CHICAGO (AP) — The major winter storm hitting northern Illinois is snarling traffic and cutting power to thousands of households.Marisa Kollias, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, says roads in the Chicago area are treacherous. She says the agency is “pleading with the public” to stay home Friday if possible.
Ameren is reporting 40,000 customers without power Friday. Outages are heaviest in Bloomington and Peoria, with some also reported in Champaign.

ComEd spokeswoman Alicia Zatkowski says 14,000 customers were without service as of 6 a.m., most of them in an area south of Midway Airport to the Indiana border. More than 100 crews are working to restore power.

The National Weather Service says heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain will continue across northwest Illinois and northwest Indiana through midmorning.