HERSCHER, Ill. — Heavy wet snow and strong winds could be to blame for a power outages in several areas across our area this afternoon.
ComEd, the electric utility company serving northern Illinois, reported that 37 homes were affected by a power outage in Herscher, Illinois, and nearly 200 homes in Lemont, Illinois, were also affected since heavy snows began this afternoon.
The first power outage in Herscher was reported just after 3 p.m. Friday. ComEd estimates that power will be restored around 5:15 p.m. Crews at a ComEd base camp in Tinley Park and throughout their service territory are preparing for the storm and have increased staffing.
ComEd urges customers to report outages or check their outage status at ComEd.com/Report or by downloading their mobile app.
According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm warning remains in effect until 10 p.m. CST (11 p.m. EST) tonight. Heavy wet snow and thundersnow are expected, with total snow accumulations of up to 3 to 6 inches, particularly near and east of the Indiana state line. Winds are gusting as high as 50 to 60 mph, causing hazardous travel conditions due to snow and slush-covered roads. The storm is also bringing down tree branches, further reducing visibility to under one quarter mile at times in falling snow.
Snow rates of up to 1 to 2 inches per hour are expected within any bands of heavy snow through early evening, resulting in hazardous to locally dangerous travel conditions during the evening commute.
