Spring snowstorm pastes Chicago area

CHICAGO (AP) — A thin blanket of snow snarled the morning commute across northern Illinois, where slick roadways led to scores of accidents and brought traffic to a crawl in some areas.

Snow also fell across portions of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The Illinois State Police says that reports of crashes and spin-outs started coming in about 5:30 Monday morning. The weather system that could bring as much as five inches of snow to some parts of the Chicago area also prompted nearly 100 cancellations at O'Hare International Airport and another 20 at Midway International Airport.

The National Weather Service cautions that conditions could get more hazardous as temperatures climb and the snow turns to sleet.

Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation has dispatched more than 280 pieces of equipment to plow and spread salt along snow-slicked streets.

Some other locations across the upper Midwest have already picked up a foot or more of snow from this storm, the Weather Channel said. Some of the top totals include 15 inches in Fennimore, Wis.; 11.5 inches near Decorah, Iowa; and 8 inches in Rochester, Minn.

Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY