Winter Storm UPDATE: High Winds More Dangerous Than Snow

Geneva sidestepped much of the massive snowstorm that was expected to ravage the area Thursday night.

As of 10 p.m., the National Weather Service had downgraded the accumulation expectations to an inch or two.

The wind was furious, as expected, and some power outages were reported, although none we are aware of in Geneva. If you run into anything newsworthy, please post a comment and/or a photo with this article.

9:40 p.m.

NWS: Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

8:09 p.m. Still not much snow to show. (See photo.)

From the National Weather Service: Snow with areas of blowing snow before 1 a.m., then areas of blowing snow and a slight chance of snow after 1 a.m. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 21. Windy, with a northwest wind around 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Scanners are talking about power outages, but not sure where. If you have any information, please leave a comment.

8 p.m. — Tree down at Army Trail and Dunham.

5:39 p.m. — Starting to stick to cars and grass now. (photo attached)

6:25 p.m. — Some power outages

From Facebook: Lights flicker quite a bit East of Maple Park limits.

5:14 — National Weather Service says 1-3 inches, with snow starting after 7 p.m.

Rain before 7pm, then snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 21. Very windy, with a northwest wind 25 to 30 mph increasing to 35 to 40 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

5:05 p.m. — Car off the side of the road at Plank and Engel.

4:40 p.m. Update — All Waubonsee Community College campuses closed

 The upcoming storm also caused many flights to be canceled. As of early Thursday afternoon, O'Hare canceled 200 flights and Midway had 150 flights dropped. This includes all Southwest Airlines flights after 4:30 p.m. at the airport.

The National Weather Service still forecasts heavy snow and winds, with a total accumulation of about 4 inches for the Batavia area. The heaviest snowfall window has been moved back one hour to 6 p.m. and lasting until 10 p.m.

Click the link to visit the Geneva Middle School Weather page. 

3 p.m. Update — How to Find Out About Geneva School Cancellations

"There are no school closings or cancellations at this time."

Go to the Geneva 304 website for the latest information on school closings.

If school is cancelled or a late start implemented, the legal guardians of all students will be notified through use of Geneva School District’s emergency notification system. The system will call the guardian’s primary and mobile phone numbers and send a message to the guardian’s email address, provided that current phone and email information is on file in the District’s student information database.

An email message will be sent to all 304 Connects subscribers.

Families may also call the District’s Administrative Offices – (630) 463-3001 – to hear a recorded telephone message concerning school closings and late starts.

This information is also reported to the Emergency Closing Center, which broadcasts the information on the following Chicago stations: WGN-AM (720), WBBM-AM (780), and CBS-TV (2), NBC-TV (5), ABC-TV (7), WGN-TV (9), FOX-TV, and CLTV cable.

School closings and late starts advertised through the Emergency Closing Center can also be found at www.EmergencyClosings.com.  Search by district name (DIST#304) and City (Geneva), or by phone number (630-463-3000).

2 p.m. Update Thursday, Dec. 20

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Kane County and the larger Chicago area starting at 3 p.m. this Thursday afternoon until 3 a.m. Friday.

The warning replaces the lesser Winter Storm Watch issued earlier.

Rain will change to snow this afternoon, and the snowfall will be heavy at times. The heaviest snowfall and lowest visibility looks to occur in the immediate Chicago metro area between 5 and 9 p.m. today, Dec. 20, the weather service says.

In the Geneva area, snow accumulation is expected to be about 4 inches. This number can fluctuate between 2 and 6 inches. Locally higher snowfall can occur if heavy snow bands with "thundersnow" occur.

Residents and motorists should prepare themselves for:

• Intense snowfall rates
• High winds
• Reduced visibility
• Blowing and drifting snow

Thursday Afternoon/Evening Forecast

There is a 100 percent chance of snow for the afternoon and a chance of a thunderstorm after midnight. The low will drop to 19 degrees with wind gusts of up to 55 mph. Total snow accumulation of up to 4 inches is possible.

The highest amounts of snow are expected across the far north and northwest suburbs of Chicago, and across northeast Porter County, IN.

Storm Conditions Dangerous

The heavy snowfall and strong winds will result in greatly reduced visibilities and possibly near-blizzard conditions. Falling temperatures will cause roads to become snow covered and travel treacherous. This will likely impact the evening rush hour. The strong winds may also result in minor damage and sporadic power outages. The greatest chance for blizzard or near-blizzard conditions is near the lake.

This weather forecast was courtesy of the National Weather Service in Chicago.

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