Morris in the sights of another winter storm

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday already pushed next week’s Morris City Council meeting back to Tuesday, but now Tuesday’s meeting has been pushed back to 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22 due to forecasted extreme weather.

Morris is listed as part of a large winter storm warning that covers the entirety of Northern Illinois. Snow is expected to start around midnight and continue through Saturday morning, potentially with a mix of rain at certain points according to the National Weather service.

The National Weather Service as of 4 a.m. Thursday has Grundy County as a medium risk to receive more than 6 inches of snow, and the entirety of the northern Illinois region as a high risk to receive at least 4 inches of snow.

The severe weather continues afterward, albeit in a different form: The National Weather Service is forecasting a flash freeze starting Sunday morning that will see high temperatures in the single digits or colder and wind chills below -30 degrees in the morning. Ice jams are possible along local rivers.

The additional snow Thursday night means that parking will be restricted in Morris until the snow is cleared. This is thanks to a city ordinance that lists Illinois Avenue from Division Street to Calhoun Street as a snow route, along with Washington Street, Main Street and Jefferson Street from Division to Fulton Street, Jackson, North and Chapin streets from Division to Wauponsee streets, Franklin Street from Illinois to North Street, Liberty Street from Illinois Avenue to the Rock Island Railroad tracks, Wauponsee Street from Illinois Avenue to Benton Street and High Street from Division to Lisbon Street.

“It is unlawful to park any vehicle between the hours of 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. at any time after snow has accumulated to a depth of two inches or more until snow removal operations have been completed,” the ordinance reads. Those who violate this ordinance will see their vehicle towed away.

Washington, Ottawa, Jefferson, Union, Lisbon, High, School, Armstrong and North Liberty streets, and Fremont and West Avenues, and Lisbon Road to the north city limits are also considered secondary snow routes. Those in violation will not be towed away on these streets, but they should still move cars away from the road anyway.