Winter Storm Warning: Chicago area being hit by multiple inches of snow all day | LIVE RADAR

CHICAGO (WLS) — A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for most counties in the Chicago area until 6 a.m. Sunday as several inches of snow are expected to drop over 24 hours.

The warning expires Sunday at midnight for Ford and Iroquois counties in Illinois, and Benton, Jasper and Newton counties in Indiana.

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However, the snow di not stop some people from coming out and celebrating the holidays. People were out in Chicago, shopping, playing in the snow, and Christkindlmarket had lines all day.

Saturday morning started with some flurries and light snow in some locations.

At around 23:25 p.m., O’Hare Airport had a total of 1,031 cancellations and Midway Airport had 188 cancellations. Officials said average delays were 76 minutes at O’Hare and 33 minutes at Midway.

ABC7 AccuWeather meteorologists said the heaviest snow was forecast between noon and 8 p.m. Saturday.

There is potential for parts of the area to see a switch over from snow to rain Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Areas in and around Chicago and Northwest Indiana could see 5 to 8 inches of snow while areas to north and west of the city could see more than 8 inches of snow.

By noon Saturday, Wheaton and Batavia saw over 4 inches of snow and O’Hare had over 3 inches.

Wind gusts were expected to be up to 30 miles per hour at times.

The Illinois Tollway has reminded holiday travelers to use caution while driving this weekend as the snow moves through and sticks around as people return to and leave the Chicago area after Thanksgiving celebrations.

After the snow moves out, cold will remain Sunday, with overnight lows in single digits.

For the Midwest and East Coast, the storm could create dangerous conditions for the thousands of people heading back home after Thanksgiving.

It was a winter wonderland across Chicago as the snow continued to fall Saturday and some people are enjoying every bit of it.

Many people visiting Chicago on Saturday from other states say it was a pleasant surprise.

“This is perfect,” said Daniel Fridman from St. Louis. “I looked outside this morning, and said this is exactly the day for us to go out there.”

“I love it,” said David Gillanders from California. “The only time we get this is if we go on snowboard ski trips at local mountains, which is cool, but you’re not walking around where you live with snow falling all the time, so it’s amazing.”

It was a different story for lifelong Chicagoans who have been dreading this storm and the long winter ahead.

“I hate the winter, I hate it, but we love this town, we love Chicago,” a Chicago resident said.

Many people still got some holiday shopping in across downtown during the storm, and the Christkindlmarket was bustling all day as people even stood in some long lines waiting to get in.

“Just been enjoying the city, and now we’re getting this, so we’re gonna get an extra day in the city, because our flight got canceled,” said Clay Fidler from Arkansas.

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