Region wakes up to snow, ice

Wire Services SAUK VALLEY STAFF AND WIRE Illinois' first big wintry blast of the season plunged temperatures into the 20s Thursday and pelted many areas with sleet, slickening roads and snarling air travel as meteorologists warned the worst was yet to come - up to a foot of snow in some regions. In most of northern Illinois, snow began falling Thursday evening, then intensified after midnight and into this morning. According to the National Weather Service, there were times where some areas saw 2 inches of snow per hour. The Dixon Street Department had 10 snowplow drivers out at 2 a.m. plowing all of the streets, said snowplow driver and mechanic Skip Willett. "There have been a few people in ditches. There were no major accidents I heard of," Willett said. Sterling snowplow drivers were clearing the city's main arteries, said public works employee Don Kithcart. "One of our guys said it had snowed about six inches," Kithcart said at 7:45 a.m. this morning. Kitchart became temporarily stuck when he came in to work. Eight to nine inches had been reported as falling in Dixon, said National Weather Service forecaster Nathan Marsili. State officials said more than 1,700 trucks were ready to plow 42,741 miles of highways across Illinois. At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, United and American airlines preemptively canceled hundreds of Friday flights. As of Thursday evening, United had canceled 385 flights that were scheduled to either arrive or depart between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday. American Airlines canceled all flights between 10 p.m. Icy roads made for treacherous driving here and throughout northern Illinois, with high temperatures expected at freezing or slightly colder. "We've got crashes everywhere," said Master Sgt. Ollie Hollo of the Illinois State Police. Electric utilities said they had scheduled extra workers and were readying equipment and communications systems in the event of outages. National Weather Service forecasters expected the snow to last until noon, with highs between 24 and 25. Gusting winds between 15 to 22 mph are expected to cause drifting, with gusts possibly as high as 31 mph. Temperatures tonight are forecast to drop to around 10 degrees, with wind chills of 6 above to 3 below zero, and a west wind between 6 and 10 mph. Saturday should be mostly sunny, with a high near 29. and a west wind between 7 and 13 mph, causing a wind chill of 7 above to 3 below zero. Saturday night is forecast to be partly cloudy, with a low around 7. Scattered flurries are expected for Sunday, with a high near 19 and a low near 7 above. Staff Writer Phil Hartman contributed to this report. Don't forget snow removal rules Dixon, Sterling and Rock Falls residents are reminded that snow parking rules are in effect. The fine for breaking Dixon's snow removal ordinance has increased from $7 to $20 this year. An additional $5 charge will be added if it is not paid within 72 hours. According to the ordinance, after an accumulation of 1 or more inches of snow, and until both sides of the street, alley or public way have been plowed. It is unlawful to let any vehicle to remain parked on the same side of a public street, alley or public way for more than 12 hours after the opposite side of the public street, alley or public way has been plowed. Dixon city code also prohibits piling snow on or against a fire hydrant, on any sidewalk or on a public right of way, except for the public right of way immediately adjacent to the person's property, and it is illegal to obstruct the vision of any intersection of any street or alley. Also, citizens are reminded that state law prohibits the operation of a snowmobile on roadways within city limits. In Sterling and Rock Falls, the snow parking ordinances take effect once 2 inches of snow are on the ground, and remain in effect for 36 to 48 hours or until the snow stops and the full width of the street has been plowed. In Sterling, on even-numbered calendar days, motorists are asked to park their cars on the even-numbered side of the street. On odd-numbered days, the cars are to be parked on the odd-numbered side. For more information, call the Sterling Community Services Department at 632-6624 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Winter driving tips BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Illinois Department of Transportation offers these tips for driving safely in winter: