Storm near peak as rush hour gets under way

The storm pounding the Chicago area as Friday dawns arrives with quite a history. Its
uncharacteristically heavy early-season snows in the mountains near Los Angeles, San Diego
and Phoenix, and its production of the biggest snow in Las Vegas in nearly three decades
were early warnings the system was packing quite a punch.
A potent collection of meteorological ingredients is in place -- including the arrival
of a rare pocket of 180 m.p.h. jet stream winds that is vigorously lifting the air. The
feature has contributed to overnight thunderstorms that may continue into Friday evening,
producing especially heavy snowfall over the northern half of the Chicago area. It's the
second time this week a critical commuting period has been seriously impacted by the
weather. Accumulations are to vary widely -- 1 to 6 inches from Interstate Highway 80 north to
I-88 and 6 to 14 inches to the north, with the heaviest amounts in the counties along
With 13.9 inches of snow already down, this season ranks among the top 13 percent of the
snowiest cold-season opens -- before the expected 6-plus inches of snow from the
current storm is factored in.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune