07 Dec 07 Trucks clear streets before weekend storm

The city’s Department of Streets & Sanitation needed only half its snow-fighting Trucks Friday morning to finish clearing the snow from Thursday night’s storm. Another storm is expected to hit the Chicago area Saturday.

About 8 p.m. Thursday, the Department of Streets & Sanitation deployed 273 snow-fighting trucks to clear the roads. However, half the Trucks were sent home about 1 a.m., the department said.

“We are fortunate that this system for the most part spared Chicago, because it will allow us to rest half of our drivers and permit the other drivers to finish the main routes and side streets well in advance of the morning rush hour,” Streets & Sanitation Commissioner Michael J. Picardi said in a statement.

Friday’s temperatures are expected to climb to 32 degrees by 1 p.m., but drop near 25 degrees with a southwest wind gusting about 10 miles per hour the rest of the day. The mercury is expected to dip to 13 degrees Friday night, when the wind chill will be as low as 1-degree below zero, the National Weather Service said.

The winter weather could return Saturday, when a mix of snow and sleet could hit Chicago after noon. The wind chill will continue to be near 1-degree below zero as winds gust to 10 miles per hour. The slushy mix is expected to continue Saturday night and Sunday morning, the National Weather Service said.