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CBS 2's Ed Curran, Rafael Romo, Kristyn Hartman, Mike Puccinelli, Pamela Jones, Mary Kay Kleist and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (CBS) ― As the winter storm moved east Tuesday night, lake effect snow took over, leaving much of the Chicago area with little respite from the snow and strong winds.

Residents of western suburbs can expect an additional 2 inches of snow, and others in Cook and Lake counties could see as much as 3 to 5 inches. This will bring storm totals over much of the Chicago area to 8 to 12 inches by the end of Wednesday morning, CBS 2 meteorologists say.

The winter storm warning is extended through Wednesday afternoon for Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana, where an additional 3 to 6 inches of new snow is expected to fall by Wednesday afternoon.

As CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, snow plows and emergency vehicles ruled the roads Tuesday night – at least when they could get through. A stretch of northbound Lake Shore Drive was closed due to blowing snow, and drifts there reached 2 feet.

The city's main streets were passable by Tuesday night, but the side streets remained another matter. Those digging their cars or parking spots out on side streets could not expect much help from city plows.

"Unfortunately I can't get to those side streets so until I have all the main streets, until I get the mains, but at this point, [they're] too critical," said Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi.

Snow plows were on the roads all day battling the fierce snowstorm that has settled on the Chicago area, but the blowing snow has made it difficult to keep the roads clear. Whiteout conditions were reported all over the Chicago area, especially in Northwest Indiana and western suburbs.



Many City Residents Choose Public Transit
In the city, the full fleet of snow-fighting trucks was out on all major roadways since Monday night, ahead of the snowfall, and it does not look like they will be able to return home any time soon.

As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, people were smart to take the trains, but even then things weren't exactly perfect for commuters.

At the Pink Line's snowy Pulaski Station, westbound passengers were diverted to shuttle buses due to a train yard derailment at the end of the line that backed up trains all the way to the Loop.

"It's cold and it's snowing. It's tough to be patient, yes it is," said passenger Shalice Madison.

That mid-morning derailment and delay occurred after the morning rush, which saw few "L" problems.

"It actually wasn't too bad, they had some frozen doors but it was moving along OK," said commuter Mike Greco.

But for bus riders, service wasn't so smooth and passengers told stories of long, cold, windy waits.

"I actually waited on the Pulaski bus for about a good hour," said CTA passenger Ronica Cahue. "[I] got out of school at 11, and didn't get on the bus until 11:48."

CTA Executive Director Frank Kruesi explained buses were running late on Tuesday because they travel in the same slow traffic as cars do.

For Metra, frozen switches produced scattered delays.

An Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the Stevenson and Eisenhower expressways were the worst – in her words, "Motorists are moving like turtles."

Wind blowing snow has made roads so busy that no IDOT crews will go home before Wednesday afternoon.

Drive times in and out of the city were more than double throughout the day.

"I think I was on the road on the way to UIC for 2 hours," said commuter Melissa Patenio.

IDOT plows did their best to clear some 9,000 miles of road across six area counties, but the wind fought back, blowing snow drifts onto the highways leaving them blanketed with a wintry mess.

And with plunging temperatures overnight IDOT officials are worried Wednesday morning's commute will be an icy mess.

"There's going to be a lot of snow and slush overnight and on the roads and of course for tomorrow morning's rush," said IDOT spokesperson Mike Claffey. "We will have 340 trucks out all night long."

Though ice was not the problem Tuesday, by Tuesday evening more than 40 accidents were reported. One was fatal -- a man on the Kennedy at Ohio got out of his car and was hit by a driver who tried to avoid him but lost control.

State police are advising people to stay in their cars even if they are involved in an accident.

And if you should hit one of those icy spots on the road?

"If someone's skidding, it's best to hold on to the steering wheel and try to drive straight, don't try to spin your way out of it, otherwise you could end up spinning you car in reverse and facing oncoming traffic," said Nicole Niemi, a spokeswoman for AAA Chicago.

Illinois State Police have enacted an emergency traffic plan. They say if you have an accident and there are no injuries, exchange information and deal with it at a later date, rather than calling police.

The snow also caused lots of trouble at the airports. More than 900 flights in and out of O'Hare International Airport had been cancelled for the day as of 9 p.m., along with more than 400 flights at Midway International Airport.

O'Hare was reporting average delays of 45 to 90 minutes for all flights at 9 p.m. Due to low visibility at Midway, there were no flights arriving or departing, but arrivals and departures resumed as of 9 p.m.


Snow Plows Have Hard Time In Western Suburbs
In the western suburbs, some snow plow crews said their efforts had been hampered by the blowing snow.

As CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports, there were 6 to 8 inches of snow in some places in Naperville at 11 a.m.

Snow plow driver Scott Kulak had been on the job since midnight when he said plowing the snow often seemed like an exercise in futility Tuesday.

"It keeps drifting the snow over everything we've done, so every time we go past, we plow, we salt," Kulak said. "It keeps drifting back over, so we keep doing it again, and again, and again. It's probably going to get worse tonight, I think."

Many people chose to walk instead of drive, but even that was difficult, since many sidewalks were getting covered up with snow just as fast as they were cleaned off.



Snow Worst In Indiana, Downstate Illinois
In Indiana, state police are advising people not to travel at all in large parts of the state. The roads in Jasper County were essentially shut down, and officials said they would impose a $500 fine on any driver stuck in the snow.

Snow had covered lanes of traffic on Interstate 80/94, as well as Interstate 65. While a total of 1,100 snow trucks have been dispatched, it can take crews up to two hours to complete a route.

"Cold is like an understatement," CBS 2 Northwest Indiana Bureau Chief Pamela Jones reported from Interstate 65 in Lowell. "I'm telling you, the snow is hitting my face; it feels like somebody's shooting sand pellets at me – very painful."

The roads may have looked dry, but they were sheets of ice. On Interstate 65 near the Kankakee River, at least seven jackknifed semi trucks were seen, including two U.S. Mail trucks.

Also seen was a rental truck that crossed the median and ended up hanging on a guard rail.

Drivers are advised not to travel above 30 m.p.h.

All Indiana State Police personnel have been called in to work and emergency managers across the state are ready to open emergency shelters and aid stranded motorists.

The worst snow is expected in central Indiana, where there could be a foot or more, as well as downstate.

A blizzard warning is in effect of much of central Illinois, including Champaign and Urbana, and for the first time since 1979, the University of Illinois is closed due to the weather.

Eastern Illinois University in downstate Charleston is also closed due to the snow.

Other areas of the state, such as Rockford, were expected to be spared high snow accumulations but temperatures were forecast to dip to about 15 degrees below zero by Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The wind chill could make it feel more like 25 to 30 below, he said.

In Jasper County, Indiana, sheriff's police say they have stopped plowing and have officially closed call county roads. The county is now imposing a $500 fine on people who end up stuck on county roads.

Snow plows have been on the roads all day battling the fierce snowstorm that has settled on the Chicago area, but the blowing snow has made it difficult to keep the roads clear. Whiteout conditions have been reported all over the Chicago area, especially in Northwest Indiana and western suburbs.

When the snowstorm is over, some areas could be left with a foot or more of snow.


•   Many City Residents Choose Public Transit
•   Snow Plows Have Hard Time In Western Suburbs
•   Snow Worst In Indiana, Downstate Illinois


Many City Residents Choose Public Transit
In the city, the full fleet of snow-fighting trucks has been out on all major roadways since around 11 p.m., ahead of the snowfall. The main fleet is 272 trucks, but 22 smaller plows have been sent out for side streets, and portable plows have been placed on garbage trucks. A total of 404 vehicles are patrolling, plowing and salting the city Tuesday, city Department of Streets and Sanitation spokesman Matt Smith said.

"Our drivers are doing everything possible to plow and treat our roadways, but weather conditions are such that we have to keep going back and redoing our main routes," said Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Mike Picardi. "We will keep on doing this until there is a let up in the weather, at which point we will be able to turn our attentions to Chicago's side streets."

Picardi was not kidding. In some areas, snow plows had to travel the same routes more than 30 times.

As CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, many people ditched their cars and took the bus instead. CTA riders often found buses more crowded than usual, but they understood.

"Too much snow," said one rider, Ed Zawadcki. When asked if he would drive in the snow, Zawadcki said no.

Meanwhile, Anthony Freeman used a leaf blower to get around shoveling.

"Work smart, not hard," Freeman said.

Some people even claimed to like the weather.

"It's winter. You need it to balance out summer. It makes you appreciate it more," said Julie Bewley. "I don't mind it; it's not bad."

An Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the Stevenson and Eisenhower expressways were the worst – in her words, "Motorists are moving like turtles."

Wind blowing snow has made roads so busy that no IDOT crews will go home before Wednesday afternoon.
But officials also say if it is best to avoid driving at all if possible.

"What we want to do is urge the public to take transportation tomorrow if possible. It definitely is going to be a messy commute in the morning," IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said.

And if you should hit one of those icy spots on the road?

"If someone's skidding, it's best to hold on to the steering wheel and try to drive straight, don't try to spin your way out of it, otherwise you could end up spinning you car in reverse and facing oncoming traffic," said Nicole Niemi, a spokeswoman for AAA Chicago.

Illinois State Police have enacted an emergency traffic plan. They say if you have an accident and there are no injuries, exchange information and deal with it at a later date, rather than calling police.

Out in the neighborhoods, the situation was hardly better. As CBS 2's Rafael Romo reports, in the Beverly neighborhood on the city's South Side, a fine snow was falling at 4 a.m., at which point about 2 inches were on the ground. But city crews were already out making sure busy Western Avenue was kept clear.

"It's awful. I have to walk in it to go to school, but it don't really bother me; I'm used to it," said student Lauren Carr.

Carr added that she wished classes had been cancelled "because it's bad. A lot of people have to catch the bus and public transportation, and we're going to get there late because of the weather."

The snow also caused lots of trouble at the airports. More than 900 flights in and out of O'Hare International Airport had been cancelled for the day as of 9 p.m., along with more than 400 flights at Midway International Airport.

O'Hare was reporting average delays of 45 to 90 minutes for all flights at 9 p.m. Due to low visibility at Midway, there were no flights arriving or departing, but arrivals and departures resumed as of 9 p.m.


Snow Plows Have Hard Time In Western Suburbs
In the western suburbs, some snow plow crews said their efforts had been hampered by the blowing snow.

As CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports, there were 6 to 8 inches of snow in some places in Naperville at 11 a.m.

Snow plow driver Scott Kulak had been on the job since midnight when he said plowing the snow often seemed like an exercise in futility Tuesday.

"It keeps drifting the snow over everything we've done, so every time we go past, we plow, we salt," Kulak said. "It keeps drifting back over, so we keep doing it again, and again, and again. It's probably going to get worse tonight, I think."

Many people chose to walk instead of drive, but even that was difficult, since many sidewalks were getting covered up with snow just as fast as they were cleaned off.



Snow Worst In Indiana, Downstate Illinois
In Indiana, state police are advising people not to travel at all in large parts of the state. The roads in Jasper County were essentially shut down, and officials said they would impose a $500 fine on any driver stuck in the snow.

Snow had covered lanes of traffic on Interstate 80/94, as well as Interstate 65. While a total of 1,100 snow trucks have been dispatched, it can take crews up to two hours to complete a route.

"Cold is like an understatement," CBS 2 Northwest Indiana Bureau Chief Pamela Jones reported from Interstate 65 in Lowell. "I'm telling you, the snow is hitting my face; it feels like somebody's shooting sand pellets at me – very painful."

The roads may have looked dry, but they were sheets of ice. On Interstate 65 near the Kankakee River, at least seven jackknifed semi trucks were seen, including two U.S. Mail trucks.

Also seen was a rental truck that crossed the median and ended up hanging on a guard rail.

Drivers are advised not to travel above 30 m.p.h.

All Indiana State Police personnel have been called in to work and emergency managers across the state are ready to open emergency shelters and aid stranded motorists.

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