Authorities have banned some long trucks along the Indiana Toll Road due to the heavy snow and high winds accompanying Tuesday's winter storm.

The ban comes as a winter storm warning issued for the entire region brought the promised snow just after midnight Tuesday.

A blizzard watch was canceled Tuesday afternoon by the National Weather Service. The winter storm warning will continue until noon Wednesday.

The National Weather Service forecasts snow to continue through tonight, becoming heavy at times with significant blowing and drifting. Lake effect snow showers will continue across mainly Porter County.

Accumulations of 8 to 14 inches can be expected with up to 1-1/2 feet of snow possible in northeast Porter County.

As of around 3:30 p.m., Portage had 4.9 inches and Wheatfield had 4.5. Chesterton had 5.5 inches by 4:12 p.m. and Cedar Lake reported 6 inches by 4:42 p.m.

Some lanes of the toll road near the Portage exit were closed for a time Tuesday after two semitrailers crashed. State police also reported several slide-offs and crashes on the highway.

The toll road operator banned double and triple trailers until 7 p.m. Wednesday.

As of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Indiana State Police reported covering 50 property damage crashes, six crashes with minor injuries and slide-offs. The incidents were primarily on Interstate 80/94 and Interstate 65.

State police reported that highways in the Lowell district ranged from wet to slushy in spots, especially on the ramps. Local and county police in Lake and Porter counties said side roads were slick, but no major accidents were reported.

Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller said the city hasn't yet implemented its emergency traffic accident reporting plan, and he's doubtful the storm will warrant it at all.

As of midday, Hammond officers responded to six minor accidents on the city's streets. On an average day, Miller said officers will respond to about five traffic accidents.

Many area schools announced plans for late starts, early dismissals and all out closures and in Lake County, officials announced the government center would be closed for the day.

All nonessential Crown Point city employees were sent home early, according to Assistant Police Chief Jim Janda.

Many commuters opted to take public transportation and avoid the roads. At the Dune Park South Shore station in Chesterton, a few inches of snow were already on the ground by 6 a.m. The train scheduled to arrive at 6:02 a.m. rolled into the station at 6:09 a.m., which seasoned riders said is not unusually late for a snowy day.

"It can be late on a sunny day," said Mark Montoya of Chesterton, who has been taking the South Shore for 24 years, but only from the Dune Park station for the last three years.

"It's a lot better than driving," Montoya said. "I'd rather be on the train than driving."

Train No. 106, originally scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 7:21 a.m. was annulled due to mechanical problems. Train No. 108, scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 7:35 a.m. was expected to be 20 to 30 minutes late due to the problems with Train No. 106. Subsequent westbound trains during the morning rush also experienced delays of about an hour.

South Shore officials anticipated all trains would be on time for the afternoon rush hour.

Montoya said he could tell there were more people taking the train into Chicago than usual on Tuesday -- presumably to avoid driving in the snow -- due to the number of cars in the parking lot.

Melinda Duffy of Chesterton was doing just that. Duffy works on the North Side of Chicago and usually drives in, but had her husband drive her to the station so she could avoid the snowy drive.

"I've driven that before and it's not fun," Duffy said.

When the announcement came that the train would be cancelled and others would be late, she opted to call her husband and work from home instead.

Even with the snow coming down at a steady clip and trains coming in late, commuters opted to stand on the platform rather than wait inside the station.

Bill Eck of Valparaiso has been taking the South Shore since November and agrees it is, "better than driving in."

"I don't have to worry about the headaches," Eck said.

Commuters said their drives to the train station were not bad, considering the weather. Traffic on the adjacent U.S. 12 was moving steadily.

Air travel was impacted by the snow as well. The Chicago Department of Aviation says more than 600 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport with delays averaging 45 minutes.

Southwest Airlines says it's canceled more than 140 flights at Midway International Airport through the end of Tuesday and expects to resume service Wednesday.

The aviation department says only a few flights are scheduled to depart Midway for the rest of Tuesday.

Locally, Hobart public works crews hit the roads at 3 a.m. with a fleet of 23 snow plows armed with a beet juice and salt mixture to treat the city's 115 miles of pavement. Public Works Director Wayne Snider said crews hit the main road, including the downtown and U.S. 30 business corridor, first, then move on to side streets and alleys.

"This is a hard one because it's going to last a long time," Snider said of the storm. "You get caught up and here it comes again."

Snider said his department works with the police department and area schools to address any areas of particular concern.

The beet juice and salt mixture Hobart crews were using to treat the roadways is more eco-friendly than traditional ice melting chemicals and can be used in colder temperatures, to as low as 20 below zero, said Scott Cummings, Street Department foreman.

-- Times Staff Writers Jeff Burton, Lauri Harvey Keagle, Deborah Laverty, Bob Kasarda, Jeff Burton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.