Snow caused low visibility and covered the roadways in Lake County Wednesday afternoon, with numerous crashes on Interstate 94, including one that shut down the interstate near Wadsworth.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm advisory for Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, DuPage, Cook, Will, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Lee, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy and Livingston counties.
The weather service warned residents about mixed precipitation, including snow, expected in the northern Illinois area on Wednesday into Thursday.
The advisory said total snow accumulations of three to six inches, with the highest being in far northern Illinois, was anticipated.
Forecasts charts from the NWS initially showed on Tuesday an 81% chance of six inches or more of snow in Waukegan and a 73% chance of six inches or more of snow in Chicago but those estimates were scaled back.
Emergency crews were kept busy responding to many crashes on Interstate 94 in Lake County and just over the Wisconsin border in Kenosha County on Wednesday morning into the afternoon.
A three-vehicle crash involving two semi-trucks and another vehicle occurred on westbound Interstate 94 near the one mile marker in Wadsworth around 12 p.m.
One of the semi-trucks jackknifed and blocked multiple lanes of traffic. Paramedics assessed two people involved.
Fire crews reported that all westbound lanes of Interstate 94 were shut down at Route 173 with traffic being diverted off the interstate.
Just prior to the three-vehicle crash, another crash involving a jackknifed semi-truck occurred on northbound Interstate 94 near Highway 165, according to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident resulted in the semi-truck blocking all northbound lanes on the interstate, the sheriff’s office said, asking motorists to drive slow or stay home if they could.
Around 2 p.m., emergency crews responded to another three-vehicle crash on Interstate 94 that occurred in the eastbound lanes near the 3.5 mile marker near Wadsworth.
The crash involving two semi-trucks and one of them drove off of the roadway. Ernie’s Wrecker Service was called to the scene for cleanup.
The NWS said a few-hour lull in snowfall will occur in parts of the area in the mid-late afternoon before additional snow is expected in the evening.
The weather service said motorists should expect slippery road conditions, which could also impact the Wednesday evening commute.
The Illinois Department of Transportation reported scattered snow covering roads due to blowing snow in much of Lake County.
The winter weather advisory remains in effect until 3 a.m. Thursday.