UPDATE: Winter Storm Warning Expires, Cold Expected

Update, 9:14 a.m. River Forest winter parking rules remain in effect.  The village is asking folks to call the Public Works Department at (708) 366-8500, Ext. 350 to find out when the rules expire.

Update, 7:33 a.m. The winter storm warning expired overnight around 2:45 a.m., several hours ahead of schedule. Most of the overnight snowfall appears to be over, but extremely cold temperatures will arrive today and continue to plummet, according to forecasts. On Friday morning, temperatures are hovering around 16 degrees. They're expected to drop, with wind chills expected to drop to 5 to 10 below zero tonight and into Saturday morning.

Across town, Oak Park is reporting clear roadways, thanks to a prepared public works department.

“We had so much advanced warning for this particular storm, so our public works department has been prepared,” Oak Park spokesman Dave Powers told TribLocal. “Our streets are open and passable, and we’re staying on top of any accumulation on the streets.”

According to the Village of Oak Park's official Twitter feed, the "#OakPark Snow Parking Ban is in effect. Don't park on snow routes & follow odd/even rule on all other streets. Updates: 708.358.SNOW(7669)"

Meanwhile, the CTA is reporting normal operations on all its rail lines.

And if you're about to head out the door and brave the morning commute, be sure to check out our Traffic page, which offers real-time road reports courtesy of MapQuest.

Update, 10:50 p.m. The NWS has issued another update, this time at 9:09 p.m. It's basically the same as the agency's morning alert. Take a look. We'll bring you a comprehensive look at the aftermath in the morning. Until then, stay warm.

The season's first major snowfall is a doozy.

Heavy snow and strong winds have prompted a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service. According to the agency's latest update, issued at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, most of the heavy stuff will come down this afternoon and evening, accumulating about one inch per hour and with anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of total accumulation by "early tonight."

The snowfall will continue into early Friday morning, forecasters said. So far, officials at Oak Park and River Forest public schools haven't reported any cancellations or closings.

Accompanying the snow are strong winds and plummeting temperatures.

Forecasters are predicting gusts up to 35 mph, creating blowing snow and increasing the likelihood of a "treacherous" commute, the agency said. (Check real-time traffic updates on our Traffic page)

According to the Chicago Tribune, "hundreds of flights have been canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports."

Wind chills will drop anywhere from zero to ten below by Friday morning.

The warning will remain in effect until 9 a.m. Friday.