The Wind Chill Warning for Kane County is scheduled to end at noon today as temperatures climb past zero degrees for the first time since Sunday night. However, with a high of 6 degrees in the forecast, please take the following precautions:
* The Kane County Office of Emergency Management says road conditions, especially on bridges, are still slick. Road salt is not overly effective at these temperatures.
* The Geneva Police Department encourages residents to check on elderly neighbors
* Both humans and pets should stay indoors as much as possible.
The City's snow operations are ongoing with hauling large snow piles out of residential cul-de-sacs and the downtown area.
Our warming centers, outlined in the previous update, are open today if residents need a break from the cold weather.
Finally, a BIG THANK YOU to the community for your patience during this storm. Our Public Works Department was working around the clock to clear large amounts of snow in less than ideal weather conditions. Also, thank you for helping spread the word via social media to your friends, family and neighbors. That is a big assistance to us during major weather events.
***********PRIOR UPDATES*******************
January 6, 2014 4:58 PM
Geneva City Hall and all other City offices will reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 after being closed Jan. 6 due to dangerous weather.
The Wind Chill Warning runs through noon Jan. 7, but the forecast calls for a high of 7 degrees. The following warming centers will be open to residents needing a break from the cold.
Geneva City Hall
22 S. First St.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Geneva Public Works Department
1800 South St.
7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Geneva Fire Department Headquarters
200 East Side Drive
24 hours (no sleeping facilities)
Geneva Police Department
20 Police Plaza
24 hours (no sleeping facilities)
Blowing and drifting snow will continue throughout the evening, which could cause hazardous driving conditions. Please use extreme caution when driving. Road salt is not effective in melting snow and ice on road surfaces at these temperatures.
*********January 6, 2014 11:53 AM*********
Public Works crews are out today scraping all the snow routes and residential streets again to make sure they are cleaned up as much as possible. Please leave your parked cars off the street.
The City has crews working on hauling snow out of cul-de-sacs and the downtown. This clean-up effort is expected to last much of the week.
While the roads are drivable, salt becomes less effective in these freezing temperatures. The Police Department is encouraging residents to stay off the roads if possible given the strong winds and blowing snow. If you must drive, make sure you have jackets, blankets, gloves in your car.
The Wind Chill Warning remains in effect until noon Tuesday, Jan. 7. A prolonged period of cold weather will keep temperatures below zero and have wind chills between 30 to 50 degrees below zero. Exposure to these conditions could lead to frost bite and hypothermia within minutes.
With the dangerously cold weather, garbage collection this week, which includes live Christmas trees, will be bumped back one day similar to a holiday week. Collection will take place Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10 and 11.
The City has opened warming shelters at the Police Department, 20 Police Plaza, and the Fire Department Headquarters, 200 East Side Drive. While both buildings are open throughout the day, neither can provide public sleeping accommodations overnight.
The State of Illinois would like to remind everyone about the "Keep Warm Illinois" program, which is a special resource to help Illinois residents during the severe cold. The website provides helpful information from a number of agencies in one location.
City Hall and other non-emergency buildings remain closed Jan. 6 due to the weather. The Police and Fire departments are open, and Public Works crews are working their normal shifts today.
The Fire Department is asking residents shoveling their driveways to clear snow from the closest fire hydrant near their home. Having a clear hydrant helps our firefighters in case of an emergency.
*********January 5, 2014 8:40 PM*********
With extremely cold temperatures and unsafe driving conditions in Kane County, Geneva City Hall and other City offices will be closed for business Monday, Jan. 6.
The Police and Fire departments will remain open. Public Works crews in the Streets, Electric and Water divisions also will be working their normal shifts.
The decision to close City Hall and other non-emergency offices stems from the Wind Chill Warning issued for Kane County. The forecast calls for dangerously cold temperatures Jan. 6 combined with strong winds, which could cause unsafe driving conditions due to blowing snow.
The Police Department, 20 Police Plaza, and the Fire Department Headquarters, 200 East Side Drive, will be activated as warming centers Jan. 6. Both facilities will be open throughout the day, but neither building will provide any public sleeping accommodations.
There is no City Council meeting scheduled for Jan. 6. That decision was made in December. The council will next meet Monday, Jan. 13 as the Committee of the Whole.
The City will continue to post regular weather updates on our website, Facebook and Twitter accounts Jan. 6 and throughout the week.
*********January 5, 2014 5:01 PM*********
The worst of the weekend snow storm seems to be behind us at this point after Geneva was hit with 8 inches this weekend.
Our Public Works crews will continue to work into the evening cleaning up both primary and residential streets. There is potential for blowing and drifting snow given the high winds, so please be careful if you are driving. Salt on the roadways becomes less effective the colder the weather turns. Also keep parked cars off the street.
During the course of this week, crews will be touching up roadways, including scraping with the plow, to get them as clean as possible given the bitter cold conditions now entering our forecast. Public Works also will be hauling away snow from cul-de-sacs during the next several days.
Starting on Jan. 7, large snow piles will be hauled out of the downtown and cleared from downtown parking lots.
The Winter Storm Warning is set to expire at 6 p.m. tonight, which is the same time the Wind Chill Warning is set to start and last until noon Jan. 7. The forecasted wind chills, which will range from 30 to 50 below zero, is the lowest in nearly two decades. Frost bite and hypothermia will occur in a matter of minutes with these expected wind chills.
Due to the extended cold spell, Advanced Disposal has informed the City that garbage collection will be delayed one day this week, similar to a holiday week. Garbage collection, including live Christmas tree collection, will be scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10 and 11.
With dangerous day time high temperatures expected to be below zero next week, the Kane County Office of Emergency Management offers a few tips you can use to stay safe during this extreme weather.
1. Wear multiple layers of clothing to stay warm including gloves and hats to help prevent losing your body heat.
2. Don't forget your pets - make sure they have enough shelter to keep warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.
3. Protect your pipes by running water at a trickle to help prevent them from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
4. If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least 3 feet away.
5. If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
6. Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
7. Use generators correctly - never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.
8. Don't hook a generator up to the home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator.
*********January 5, 2014 8:16 AM*********
Good morning and welcome to Day 2 of this Winter Storm Warning. It appears Geneva received about 6 inches of snow yesterday, and are expected to get an additional 1 to 3 inches today. Thank you for keeping your parked cars off the street to help our plow teams. Police are enforcing the City's snow parking ordinance.
Public Works has gone through a couple of cycles of residential street plowing making one pass in each direction with our small plow trucks. They are now addressing cul-de-sacs.
One team of large plows is keeping an eye on our emergency snow routes to make sure the main arterial roads are clear. The other team is providing assistance in the residential clean-up as work starts toward plowing to the curb.
Downtown sidewalks are looking pretty good at this point after crews worked during the night/early morning. The City's plow contractor also was cleaning our downtown parking lots last night.
The Winter Storm Warning continues until 6 p.m. today, and be careful of possible blowing snow if you are out driving today. Plowing will be continuing throughout the day, so give our trucks space to operate on the roads.
We likely will see falling temperatures throughout the day with the Wind Chill Warning starting at 6 p.m. tonight through noon Tuesday. The worst part is expected to be tonight into Monday, so please stay indoors if possible. Thank you.
*********January 4, 2014 7:22 PM*********
Our Public Works Department has been hitting our primary snow emergency routes (main arterial roads) since 3:30 p.m. With snow continuing throughout the night, crews will be working around the clock to keep these routes clear.
Public Works is targeting 3 a.m. to start plowing in residential neighborhoods.
Salt is currently working given the temperatures but is expected to become less effective when the weather turns bitterly cold tomorrow.
The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Warning for Kane County from 6 p.m. Jan. 5 to noon Jan. 7. A prolonged period of dangerously cold wind chills colder than 30 below is expected with wind chills of 40 to 50 below anticipated for late Sunday night until Monday afternoon. Being outside could result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken.
The Winter Storm Warning remains unchanged from the previous update and continues until 6 p.m. Jan. 5. While crews will be plowing, it is advisable to stay off the roads given the continued snow fall. Thanks.
*********January 4, 2014 12:14 PM*********
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Kane County through 6 p.m. Jan. 5. Snow is expected to develop this afternoon and could result in 5 to 10 inches of accumulation in the next 24 hours, leading to hazardous driving conditions.
Periods of heavy snow along with strong winds could result in poor visibility for motorists. Residents should stay off the roads if possible.