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Chicago weather: Black ice crashes close expressways

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Published  November 1, 2023 5:23am CDT
Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago

Icy road conditions wreak havoc on Chicago commuters with crashes and long delays

Icy roads led to all kinds of problems Wednesday morning as commuters made their way into Chicago.

CHICAGO - Temps are around or below freezing and enough moisture was left on some roadways for patchy black ice.  

I drove through an area of black ice on the Edens Expressway this morning. Three cars had already spun out and into the guard rails in both directions of the expressway as I passed. These spots will be more likely on elevated pavement.  

The inbound Edens Expressway was closed for several hours due to a crash between Old Orchard Road and Dempster Street. All lanes reopened around 7:40 a.m. 

The westbound lanes of I-80/I-94 were also closed for a few hours at Torrence Avenue but reopened at 7 a.m.

Illinois State Police said the following crashes happened on the Bishop Ford near 103rd Street Wednesday morning:

  • An entrance ramp was blocked for roughly two hours around 2:06 a.m. for a one-vehicle crash
  • A car and a semi crashed around 3:50 a.m., sending the car into a ditch
  • Two cars crashed into a ditch around 6:38 a.m.
  • A car crashed into a light pole around 6:45 a.m.
  • A car crashed into a guardrail around 7 a.m.

No injuries were reported in any of the Bishop Ford crashes, per ISP.

There were also several crashes on I-290 between Austin Boulevard and Central Avenue:

  • A car crashed into the left wall around 1:32 a.m.
  • Two vehicles crashed separately around 3:23 a.m
  • A three-vehicle crash was also reported at 3:23 a.m. One person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
  • There were two other one-vehicle crashes at 4:06 a.m. and 4:09 a.m.

IDOT provides update after several crashes, spinouts reported overnight

IDOT communications manager Maria Castaneda joins Good Day Chicago to detail her department's efforts to clear the roads in and around the city after a tough stretch of icy weather.

Snow is also still falling in northwest Indiana and roads will be worse there as a result this morning. The rest of the day will be partly sunny and chilly with highs around 44.  

Tonight will be partly cloudy and cold with lows not far from freezing. Tomorrow will be a bit milder with some sun and highs around 50.  

Friday looks even milder with mid 50s and a mix of clouds and sun. A chance of rain arrives at night.  

The weekend will be warmer than normal with highs around 60 both days despite quite a bit of cloud cover and occasional showers.

Yesterday was Chicago’s second-snowiest Halloween on record. O’Hare ended up with 0.9 inches.

Chicago weather: Tuesday morning forecast

FOX 32's Mike Caplan breaks down today's weather outlook.