stay warm, and if you can, stay off the roads.
