Driving in Naperville Il in Winter

I used to live in Naperville, and I still live quite nearby.

Snowplows usually go out as soon as the snow starts falling. Expect main roads and highways to be clear, but side streets may or may not be. It's actually better to travel on main roads after a big snow than side streets.

Check for parking signs if parking on the street, during snow they often have rules about what days and times you can park so they can plow.

4-wheel drive is not necessary. I've never had it and I've been fine. Just avoid rear-wheel drive cars--if they still have such a thing!

Keep a snow shovel in your car along with an ice scraper/brush. Also keep a warm blanket, an emergency road kit and extra gloves/mittens, hat and scarf in your trunk. I also keep an umbrella in my car! My daughter has a habit of forgetting her hat, mittens and scarf so it's good to have extra in your car.

Teach your kids to put their hats and mittens in the sleeve of their jackets when they hang them up at school. It cuts down on them being lost. My daughter looses mittens like there's no tomorrow! I usually start the winter with 10 pairs and by the end we're lucky if she still has 2 matching!

Buy jackets, snow pants, boots and a shovel early in the winter or you won't be able to find one by mid-winter. I suggest WalMart for snow pants, they are half the price and very warm. I also suggest a sled! Be sure to buy one early!

You will love Naperville, there is so much to do and the downtown area is just adorable! Be sure to visit Ikea for tons of cute decorating and household items. Make a day of it and eat lunch there!

Best of luck! You all will love your first snowfall of the year!

2 moms found this helpful

welcome, we love naperville, we live very close

don't worry about the 4 wheel drive, many people don't have it.
the snow plows are real good about snow removal. you should look into getting a snow blower & a couple shovels.....if you have a light weight car, you should keep a large bag of salt in your trunk, for the traction.....oh & you will need to have antifreeze put in your cars..........people can get careless driving, but don't let them intimidate you.....black ice is dangerous, so don't try to beat a light if the roads are questionable.

also it's a good idea to have 2 winter coats per kid & a few pairs of gloves & hats, i don't know how kids lose them so fast....and of course snow pants & boots, don't skimp of the quality!!!!!........the stores sell out fast so get them when you can!

Naperville is an awesome are.....there will be plenty for you to do with your kids....there are always tons of programs going on all year round.....they are easy to find, & people will be so friendly. good luck

1 mom found this helpful

I have lived in Minnesota and Illinois my entire life and have never had a 4 wheel drive car. I have never been stuck in the snow or ice and have never had an accident.

If you will be living in a single family home, you will probably want to buy a snow blower, or look for someone to clear it for you (the phone book will have a ton of options under "Snow Removal".) Most of the time when we have snowstorms it happens overnight, so you will need to allow some extra time in the morning to clear the snow (it takes us about 20 min to clear light snow, closer to 40 min to clear VERY heavy snow with a snowblower from our driveway and sidewalks.)

I expect that your kids are going to LOVE playing in the snow. You should get some good snow boots, snow pants, winter coats (1 for play, 1 for nice occassions), hats with ear flaps, mittens and gloves that are long enough to keep snow out, and a scarf to keep their faces warm.

1 mom found this helpful

lol! its not colorado! there are no mountains! most people that live here do not have an AWD or 4 WD vehicle. you will be just fine! this is the first time i have ever had an AWD car and to tell you the truth i drive just as cautiously as i did when i had a regular car (ford escort!) and i notice no difference. its not ht ecar its the driver. dont worry!

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Oh my goodness, the Midwest is not home for polar bears and sinking trucks, it's a place to sled and roll down snowy hills and ice skate. It's the windy city, the city of Big Shoulders,so get your brother in law to stop this! I grew up along Lake Michigan, so did my mother, and she even moved to Florida then moved back! Once a midwesterner always a midwesterner. So you get up earlier, shovel your snow while the kids build ice castels and igloos and keep your car turned on to warm it up in the winter. Naperville is a wonderful area, they are sure to keep their streets up and running and then if you cannot get your children, I'll bet no one else can and they will call it A SNOW DAY!!!!!! So, not to worry, and WELCOME!!!

1 mom found this helpful

It is a change from Cali, but I've lived in IL my whole life and neither myself nor my parents have ever had AWD. You don't need it. Just go slow and be careful. Everyone is relearning how to drive in the snow the first couple of snow falls. Be more careful with the very light snowfalls as the ground gets slick without grip and ppl sometimes drive to fast in it, but you'll be fine. The towns get the snow cleared fast. You'll be fine before the first winter is done and you'll know just how to drive in it.

Welcome to the windy city!!!! Naperville is soooo nice! You will love it there! Do not worry about the winters. The roads get cleared in no time. The key is to take your time and drive slowly. It will take you some time to get used to the weather, but I love the changing seasons. I can't imagine living somewhere where the climate is the same every day of the year. That would be so boring!

oh this is so funny!! No, you don't need 4 wheel drive, I have never had it and I've lived here my whole life. Just take it slow when it snows or ices then you'll be fine. You will find it's no big deal at all.

I wish I were back in Illinois. THey know how to clean up the white stuff. Here and in NC they practically shut down the whole state.

I live in Aurora, which is the town next to naperville and I frequently travel between the two towns/cities.

You don't NEED 4 wheel drive to travel...but it wouldn't hurt. I don't have 4wd in my car and I'm able to get around fine. You do need to get frequent car washes in the winter to get the salt off your car. They do tend to oversalt the roads to deal with the ice. If you aren't sure of the road conditions your best bet is to slow down and pay as much attention as you can focus on driving. If you are really concerned about it, get a container of kitty litter, jumper cables, extra supplies, snacks for the kids.

The kitty litter can be used to gain traction if you are having trouble. Also, you can use your floor mats for traction.

Naperville is a fairly large city ( so is Aurora as they compete for the 2nd largest city in the state). Traveling to get to certain places takes minutes...and if it is too cold to go out, you can always use peapod and get food delivered. Sometimes it just takes extra time to plan how to get around the weather.

I have no idea but you have several months until winter. By then, you'll be adjusted to the area, be able to talk with your new neighbors and parents of your kids friends etc. and you'll have a good idea of what you need to do. Don't worry, you'll figure it out.

I live two towns away from Naperville. You do not need four wheel drive. It's helpful, but I've had many cars without four wheel drive and it's fine. Naperville is very well plowed, and the big secret to driving in the snow? Go SLOW. That's it! You'll be fine!

As for what to do with the kids in winter, you'll soon find Naperville has more for kids than you'll know what to do with. There's a great children's museum. Sledding anywhere is always good. There are lots of indoor jumpy places. Don't worry. This area is a great place to live!

I live in Bolingbrook! So WELCOME to Illinois! Naperville is literally a block down from where I live. It really isn't that bad. Ther biggest storm we had was last Feb. But haven't had one like that in several years! You'll be fine! Not everyone here drives an SUV so believe me, you'll be ok! There are soo many things you can do with the kid's, theres a kids museum in downtown Naperville that you can take them to, I always did the membership and took them alot in the winter. They just built a mall not to far from Naperville called the Promenade and I love it! Believe me, once you move here you'll get used to it all! I love it here! And hopefully you will too! Good Luck!

Awwww! I see you got a lot of people telling you that you don't really need the 4 wheel drive. That is very true, I'm about an hour west in Rochelle, and I have an SUV that is 4WD but my husband drives a much smaller car that does not. We have not had any problems. We actually moved here about a year ago from Ohio, and to be honest they keep the roads much cleaner and far more clear than they do back home. Your first year, just be sure to take it easy and don't try to be a hero or anything, and you will be fine.
Welcome to the midwest!

It is great to have a 4 wheel drive here, but even a 2 wheel drive with a "snow button" is great. (Puts it in 4 wheel drive.)
But you don't have to have it. They clear the
roads like nobody's business.

You'll do fine! Naperville is a nice place.

D.

Welcome! You will be fine. You don't need 4 wheel drive but it helps. If the roads are too bad to drive they close schools.

It can get bad if it is blizzard conditions but hopefully we won't have that for a few years.

Snow is typically handled very quickly out here. Naperville stays on top of things. And when it is realllly bad, schools are closed and most folks stay home for a day. This may happen once or twice out of a year -- usually not more and I've lived here all my life. I have AWD Subaru and I saw a difference in my car especially when braking. I would recommend this especially becuz you have children. On the other hand, I drove a Toyota without any AWD or four wheel drive for 10 years prior, and didn't seem to have any issues. The AWD drive just gave me peace of mind once I had children. Naperville (all the western suburbs) are pretty quick to get on the job with caring for streets. Also, stay on the main streets as much as possible as with the more cars that are using the streets, the less icey they are.

Wanted to highlight to avoid rear wheel drive vehicles, which I believe are sports cars and BMWs. If you've got a convertible mustang, leave it in the garage during winter.

Black ice is ice on the road you can't see - hence the name black ice. Take the advice of everyone everyone else gave. Drive slow, and ignore the folks tooling around with the 4wd. Driving on snow in the straight aways is not a problem. It's the slowing down and needing to turn.

Practice in an empty parking lot too.

Welcome to the midwest!