Treacherous Conditions Prompt School Park Program Cancellations

The National Weather Service says the heaviest snow will come during late afternoon/early evening, followed by blowing wind; Kendall County officials urging "extreme caution."

The first snowstorm of the season, which is expected to cause slick roadways through the afternoon rush hour and evening, has promptedPlainfield School District 202 and the Plainfield Park District to cancel afternoon and evening programs.

District 202 put out its announcement at about 1 p.m. Everything other than the YMCA’s Kidzone program has been called off, said district spokesman Tom Hernandez in a media release. That includes athletic practices and contests, club meetings, rehearsals and all park district-sponsored activities held in district schools, he said.

Turnabout program students will be dismissed at about 4:30 p.m.

Plainfield Park District spokeswoman Marianne Ryan said they, too, were calling off all afternoon and evening programs because of the weather.

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, which covers a portion of unincorporated Plainfield, issued an advisory this afternoon to warn the public that "the roadways are excessively treacherous at this time."

"We want to advise everyone to travel only if you have to and if you do use extreme caution when driving," a media release said. "The sheriff’s office has already received several reports of accidents and vehicle spin outs."

Plainfield Sgt. Eric Munson said they, too, had been seen a lot of "minor crashes and cars going into ditches."

While there have been no serious accidents, Munson urged drivers to slow down and to avoid areas where there are open fields, which can result in blowing snow and visibility problems.

According to the National Weather Service's winter storm warning, in effect through 9 a.m. Friday, the snow will continue falling through Thursday night followed by gusting wind and far colder temperatures. The heaviest snowfall is going to be late afternoon/early evening Thursday, with a total accumulation of somewhere between four and eight inches.

The wind could get as high as 35 mph hour. With temperatures in the low teens, wind chills will feel like 2-below, the advisory said.

"Accumulating snow and reduced visibilities will like make travel treacherous for the afternoon commute today, with travel conditions remaining dangerous and treacherous tonight into early Friday morning, especially in open areas," the advisory said.