Wild weekend weather saw high winds, snowfall – and a near 50-degree temperature drop – in McHenry County area

A weekend of wild and wide-ranging weather blew through the McHenry County area, from warm and dangerously high winds Friday to a scary storm into Saturday to snowfall Sunday – and a temperature drop of nearly 50 degrees in the process.

After highs reached nearly 80 degrees on Friday, dangerous gusts Friday night and into Saturday downed trees and caused scattered outages and road closures and, nearby in Kane County, blew the roof off the century-old First United Methodist Church in Elgin. By Sunday – when snowfalls reported to the National Weather Service included ranges of 1 to 5 inches in the area – wintry road conditions were the more serious peril.

Near Union, three people were critically injured and two others were also taken to hospitals in a two-vehicle crash that officials said occurred just before 9:30 a.m. Sunday in whiteout conditions near north Union Road and Route 176, said Alex Vucha, public information officer for the Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts, which responded along with the Union Fire Protection District.

A medical helicopter was requested but unable to respond because of the weather, and fire crews upgraded the call for additional ambulances, Vucha said.

Late Sunday morning near Harvard, where multiple inches of snow were reported, a car rolled into an embankment near a creek near the intersection of McGuire and Lindwall roads, but the driver was uninjured, said Vucha, who also is public information officer for the Harvard Fire Protection District.

ShamROCKS the Fox, McHenry’s St. Patrick’s Day festival, was unlucky this year when it came to weather. Friday’s high winds prompted organizers not to set up a tent with heaters and live music at Miller Point Park, and Sunday’s snow and cold doomed the remaining outdoor events and the planned fireworks show.

But the bands scheduled for Sunday put on a free show at The Vixen instead, and the poor weather broke long enough for festival-goers to enjoy Saturday’s dyeing of the Fox River and parade, during which weather was mild and sunny if still somewhat windy.