A ferocious winter storm dropped 18 inches of snow on Chicago. As residents begin to dig out, winter fatigue sets in.

Plow drivers, commuters and shovelers across Chicago and the suburbs spent Tuesday contending with as much as 18 inches of snow dumped by a ferocious winter storm that closed schools and government buildings, paralyzed public transit lines and turned roads treacherous.

Snowfall from the storm that blew in Sunday night may have varied from neighborhood to neighborhood, but the totals were staggering: Evanston and Oak Park both notched about 18 inches through Tuesday morning, while Bridgeview registered 17.7 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood got 18.6 inches, while Forest Park was covered in 17.3 inches. O’Hare logged only 7.5 inches.

The new snow, which sometimes fell at whiteout rates, piled onto already deep drifts following weeks of accumulation and a dangerous cold snap. Chicagoans are used to snowy winters, but fatigue set in as Tuesday marked the ninth straight day of more than a tenth of an inch of snow, tying the record for the longest stretch of days with snowfall since the start of record-keeping in 1884, according to the weather service.

It’s snowed 16 of the past 23 days in Chicago, making this one of the snowiest stretches since the late 1970s. And 40.1 inches of snow fell over roughly the last three weeks — about 5 inches more than the normal snowfall of 36.3 inches, said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the weather service.

The local snowfall was part of a blast of extreme weather nationwide that has killed at least 16 people and left millions without power, many of them in places such as Texas where damaging winter storms are rare.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statewide disaster proclamation and warned the weather could further impede a logistical effort that has thus far moved sluggishly: the push to vaccinate people against COVID-19. In Chicago, more than 100 sites missed shipments of vaccines Tuesday.

Locals who spent Tuesday struggling to clear snow noted the cumulative effects of precipitation and cold. Phil Reitz, 62, was nearing the hour mark of clearing the area around his Evanston home Tuesday morning, his right half coated in the fluffy snow thrown out by his snowblower.

“It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve seen so much snow,” Reitz said.

As he spoke, the door opened and his 4-year-old Newfoundland Auggie, burst out, followed by Reitz’s wife, Peggy.

“He’s the only one that likes the snow!” Peggy said.

The rest of the week could hold a reprieve for those worn out on cold and snow. Forecasters called for another round of light snowfall late Wednesday afternoon and temperatures that could rise into the low 30s Sunday.

“We may actually rise above freezing for the first time since Feb. 4,” Kluber said. From there, temperatures will return to seasonal norms in the 30s, with the possibility of a 40-degree high by Feb. 24, he added.

While many are likely to enjoy the end of the frigid temperatures, weather officials such as Kluber would prefer a gradual thaw, because rapidly melting snow raises the risk of flooding.

Crews in Chicago were continuing to clear roads Tuesday afternoon, and Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner John Tully said those efforts might move to residential side streets as soon as 5 p.m. While the snowfall was intense, it didn’t reach 2011 “Snowmageddon” levels, when Lake Shore Drove was lost as 21.2 inches fell.

The snow supplanted COVID-19 as the reason many area school kids didn’t physically attend class, and Chicago Public Schools called off in-person instruction Tuesday, though it will resume Wednesday. CPS schools reopened to in-person attendance for some kids just last week under a deal Mayor Lori Lightfoot struck with the teachers union.

Some districts joined Chicago’s schools in holding remote classes Tuesday, while others canceled school entirely, according to the Emergency Closing Center website.

Local courthouses also slowed for the day. In-person hearings at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago were postponed Tuesday. Meanwhile, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans announced that courts would be open, but only for videoconference and teleconference proceedings. His office warned people not to appear in court in person.

Those who had to leave their homes faced messes on the roads and railways.

The CTA listed one service suspension or disruption after another. The Red, Purple, Yellow and Orange lines all had service interruptions because of track-switching issues. The same was true of Metra, which struggled with mechanical issues and switch failures.

The biggest issues appeared to be in the north suburbs, especially on the Union Pacific North Line, which runs to Kenosha. Vehicles, including a plow truck, became stuck at railroad crossings in Wilmette and Winthrop Harbor and had to be removed, said spokeswoman Meg Reile.

“It’s a hard morning commute,” she said.

Local roads were dicey as well, and Illinois State Police recorded about 82 crashes in Chicago and Cook County from midnight Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday, said Sgt. Delila Garcia, a spokeswoman. State police in other suburban counties had 19 crashes, she said.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 150 flights had been canceled at the city’s two major airports.

The accumulating snow proved too much for some structures Tuesday, adding to a spate of recent building cave-ins. Three vacant South Side buildings that partially collapsed Tuesday morning marked the sixth, seventh and eighth cave-ins reported of late.

While the snow made life difficult across the region, some found cause for joy.

Lupe Soto and husband, Carlos, run a trash-hauling business that took a hit during the pandemic, and both got the virus over the summer, she said. But the couple who live in Evanston do snow removal in the winter, and Lupe Soto said the extra inches of snow “feel like a blessing after an extremely rough year because of the pandemic.”

Her husband was out until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and left again two hours later because the calls “are nonstop.”

At the Polonia Triangle on the Northwest Side, Jeremy Williams directed two men with shovels and another on a John Deere tractor as they cleared snow. They work for the nonprofit Cleanslate, and were tasked with clearing sidewalks on Milwaukee Avenue from the triangle to Western Avenue. They started at 5:45 a.m. and expected to keep going for 12 hours or more, unless the tractor broke down.

“We haven’t had a smooth day yet,” he said, noting they’d been out about eight times so far this season to move snow.

Williams said the worst year to work was during 2014 1/4 u2032s polar vortex. The snow froze, making it hard to move. This year, “the snow is real light and fluffy so it’s easier,” he said.

“It can be a pain at times, but it’s a job and it pays the bills,” Williams said.

Restaurateurs, meanwhile, adjusted their Fat Tuesday plans to deal with the snow. Bridgeport Bakery had planned to open at midnight for its annual paczki pickups, which numbered around 25,000 pieces in past years, but owner Can Lao announced late Monday night he would open 30 minutes earlier.

“Due to the big storm, we decided to open for earlier pick up for customers this year,” Lao wrote on the bakery’s Facebook page. “All the snow has been cleaned. (At the moment).”

One customer had ordered Bridgeport paczki delivery then shared the experience on Twitter: “And damned if they didn’t still deliver them, 10 minutes early! THAT is service!”

Chicago Tribune’s Louisa Chu, Lara Rodriguez Presa, John Byrne, Karen Ann Cullotta, Jason Meisner, Madeline Buckley and Hannah Leone contributed.