Will Co. socked by one of biggest snows on record

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

A blizzard ripped into the area Tuesday afternoon with ferocious winds, more than a foot of snow and frigid temperatures.

Up to 18 inches of snow fell in Joliet during the storm, which lasted from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon, making it the fifth biggest snowstorm of all time, according to the Joliet Weather Center.

By noon Wednesday, the storm had dumped 16.4 inches of snow at the National Weather Service office in Romeoville, where employees spent the night sleeping on air mattresses and chairs. Of the official reporting centers, Midway Airport got the most, with 20.9 inches.

NWS meteorologist Kevin Birk drove to work from Oswego early Wednesday. He saw 20 to 30 cars abandoned in the ditches or middle of the road during his 16-mile trip to the Romeoville station.

He saw only one car on Interstate 55 as he passed over it.

“It was kind of eerie because there was nobody out there,” he said.

After the storm, frigid weather was expected to move into the area with lows for Wednesday night predicted in the teens and wind chills as low as 25-30 below zero in the Joliet area, Birk said. Winds Wednesday morning were 25-30 mph with gusts of 30-35 mph.

State of emergency

Will County Executive Larry Walsh declared a state of emergency for the county late Tuesday due to dangerous conditions. County offices were closed Wednesday. But all offices, including the courthouse, will be open today for normal business hours, Walsh announced later Wednesday.

Nick Palmer, Walsh’s acting chief of staff, said vehicles in roadways caused problems for snowplow drivers during the brunt of the storm.

“All of the cars are abandoned and the plows can’t plow,” he said Wednesday morning. “They’re having a tough time getting around them.”

Pace issued a travel ban for its buses in Will, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties until conditions improve.

“Don’t go out,” Palmer warned on Wednesday morning. “It’s really pretty nuts out there.”

The Will County Emergency Management Agency reported hundreds of motorists had been rescued by emergency crews and good Samaritans in four-wheel-drive vehicles and snowplows or on snowmobiles.

Hundreds of people were housed in a dozen different shelters that were opened by communities, while hundreds more sought refuge at truck stops, restaurants, and other places open 24 hours, according to a news release from the county agency.

Also, sporadic power outages occurred across the area, including a large part of University Park, where power was out to several thousand residents for nearly four hours.

Ready for a rough night

Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center prepared Tuesday for the rough night.

“Clinical staff who take care of patients were asked to stay overnight and they did set up cots for them in the auditorium,” said spokeswoman Jan Ciccarelli.

Employees were using showers in an area of hospital that is under renovation, she added.

“The emergency room, of course, is open and functioning,” she said.

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat nor gloom of night” is the unofficial motto for the post office, but that’s not the case in extreme weather.

Jose Aguilar, spokesman for the United States Post Office, said their workers always do the best they can, but many of their employees were off due to the storm.

“We processed mail as usual but could not dispatch to all post offices,” Aguilar said. “Some places, such as DuPage County, asked that only emergency vehicles go out today, and we try to abide and honor such requests.”

Plainfield’s post office had no one behind the counter around 1 p.m. Wednesday — which customers would only learn if they tromped through drifts of more than three feet.

Aguilar said the goal of the department is to keep their carriers safe. He wants to remind customers to keep their carriers in mind while digging out from the storm by clearing their stoops and stairs and keeping access to mailboxes clear. All mail will be delivered as soon as it is safe to do so, he said.

Staff writer Kim Smith contributed to this story.