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CHICAGO (CBS) ― There could be up to 5 inches of new snow on the ground in the Chicago area by Thursday morning.

Temperatures were relatively for much of Wednesday, and the weather system arrived as rain in the city. But a cold front is moving across the area, and the rain turned into snow by 5 p.m. By that hour the snow was coming down hard in parts of the suburbs.

CBS 2's Steve Baskerville reports the brunt of the snowfall will be to the north and west of the city. McHenry had about 1 ½ inches of snow by 6 p.m., and out toward Rockford there were 3 inches on the ground. The mild temperatures in the city Wednesday have helped keep snow totals much lighter for Chicago, as opposed to the sub-zero temperatures in far northwestern Cook and areas further out. The storm is not expected to last long and most of the snow should be over by 10 p.m. But extremely cold weather is coming on the heels of the storm.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until midnight Thursday morning for Cook County and most of the rest of northern Illinois, as well as most of the state of Wisconsin. Roads will become quite slippery as a rapid freeze-up is expected toward the evening rush.

As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports, it's going to be a tough ride home for commuters, with a wet, slushy mess on the streets.

Mayor Richard M. Daley plans to limit snow removal on side streets, because he says the city can no longer afford the overtime it takes to clear them. He said the snow removal on Monday cost $490,000, and totals amounted to less than 3 inches.

"That was only 1.5 inches, 2.5 inches of snow. It's almost half a million dollars just like that," Mayor Daley said Tuesday.

So cutbacks are necessary and the side streets will feel it first. They'll still be cleared, but not using Department of Streets & Sanitation workers on overtime.

"Let's say we're on the main streets till 9, 10 at night. We're going to wait until 7 o'clock the following morning to attack the side streets," Streets & San Commissioner Picardi said. "So there will be a period when the side streets will be covered with snow."

But some are concerned the lack of plowing could pose a safety risk,

Snow removal has been a hot-button issue in Chicago for decades, ever since a snowstorm nearly 30 years ago that bounced a mayor from office. Jane Byrne ran her campaign against incumbent Michael Bilandic in 1979 around Bilandic's inept reaction to a pair of snowstorms that left about 2 feet on the ground.

Picardi sought to lower expectations in Chicago neighborhoods.

"We have literally become victims of our own success. Residents always expect to see main streets fully cleared and grow impatient when side streets aren't cleared immediately. But, everyone needs to know that this high standard of snow removal comes at a very high cost," the commissioner said.

"We ask our residents to be patient during snow clearing operations and to drive with caution on our side streets until we get to them," he added.

There is one area where the city's saving big-time on snow removal costs: salt. Suburbs are paying $140 a ton for salt. The city's only paying $40 a ton, because it signed a two-year contract before prices skyrocketed.

And CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports while those on the streets during the evening rush may be grumbling over the weather, for some, the white stuff translates directly to green.

Doug Klepp of Tried And True Contracting was prepping his three snowplows Wednesday afternoon. He's just one of the hundreds of mom-and-pop plow operators who have been stocking up on salt and equipment ahead of the snow.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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